Here is the Red Wings’ “Rink Report” ahead of tonight’s game vs. Chicago (7 PM, streamed here on Fox Sports GO; Fox Sports Detroit posted its master list of links, too)…
And, from DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji’s notebook:
When the Wings take on the Chicago Blackhawks in the first game of the tournament, the top line of Taro Hirose-Joe Veleno-Filip Zadina will already have some familiarity with each other.
“They’re unbelievable players, so I’m really excited to get out there,” Hirose said after Friday’s morning skate at Centre Ice Arena. “We’re been skating together all summer and we’ve talked about playing together and what it would be like so it will be fun tonight to see what it’ll be like.”
The three are also together on one of the power-play units.
“I think it’s good for us because we’ve been practicing together since June or something,” Zadina said. “We know each other really well. It can help us during the game, even during the PP when we actually feel pretty good on the ice right now. It’s very good.”
Wakiji continues, and here are both teams’ lineups, per Wakiji…
Hirose-Veleno-Zadina
Givani Smith-Gregor MacLeod-Ryan Kuffner
Troy Loggins-Chase Pearson-Jarid Lukosevicius
Thomas Casey-Elmer Soderblom-Chad Yetman
Alec Regula-Moritz Seider
Charle-Edouard D’Astous-Lindstrom
Marc-Olivier Duquette-Owen Lalonde
Fulcher
Romeo
And the Chicago Blackhawks’ Carter Baum:
Brandon Hagel — Kirby Dach — Riley McKay
Tim Soderlund — Philipp Kurashev — Michal Teply
Mikael Hakarainen — Mackenzie Entwistle — Dylan McLaughlin
Liam Coughlin — Reese Johnson — Cole PurbooDennis Gilbert — Adam Boqvist
Nicolas Beaudin — Chad Krys
Jake Ramsey — Cole MobergAlexis Gravel
Chase Marchand
