I spent my “extra hour” of time as Daylight Saving Time shifted back to Eastern Standard Time here in Michigan writing a fairly comprehensive Red Wings-Golden Knights preview ahead of tonight’s game between the two teams (6 PM EST start on Bally Sports Detroit/ATT Sportsnet Rocky Mountain/97.1 FM).
This morning, in lieu of a morning skate (Detroit won for the first time in 5 tries last night, defeating Buffalo 4-3 in overtime; Vegas won for the 5th time in 6 last night, defeating Montreal 5-2), both teams’ websites have posted their own game previews.
VegasGoldenKnights.com’s Gordon Weigers sets up tonight’s game as follows:
LAST TIME OUT: After falling behind, 2-0, to the Montreal Canadiens, the Golden Knights stormed back to claim a 5-2 win on Saturday night at Bell Centre. Vegas received goals from Alex Pietrangelo, Jonathan Marchessault, Dylan Coghlan, Chandler Stephenson, and Brayden McNabb to improve to 2-1-0 on the road trip. Robin Lehner made 36 saves in the win.
OPPOSITION UPDATE: Detroit enters Sunday’s contest with 12 points in 12 games and a 5-5-2 record. Sunday’s game is the first home game for the Red Wings after going 1-3-0 on a four-game trip. Detroit picked up a 4-3 win in Buffalo on Saturday night after rookie Moritz Seider’s first NHL goal came in overtime.
Tyler Bertuzzi (8G, 5A) and rookie Lucas Raymond (5G, 8A) lead the Red Wings with 13 points each through 12 games. Seider has posted 10 points (1G, 9A) to start his first full NHL season. Detroit ranks 10th in the NHL in total goals-for (34) but sits fourth in the league in total goals-against (42).
WHEN LAST WE MET…The Golden Knights and Red Wings met just once in 2019-20 before the season was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. Detroit defeated Vegas, 3-2, on Nov. 9, 2019, in their most recent meeting.
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A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
– Mark the 180th win in franchise history
– Round out the road trip with a 3-1-0 recordKEYS TO THE GAME Faster Start: It took the Golden Knights until the second period to find their game against the Canadiens on Saturday. Vegas will want to avoid a slow first period and not have to play from behind.
Finish Strong: It’s been a long trip for the Golden Knights. They’ve put together a strong trip so far and will want to collect two more points in Detroit.
And DetroitRedWings.com’s Brett McWethy offers the following game preview:
Detroit will look to win back-to-back games for the third time this season when the Vegas Golden Knights visit Little Caesars Arena on Sunday evening. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. on Bally Sports Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network.
Both clubs enter Sunday’s game with 12 points on the season. Vegas is 6-5-0 overall, and coming off a pair of convincing road wins at Ottawa (5-1 on Nov. 4) and Montreal (5-2 Saturday night). The Red Wings’ record is 5-5-2, including a 2-1-2 mark at home.
Center Chandler Stephenson is off to a quick start with 12 points among five goals and seven assists. Jonathan Marchessault (5 goals, 2 assists), Reilly Smith (2 goals, 4 assists), Nicolas Hague (2 goals, 4 assists) and Nicolas Roy (1 goal, 5 assists) have each chipped in with at least six points, while Robin Lehner has earned 10 starts in goal with a 2.79 goals-against average and .919 save percentage.
Bertuzzi’s two goals and two assists at Buffalo vaulted his point total to 13, with eight goals and five assists in nine games played. Lucas Raymond (5 goals, 8 assists) and Seider (1 goal, 9 assists) remain the NHL’s top-two scoring rookies at 13 and 10 points, respectively. Thomas Greiss could earn the start in goal on Sunday evening after Alex Nedeljkovic earned his second win of the season on Saturday.
Blashill continues to value Bertuzzi’s complete game, and the intangibles that can often be overlooked.
“His ability to win pucks, his ability to create offense, that builds momentum,” Blashill said. “And so I think you feed off that, I think you feed off his work ethic. He’s an example of what we want to be about as a hockey team. He’s got great grit, he plays hard, he plays right, he plays from the defensive side of the puck.”
Sunday’s contest will be Detroit’s first home game in nine days, but kicks off a four-game homestand that concludes next Saturday.
The Red Wings are in the middle of a stretch of 11 games to be played over the course of 14 nights, with tonight being their 3rd game in 4 evenings.
Justin St. Pierre and Michael Markovic are scheduled to referee tonight’s game, with Ryan Galloway and Caleb Apperson working the lines.
Laurent Broissoit is scheduled to play opposite Greiss tonight, but nothing will be made official until closer to game time, when the coaches speak with the media. I’m guessing that that will happen around 4 PM.
