After a heartbreaking loss in Philadelphia on Wednesday, the Red Wings began their prep for their last game prior to Christmas break. It is a big game for them, too, as they face their divisional rivals in the Boston Bruins. Going into the game, the Wings are eight points behind the Bruins, who are holding down the third place spot in the Atlantic Division. For the Tank Nation portion of the Red Wings fan base, this is good. But the Wings aren’t looking to tank. They have their eyes locked on the playoffs and, right now, the Bruins are standing in their way.

Yesterday, it was announced that Luke Glendening would miss a minimum of four weeks with a hand injury, so the Wings were forced to recall Tyler Bertuzzi from the Grand Rapids Griffins. Bertuzzi, who has only played in one other game this season, will slow in right where Glendening has been: with Frans Nielsen and Darren Helm. Glendening, Nielsen, and Helm have been one of Detroit’s strongest lines as of late, so Bertuzzi has some big skates to fill. This is his chance to prove himself as a full-time NHL-er.

Andreas Athanasiou still finds himself centering the fourth line, but at least he’s doing it with Martin Frk, one of Detroit’s best 5v5 players this season. Frk is a hungry, energetic player. Hopefully some of that will rub off on Athanasiou who has found himself with limited ice time as of late due to his inconsistent play.

Detroit’s top six are relatively untouched. Watch out for the Tomas Tatar, Dylan Larkin, and Justin Abdelkader line as all three players have been very effective for the Wings all season. Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist continue to struggle at 5v5 and could use a re-energized Mantha to help their numbers.

PLAYER TO WATCH:

Today’s player to watch has got to be Tyler Bertuzzi as he restarts his audition to be a full-time Red Wing. In his first game of the season, also a matinee, Bertuzzi was a minus-3 in 9:13 of ice time, recording one shot on goal and one blocked shot. It wasn’t his strongest performance, so he’ll be looking to make impact this afternoon.

Watch out for that top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak as they’ve put up a combined 10 points in the last five games. The three players also find themselves in the Bruins’ top-5 point getters of the season so far. The other two are Danton Heinen and Torey Krug who find themselves on the third forward line and second defense line, respectively.

Keep an eye out for David Backes too, as his wife just gave birth to their second child. New Dad Powers are a thing and Backes will have them tonight as he plays on Riley Nash‘s wing, who’s got 12 points in 32 games.

On the back end, Charlie McAvoy has been a force to reckon with. His 19 points in 33 games are quite impressive for the rookie. Him and Krug are leading the charge from the back end as Zdeno Chara continues to provide the leadership that this team needs. And it’s been working. Another two points tonight and the Bruins will pass the Toronto Maples for second place in the Atlantic Division.

PLAYER TO WATCH:

You always have to watch out for Marchand on the ice. Not only is he a pest, he’s an elite goal scorer who is sneaky and precise. The last time these two teams met, Marchand stole the game in overtime as he snuck in behind the Detroit defense for a breakaway goal.

Jimmy Howard vs. Tuukka Rask

Despite the loss in Philadelphia on Wednesday, the Wings are going with Howard between the pipes. Howie has been Detroit’s go-to goalie all season as he’s shown flashes of elite play. The problem with Howard is that when he’s bad, he’s really bad. Going into Saturday afternoon’s game, Howard has a .907 save percentage and 2.88 goals against average, both of which are worse than his career average.

Rask, on the other hand, is having a much better season. He’s posted a .916 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average in 22 games played this season.

Puck drop on this matinee is 1:00 P.M. ET and there are lots of ways to watch. Fox Sports Detroit, NESN, and Sportsnet are all carrying the game for your viewing pleasure. Make sure to follow us on Twitter; we’ll have live tweets, GIFS, and all the fun stuff that a topical social media platform has.