GAME DAY: Hronek returns, Red Wings face Rangers at MSG (7:00 p.m. ET, BSDET)

After one day off and another for practice, the Detroit Red Wings will return to game action on Thursday when they face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

@Filip Hronek appears set to return to the lineup after missing a week while in COVID-19 protocol. He’ll replace @Gustav Lindstrom in the lineup: the 23-year-old Swede suffered a “mid-body injury” after scoring his first NHL goal during Monday’s 7–4 loss to the Minnesota Wild.

According to Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill, forward @Vladislav Namestnikov could also play on Thursday after missing Monday’s game with an undisclosed injury. Namestnikov has 13 goals and 23 points in 49 games with the Wings this season.

Thursday’s game will be the Red Wings’ first trip to MSG since Jan. 31, 2020, a game in which @Valtteri Filppula and @Robby Fabbri scored but Detroit lost 4–2.

The Red Wings and Rangers are set to meet three times in the 2021–22 season, with a match at Little Caesars Arena scheduled for Mar. 30 and another at MSG on Apr. 16.

Projected lineup via Ansar Khan:

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

Danny DeKeyser – @Moritz Seider
@Nick Leddy – @Filip Hronek
@Marc Staal – @Troy Stecher

Projected starter: @Thomas Greiss (7–7–1, .898 SV%)

Projected lineup via Michael Russo:

@Chris Kreider – @Mika Zibanejad – Alexis Lafrenière
@Artemi Panarin – @Ryan Strome – @Barclay Goodrow
@Dryden Hunt – @Filip Chytil – @Julien Gauthier
@Greg McKegg – @Kevin Rooney – @Ryan Reaves

@Ryan Lindgren – @Adam Fox
K’Andre Miller – @Jacob Trouba
@Zac Jones – @Braden Schneider

Projected starter: @Igor Shesterkin (23–5–2, .938 SV%).

Detroit: @Dylan Larkin (25 goals, 51 points); @Tyler Bertuzzi (23 goals, 44 points); @Lucas Raymond (13 goals, 39 points); @Moritz Seider (five goals, 34 points); @Robby Fabbri (13 goals, 26 points).

New York: @Artemi Panarin (13 goals, 52 points); @Mika Zibanejad (18 goals, 49 points); @Adam Fox (seven goals, 47 points); @Chris Kreider (33 goals, 47 points); @Ryan Strome (nine goals, 34 points).

Detroit: It’s great to see @Filip Hronek ready to go again after being sidelined for a week while in COVID-19 protocol. While certainly not a perfect player, Hronek is absolutely a valuable one who can really help the Red Wings in the offensive zone. In 46 games with the Wings this season, the 24-year-old Czech defender has four goals and 24 points.

New York: There’s no other way to describe him: @Igor Shesterkin is a human cheat code. The 26-year-old goaltender is the runaway favorite for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender after posting a 23–5–2 record and a .938 save percentage in his first 30 games of the 2021–22 season. If he keeps going like this, he’ll receive (deserved) votes for the Hart Trophy.

Thursday’s game at Madison Square Garden will be broadcast on Bally Sports Detroit starting at 7:00 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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