Red Wings vs. Avalanche: Notes, Lines, Goalies, How to Watch

With the Red Wings foundering at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, it’s tempting to look back a couple of decades.

Tonight, the Red Wings play host to the Colorado Avalanche, the latest installment in a rivalry that once was as bitter as any in sports.

It’s hard to fathom that the most famous game in the rivalry, the one where Darren McCarty exacted revenge ln Claude Lemieux, was played nearly 30 years ago.

The Wings have won four Stanley Cups in the interim, and the Avalanche three, but fans remember that single game more than any of the Cup winners.

These days, the Red Wings are three points out of the playoffs but only one point out of last in the East. Colorado is ninth in the West, two points behind Edmonton.

Detroit comes into tonight’s game having lost four in a row, two in overtime and all by one goal.

Colorado is coming off a loss to Carolina that exposed some of its flaws this season. The Avalanche have lost three of their last four.

So, despite the bad blood between the teams being long gone, there’s plenty at stake tonight when they meet for the first of two games this season.

The Matchup

Who: Colorado at Detroit

Where: Little Caesars Arena

When: 7 p.m.

TV/Radio: FanDuel/97.1 FM

Detroit Lines

(As of morning skate)

Rasmussen – Larkin – Raymond
DeBrincat – Compher – Kane
Berggren – Kasper – Tarasenko
Veleno – Copp – Motte/Fischer

Defensive Pairings
Edvinsson – Seider
Chiarot – Perry
Gustafsson – Holl
Johansson (extra)

Goalies
Husso – Cossa

Colorado Lines

Lehkonen – McKinnon – Rantanen

Kovalenko – Mittelstadt – Nichushkin

Kiviranta – Ivan – O’Connor

Prishkepov – Kelly – Wagner

Defensive Pairings

Toews – Makar

Girard – Malinski

DeHaan – Ludvig

Goalies

Georgiev – Wedgewood