The Detroit Red Wings will hold a “dress rehearsal” for the regular season by hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs’ “B Team” tonight at Little Caesars Arena (7 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/TSN4/NHL Network, 97.1 FM).
Final matchup of the preseason! #LGRW
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 7, 2023
🏒: 7:00 P.M.
📺: @BallySportsDET
🤝: @UWMLife pic.twitter.com/GqBsZoCGOr
Last one before the real thing 👀 pic.twitter.com/yf1buKudeA
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 7, 2023
As this is the final game of the preseason for the 4-2-and-1 Red Wings and the Maple Leafs, the teams held separate morning skates in their respective cities this morning.
We begin with a few quips and quotes from DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills’ game-day preview:
The Detroit Red Wings will conclude their 2023-24 preseason schedule Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Little Caesars Arena.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m., and the game will air on Bally Sports Detroit.
After dressing a younger lineup in Thursday’s 4-3 overtime road loss to the Maple Leafs, Detroit is expected to treat Saturday’s matchup as a dress rehearsal for its regular-season opener Oct. 12 at New Jersey.
“You want to keep buttoning up the structure and some habits we have,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said. “But to start getting emotionally engaged, I told the guys we’re not good enough to just turn it on and off. Some other teams in this league are. I want it turned on for (Saturday).”
Ben Chiarot, who had an assist in 18:37 of ice time against Toronto on Thursday, said Detroit’s preseason finale is another great opportunity for the club to build chemistry.
“Get your pairs and lines together,” Chiarot said. “Get everyone out there with who they’re going to be playing with. It’s a dress rehearsal for us, so it’s good to get out there with your partners.”
And we continue with morning skate Tweets, starting with Toronto’s roster for tonight’s game:
The @MapleLeafs roster for tonight’s preseason game in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/WkSXXDrULH
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) October 7, 2023
Ahead of tonight’s game in Detroit, the @MapleLeafs have recalled the following players from the @TorontoMarlies (AHL):
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) October 7, 2023
F N. Abruzzese
F M. Ellis
G D. Hildeby
F R. Hirvonen
D T. Miller
D T. Niemelä
D M. Rifai
F L. Shaw
F R. Tverberg
Fraser Minten gets one last audition tonight in Detroit
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 7, 2023
Easton Cowan, Calle Jarnkrok, Nick Robertson, Noah Gregor & Sam Lafferty also in the lineup
Joseph Woll starts & will play the full 60 https://t.co/uio2ErJeUm
Leafs D will likely look like this tonight:
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 7, 2023
Benoit – Kokkonen
Lagesson – Lajoie
Rifai – Miller@TSN_Edge
Here’s the Red Wings’ roster for tonight’s game…
Tonight's lineup vs. Toronto. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/vDn77yg0aV
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 7, 2023
The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton was the first to post a Tweet from LCA’s ice surface…
Wings lines at morning skate as they were yesterday ahead of tonight’s dress rehearsal:
— Sam Stockton (@_samstockton) October 7, 2023
DeBrincat Larkin Rasmussen
Raymond Compher Perron
Sprong Copp Fabbri
Kostin Veleno Fischer
(Soderblom Danielson Berggren)
Seider Walman
Chiarot Petry
Maatta Gostisbehere
(Holl Edvinsson) pic.twitter.com/wFrJKL1P3y
While Mark Masters of TSN was the first one reporting from the Maple Leafs’ practice facility:
Assistant coach Guy Boucher doing some work with Mitch Marner and William Nylander ahead of Leafs practice pic.twitter.com/wUIYIiUM78
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 7, 2023
Ilya Samsonov is back on the ice ahead of Leafs practice on Saturday @TSN_Edge
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 7, 2023
Ryan Tverberg & Topi Niemela are practicing this morning … projected scratches tonight in Detroit
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 7, 2023
There is no morning skate for the game group @TSN_Edge
Okay, then. No morning skate for the game group.
Lines at Leafs practice
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 7, 2023
Bertuzzi – Matthews – Marner
Domi – Tavares – Nylander
Knies – Kampf – Reaves
McMann, Slavin, Steeves, Tverberg
Rielly – Brodie
McCabe – Klingberg
Giordano – Liljegren
Pietroniro – Niemela
Samsonov
Jones
Petruzzelli@TSN_Edge
As Sheldon Keefe said on Friday, Ilya Samsonov is in fact fine after taking an awkward shot in practice and leaving early.
— Dave McCarthy (@DaveAMcCarthy) October 7, 2023
He is on the ice at practice Saturday #Leafs @NHLdotcom
Leafs PP units at practice
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 7, 2023
Klingberg, Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Nylander
Rielly, Liljegren, Domi, Knies, Bertuzzi @TSN_Edge
Back in the Motor City…
Preseason finale at 7 on @BallySportsDET Could be the same lineup on opening night Thursday in New Jersey, with Berggren, Holl and Lyon rounding out the season-opening 23-man roster. https://t.co/iSNSfVBDLb
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) October 7, 2023