Pittsburgh Penguins Host Detroit Red Wings
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings meet for the second time this season tonight. Here are five things to keep an eye out for in the game.
The first time the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings met this season, the Penguins clipped the Wings in a decisive 5-2 victory. Jeff Zatkoff got the win in his hometown and Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal.
Tonight, the Red Wings visit CONSOL Energy Center in their second matchup against the Pens. Here are five things to look for as the rivals clash again.
Off to the Races
Between these two teams, there are a lot of speedy skaters.
Pittsburgh especially boasts Phil Kessel, former winner of the Fastest Skater competition in the All-Star Game, and Carl Hagelin, specifically acquired for his quickness. On the back end, Kris Letang is a fast-moving defenseman.
Detroit has Dylan Larkin, the rookie forward who not only won the Fastest Skater competition this year but broke the league record for fastest skater of all time.
Expect tonight’s game to be very fast paced with a lot of back-and-forth play spanning the whole length of the rink. On top of the 200-foot game, there will probably be lots of heavy hits from both sides – there’s no love lost between these two teams.
The Magic Man
Pavel Datsyuk is on fire.
The 37-year-old Russian forward is showing he’s still one of the best in the game. Datsyuk scored his 900th career NHL point against the Boston Bruins this week as he led his team to a whopping 6-5 win.
Datsyuk, along with Larkin and their captain Henrik Zetterberg, have been a veritable offensive force for Detroit. Both Datsyuk and Zetterberg scored two goals and an assist in that game against Boston.
Datsyuk and Zetterberg have played together for 13 years in the Motor City, frequently as linemates. Regardless of whether they play on the same line or not tonight, look for a major offensive presence from these two.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan hasn’t named a starting goalie yet, but whoever gets the nod will have to be sharp.
Hol(e)y Goalies
Speaking of goalies, Petr Mrazek will guard the opposing net. Mrazek has been a pleasant surprise for Detroit, even snatching the starting job out from under Jimmy Howard‘s nose.
Mrazek had a rough day against the Bruins, letting in five goals on 22 shots. Not surprisingly, he’ll want to use tonight’s game to redeem himself.
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Though he let in five against the B’s, he also let in four against Pittsburgh when they met on New Year’s Eve. Hopefully, the Penguins can pull off a repeat performance of either of those games and get their offensive weapons firing.
Road Woes
Detroit lost their last three away games, collectively being outscored 13 to 5. Their road record, while over .500, is shaky.
Meanwhile, the Penguins are 7-2-1 in their last ten games. Every point they can get is critical to cementing themselves in a playoff position, and it’s crunch time.
The Penguins will look to their captain, Crosby, to lead the way to a win. Crosby currently leads the team both in goals and assists.
Between Crosby and Datsyuk, it will truly be a clash of the titans.
Still No Malkin
However, Datsyuk’s countryman Evgeni Malkin is still out of the lineup with a lower-body injury. While Sullivan says that Malkin is improving and should return soon, he won’t take the ice against the Wings tonight.
That means the Penguins are still looking at Matt Cullen as a second-line center, and the bottom-six forwards all remain Wilkes-Barre/Scranton call-ups.
The Pens can win in regulation without Malkin, but when a game goes to overtime or a shootout they’re significantly worse for the wear without him. Geno’s size is also a big asset in physical games.
Look for all of these points in action tonight as the puck drops in Pittsburgh at 7 ET.