WGD: Game 33: Red Wings vs. Senators
By Nick Seguin
5 years agoAfter a stomping by the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, the Red Wings got a much needed two days of rest. They played seven games in eleven days through the start of December, going 3-3-1. They’ve somehow managed to maintain their .500 hockey against the toughest teams in the league.
Tonight, they get a bit of a break as they face the Ottawa Senators. A mere two points behind the Wings, the Sens aren’t too far out of the picture. Devastated by injury, they are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and a staggering 3-10-1 on the road.
The Wings have a good shot tonight, but sometimes the worst teams are the most dangerous.
THE RED WINGS
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 GUSTAV NYQUIST Rating: 75.5#34 LW |  DYLAN LARKIN Rating: 78.7#29 C |  JUSTIN ABDELKADER Rating: 70.2#119 RW |
 ANDREAS ATHANASIOU Rating: 75.3#50 LW |  FRANS NIELSEN Rating: 73.3#72 C |  THOMAS VANEK Rating: 71.5#80 RW |
 TYLER BERTUZZI Rating: 72.7#62 LW |  LUKE GLENDENING Rating: 68.9#176 C |  MICHAEL RASMUSSEN Rating: 71.1#134 RW |
 CHRISTOFFER EHN Rating: 71.8#83 LW |  JACOB DE LA ROSE Rating: 67.8#186 C |  MARTIN FRK Rating: 69.0#108 RW |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 NIKLAS KRONWALL Rating: 71.1#98 LD |  MIKE GREEN Rating: 74.5#32 RD |
 DENNIS CHOLOWSKI Rating: 72.2#73 LD |  TREVOR DALEY Rating: 69.8#124 RD |
 JONATHAN ERICSSON Rating: 68.8#133 LD |  NICK JENSEN Rating: 70.6#80 RD |
The Red Wings have had their own fair share of injury problems, with Anthony Mantha and Darren Helm still out for some time. For those keeping count, that’s two-thirds of the top line. It means that Gustav Nyquist and Justin Abdelkader flank Larkin’s wings.
At least the D-corps is looking more full with Trevor Daley and Jonathan Ericsson back. They at least make the Red Wings blueline look competent.
THE SENATORS
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 BRADY TKACHUK Rating: 73.8#46 LW |  COLIN WHITE Rating: 71.3#128 C |  MARK STONE Rating: 80.2#8 RW |
 MIKKEL BOEDKER Rating: 72.3#72 LW |  CHRIS TIERNEY Rating: 70.5#151 C |  DRAKE BATHERSON |
 RYAN DZINGEL Rating: 72.5#69 LW |  ZACK SMITH Rating: 68.5#181 C |  MAGNUS PAAJARVI Rating: 69.3#132 RW |
 MAX MCCORMICK Rating: 68.3#141 LW |  NICK PAUL Rating: 72.8#87 C |  TOM PYATT Rating: 66.4#190 RW |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 THOMAS CHABOT Rating: 70.6#106 LD |  BEN HARPUR Rating: 67.0#104 RD |
 MAXIME LAJOIE Rating: 70.7#10 LD |  CODY CECI Rating: 68.3#102 RD |
 JUSTIN FALK Rating: 66.3#135 LD |  ERIK BURGDOERFER Rating: 72.6#47 RD |
The Sens have more than two full forwards lines of players on the IR, including leading point-getter Matt Duchene, Jean Gabriel Pageau, Bobby Ryan, and Dylan DeMelo.
As such, there are a lot of names in the above chart that I’ve just never seen before (looking at you Erik Burgdoerfer). Mark Stone has been keeping this team afloat this year with goals and he’s on a line with the always fun to watch Brady Tkachuk.
These Sens are spectacularly bad, but they are incredibly fun to watch. They have let in more goals than any other team, but they rank 7th in goals for with 106.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Jimmy Howard vs. Craig Anderson
Neither of these are confirmed yet, but I would expect both teams to go with their undisputed starters as they battle each other in the standings. Howard has been keeping the Red Wings season alive and could net them a high pick if the team decides to trade him. Anderson has posted a .907 save percentage behind a horrid defense. The guy faces so many shots – he can’t be expected to save them all.
HOW TO WATCH
Puck drop is at 7:30 P.M. ET and you’ll be able to catch the game on Fox Sports Detroit or TSN5 if you’re tuning in from Canada.
As always, make sure you’re following us on Twitter for all kinds of fun in-game reactions, gifs, and all the other things you’d expect from a hockey blog twitter account.
Recent articles from Nick Seguin
