The Detroit Red Wings will get at least one top-six forward back when they take on the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Thursday evening.
@Tyler Bertuzzi missed the Wings’ previous two games, both played in Canada, due to his unvaccinated status. Detroit lost them both by a combined 8-3 score. Bertuzzi will be eligible to return in Boston and will likely slot back in on the top line.
@Dylan Larkin’s status is far less certain. The Detroit captain missed Tuesday’s 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens while dealing with an undisclosed personal matter. Larkin did not practice on Wednesday.
Jeff Blashill said there is “no update” on the status of Dylan Larkin. Larkin missed Tuesday’s game due to personal reasons & did not practice today. @DetroitRedWings #LGRW
— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) November 3, 2021
Detroit is 4-4-2 to start the season; the Bruins are 4-3-0. While the Red Wings’ start is encouraging, especially given the question marks surrounding many of their young players entering the season, there is a great deal more concern in Boston about the team only winning four of its first seven games.
@Patrice Bergeron is still searching for his first goal of the season and has just three assists in seven contests. @Nick Foligno and @Craig Smith have both missed time and haven’t been very productive when active. Even @David Pastrnak isn’t scoring very much.
You’ll be able to catch this game on Bally Sports Detroit at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The Red Wings
Here’s our best guess as to how the Wings will line up on Thursday:
@Tyler Bertuzzi – @Robby Fabbri – @Lucas Raymond
@Joe Veleno – @Pius Suter – @Filip Zadina
@Vladislav Namestnikov – @Michael Rasmussen – @Adam Erne
@Givani Smith – @Mitchell Stephens – @Sam Gagner
@Joe Veleno – @Pius Suter – @Filip Zadina
@Vladislav Namestnikov – @Michael Rasmussen – @Adam Erne
@Givani Smith – @Mitchell Stephens – @Sam Gagner
Danny DeKeyser – @Moritz Seider
@Nick Leddy – @Filip Hronek
@Marc Staal – @Jordan Oesterle
@Nick Leddy – @Filip Hronek
@Marc Staal – @Jordan Oesterle
After stopping 38 of 40 shots in Montreal on Tuesday, expect @Alex Nedeljkovic to be back between the pipes in Boston.
The Bruins
Boston lined up thusly in practice on Wednesday:
@Brad Marchand – @Patrice Bergeron – @David Pastrnak
@Taylor Hall – @Charlie Coyle – @Craig Smith
@Jake DeBrusk – @Erik Haula – @Curtis Lazar
@Trent Frederic – @Tomas Nosek – @Karson Kuhlman
@Taylor Hall – @Charlie Coyle – @Craig Smith
@Jake DeBrusk – @Erik Haula – @Curtis Lazar
@Trent Frederic – @Tomas Nosek – @Karson Kuhlman
@Derek Forbort – @Charlie McAvoy
@Matt Grzelcyk – @Brandon Carlo
@Mike Reilly – @Connor Clifton
@Matt Grzelcyk – @Brandon Carlo
@Mike Reilly – @Connor Clifton
@Jeremy Swayman will start for Boston against the Red Wings. The 22-year-old is 1-2-0 with an .893 save percentage this season.
Scoring leaders
Detroit: @Tyler Bertuzzi (six goals, nine points); @Lucas Raymond (four goals, nine points); @Dylan Larkin (three goals, eight points); @Moritz Seider (zero goals, eight points); @Vladislav Namestnikov (four goals, six points).
Boston: @Brad Marchand (four goals, eight points); @Charlie Coyle (three goals, five points); @Taylor Hall (two goals, five points); @David Pastrnak (two goals, five points); @Charlie McAvoy (one goal, three points).
Players to watch
Detroit: It’s no secret that Danny DeKeyser and @Filip Hronek are off to rough starts this season. But what about @Nick Leddy? The 30-year-old rearguard has just three points — all assists — in his first 10 games with Detroit and, according to Evolving-Hockey, a team-worst -2.1 defensive Goals Above Replacement figure.
Boston: Remember when @Erik Haula was a 55-point guy in Vegas? He’s had a couple of decent seasons since but hasn’t come close to replicating that success. Haula signed a two-year deal with Boston in the offseason but doesn’t seem to have arrived for the Bruins just yet, having notched just a single assist in his first seven games with the team.
Viewing and listening options
Friday’s Red Wings game will be broadcast on Bally Sports Detroit starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. Canadian viewers will be able to watch on Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, and Sportsnet Pacific.
It’ll be sent over the airwaves on WXVT-FM 97.1 “The Ticket” in the Detroit area, as well as on the Red Wings’ official website.