GAME DAY: Four Calder contenders hit the ice as Wings host Ducks (7:30 p.m. ET, BSDET)

Photo credit:Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

2 years ago

@Moritz Seider, @Lucas Raymond, and @Trevor Zegras will all be in the lineup on Monday when the Detroit Red Wings host the Anaheim Ducks at Little Caesars Arena.

The trio of rookie skaters could very well finish the season as the three finalists for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the National Hockey League’s top first-year player. (We’ll have more on this race — specifically focused on Zegras and Seider — later this week here at WingsNation).

Red Wings goaltender @Alex Nedeljkovic is also firmly in contention for the Calder, although it has yet to be confirmed whether the 26-year-old will start for Detroit in the contest. Nedeljkovic was between the pipes when the Red Wings blew a late 4–2 lead and lost 5–4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

The Ducks and Red Wings previously met in Anaheim on Jan. 9. Zegras tallied a goal, an assist, and the shootout winner for the Ducks in a 4–3 victory; Seider recorded a lone helper in the game.

@Filip Hronek, @Tyler Bertuzzi, and @Vladislav Namestnikov scored for Detroit in the loss to Anaheim earlier this month. @Dylan Larkin tallied twice in the Red Wings’ most recent game, with Bertuzzi and Namestnikov also scoring (Hronek has not found the back of the net since Detroit’s first game against Anaheim this year).

The Red Wings

Projected lineup via DailyFaceoff.com:

@Vladislav Namestnikov – @Dylan Larkin – @Lucas Raymond
@Robby Fabbri – @Pius Suter – @Tyler Bertuzzi
@Adam Erne – @Michael Rasmussen – @Filip Zadina
@Givani Smith – @Joe Veleno – @Sam Gagner

@Jordan Oesterle – @Moritz Seider
@Marc Staal – @Filip Hronek
@Nick Leddy – @Gustav Lindstrom

Projected starter: @Alex Nedeljkovic (12–12–5, .912 SV%)

The Ducks

Projected lineup via DailyFaceoff.com:

@Rickard Rakell – @Ryan Getzlaf – @Troy Terry
@Adam Henrique – @Trevor Zegras – @Sam Carrick
@Derek Grant – @Isac Lundestrom – @Jakob Silfverberg
@Maxime Comtois – @Sam Steel – @Buddy Robinson

@Cam Fowler – @Kevin Shattenkirk
@Hampus Lindholm – @Jamie Drysdale
@Simon Benoit – @Josh Mahura

Projected starter: @John Gibson (15–10–7, .922 SV%).

Scoring leaders

Detroit: @Dylan Larkin (22 goals, 41 points); @Tyler Bertuzzi (21 goals, 39 points); @Lucas Raymond (11 goals, 35 points); @Moritz Seider (four goals, 29 points); @Robby Fabbri (12 goals, 22 points).

Anaheim: @Troy Terry (25 goals, 41 points); @Trevor Zegras (12 goals, 32 points); @Ryan Getzlaf (three goals, 27 points); @Kevin Shattenkirk (seven goals, 26 points); @Sonny Milano (nine goals, 25 points).

Players to watch

Detroit: It’s been tough to watch @Joe Veleno struggle in his first season as a Red Wings regular. The 22-year-old forward has just five points in 29 games, including only one point in his last 16 contests. In Sunday’s “mid-season player grades” piece, we gave Veleno a D- and said the following about his season to date:

There’s no easy way to sugarcoat it: Veleno is having a disastrous rookie season. The 22-year-old centre has been outscored 14 to 8 at five-on-five this year, and that’s not a result of bad luck. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Red Wings have lost the five-on-five expected goals battle 14.17 to 7.75 with Veleno on the ice this season. They’ve controlled just 27 percent of the high-danger chances during Veleno’s shifts. It’s not like Veleno is facing tough competition, either, but the Red Wings are just getting steamrolled with him on the ice. It’s been a really, really rough go for Veleno, to the point where it might be wise for the Red Wings to send him back to Grand Rapids when Jakub Vrana gets healthy.

Anaheim: What in the world is going on with @Jakob Silfverberg? The 31-year-old winger has completely fallen off the map in the third season of the five-year, $26.25 million deal he signed with the Ducks back in 2019. A four-time 20-goal scorer, Silfverberg has just three goals and 15 points in 41 games this year. On a per-60 minute basis at five-on-five, Silfverberg’s last two seasons have been the worst of his career (according to Natural Stat Trick) in terms of points, shots, scoring chances, high-danger opportunities, and individual expected goals. Barring a resurgence, the Swedish forward might not even make it to the end of his current contract.

Viewing and listening options

Monday’s game in Detroit will be broadcast on Bally Sports Detroit starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. It’ll be sent over the airwaves on WXYT-FM 97.1 “The Ticket” in the Detroit area, as well as on the Red Wings’ official website.

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