Red Wings-Predators game-day updates: Green-less Wings prepare to battle Predators’ ‘process’; Mrazek vs. Saros in goal

Of Red Wings-related note ahead of tonight’s game against the Nashville Predators (8:00 PM EST on FSD/FS Tennessee/97.1 FM), a game in which Jusse Saros and Petr Mrazek will face off in goal, Mike Green will sit due to an upper-body injury and Luke Witkowski will substitute:

Update: here’s the Wings’ Game Day Preview video:


Also:

1. The Free Press’s Helene St. James reports that Trevor Daley will replace Mike Green on the power play via a video conversation with coach Blashill:

2. NashvillePredators.com’s Thomas Willis posted a set of Predators lineup notes:

The Predators (34-13-9) dropped their first game in regulation since Jan. 30 when they fell 4-3 to the Calgary Flames in part two of their four-game home stand on Thursday. Nashville was without Kyle Turris due to an illness; it’s unclear if he will be able to return to action tonight. Turris did participate in the Predators full morning skate on Saturday, as did Mike Fisher.

Detroit (23-24-9) visits Nashville tonight and will later host the Preds on Tuesday evening at the new Little Caesers Arena. The Reds Wings dropped their last game 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Below is a Preds projected lineup based on Saturday’s morning skate:

Forwards

Kevin Fiala – Ryan Johansen – Viktor Arvidsson

Filip Forsberg – Kyle Turris / Calle Jarnkrok – Craig Smith

Scott Hartnell – Nick Bonino – Pontus Aberg

Miikka Salomaki – Colton Sissons – Austin Watson

Defense

Roman Josi – Ryan Ellis

Mattias Ekholm – P.K. Subban

Matt Irwin – Anthony Bitetto

Goaltenders

Juuse Saros

Pekka Rinne

3. The Predators also posted 3 game-day videos, starting with a broadcasters’ Game Day Preview…

 And continuing with interviews with Nick Bonino, Matt Irwin…

And coach Peter Laviolette:

4. NHL.com’s Robby Stanley penned a game preview:

The Game: The Nashville Predators will try to take sole possession of first place in the Central Division when they host the Detroit Red Wings at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday.

The Predators, 5-1-2 in their past eight games and 11-2-3 in their past 16, are tied with the Winnipeg Jets with 77 points; the Jets are idle Saturday.

Predators forward Kyle Turris missed a 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames on Thursday because of illness. He participated in the morning skate and could play.

Red Wings defenseman Mike Green will miss the game with an upper-body injury he sustained in a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, and is day-to-day. Forward Andreas Athanasiou will return to the lineup after missing the game Thursday because of illness.

Detroit, 6-8-2 in its past 16 games, trails the New York Islanders by nine points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

Players to watch: Red Wings center Frans Nielsen has seven points (two goals, five assists) in his past six games.

Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in his past 11 games.

They said it: “The last game was a little bit rough. … In the games before that, I thought we played well. We were scoring some goals and getting some gritty efforts by some guys and some good goaltending, so hopefully that’s the case here tonight.” — Red Wings defenseman Danny Dekeyser

“You can’t just paint it with one stroke of the brush and say we don’t work hard. They did an awful lot in the third period [Thursday] to try and win that hockey game so give them credit, but it’s just been inconsistent. That probably needs to change in order to like the way you’re playing and the process more.” — Predators coach Peter Laviolette

5. On Twitter:

 

 

Published by

George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, when MLive hired me to work their SlapShots blog, and I joined Kukla's Korner in 2011 as The Malik Report. I'm starting The Malik Report as a stand-alone site, hoping that having my readers fund the website is indeed the way to go to build a better community and create better content.