The Red Wings dropped yet another game to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday and it pushed the Lightning one step closer to the playoffs.

The clock on Joe Louis Arena continues to tick down with this afternoon’s game vs. the Wild being the fifth-last game at the old barn. Today’s meeting will be the second of two meetings between the Red Wings and Wild. The first was an afternoon meeting on NBC where the Red Wings were manhandled and today is an afternoon meeting on NBC…so it will probably be much of the same.

The NHL didn’t give me a lot of time to write this on a Sunday morning, so let’s get right into the lineups.

Detroit Red Wings Lines via DailyFaceoff

Darren Helm could return to the lineup this afternoon, but we won’t know until after warmups. Helm has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury, but is listed as a game-time decision for today’s matinee. Helm has just eight goals and five assists (13 points) in 42 games this season and will likely be exposed to the Vegas Golden Knights this summer.

It’s a little too early to start diving into his analytical numbers, but Tomas Nosek has looked solid in his first three games during his call-up. Nosek has averaged 10:08 TOI, but has yet to record a point but has fired an impressive 10 shots on goal. The one positive is that Nosek has yet to be on the ice for a goal against—something you are always looking for, particularly from your fourth line.

A few games ago I also took a look at how Robbie Russo has played and his underlying numbers were impressive. He continues to carry a positive CorsiFor% (53.14) and has a 5.22 CF% relative to his team. His impact on Xavier Ouellet has also been positive. Ouellet’s CF% without Russo is 48.9, but that jumps up to 53.9 with the rookie blueliner. Russo is still looking for his first point, but he has been solid through his first 10 games.

Minnesota Wild Lines via DailyFaceoff

Eric Staal, 32, was someone that I was hoping that the Red Wings were going to target this offseason, especially when I saw the discount deal he signed with Minnesota. He has enjoyed a resurgence with the Wild, having scored 25 goals with 32 assists (57 points) in 74 games. He comes into today playing very well—the veteran has eight goals and three assists (11 points) in his last 12 games.

The Wild made a splash at the trade deadline acquiring 6-foot-6 centre Martin Hanzal from the Coyotes and after a slow start, he is starting to settle in with his new team. Hanzal has three points (1G / 2A) in his last five games and seven points (1G /6A) in 12 games since joining the Wild. He can be a force down the middle, but has battled consistency issues throughout his NHL career.

All-in-all, this team is exceptionally deep and will be a handful for the Red Wings today and will be a tough out come playoff time.

Jimmy Howard and Devan Dubnyk are expected to be in the nets this afternoon.

It is Howard’s birthday and his turn in the rotation. It will be Howard’s fifth start since returning from injury and he has gone 3-1-0 with a 1.74 GAA and .939 SV% in his first four starts. Howard has been excellent all season long, going 8-8-1 with a 1.91 GAA, .935 SV% and one shutout.

With Darcy Kuemper starting last night, Dubnyk should start this afternoon. Dubnyk allowed two goals on 26 shots in a loss to the Flyers on Thursday and has had a tough month, going 3-8-0 with a 2.74 GAA And .902 SV% in March. He made 31 saves in the 6-3 win over the Red Wings in February.

Puck drop is at 12:30 p.m. ET at Joe Louis Arena. You can watch the game on NBC and if you can’t watch the game you can listen to it on 97.1 FM The Ticket.

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