Red Wings at Canadiens: Notes, Lines, Goalies, How to Watch

The Red Wings and Canadiens go at it again tonight at Montreal.

It’s the second game of home-and-home, and it’s another chance for the Wings to move up in the standings.

The Red Wings had a chance to do that last night, of course, but fell to the Canadiens 4-3.

Patrick Kane scored for the second game in a row, which is encouraging, but the Wings were 0-for 4 on the power play, which isn’t.

Cam Talbot returned in goal. A good thing, but he looked a little rusty, something you don’t notice as much in a win.

“I think both goalies have been out, so there hasn’t been a sharpness there from either of those guys,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “Hopefully we can get them into rhythm.”

There’s that word again: hope.

Teams that are out of sorts use that word a lot.

The Red Wings hope to get things going tonight.

They hope the upper-body injury to Simon Edvinsson is well on its way out, and he returns after Christmas.

They hope the Christmas break will give them a chance to recharge as a team.

Fans are hoping the Wings can still make the postseason.

There’s a lot at stake in the next few weeks with the team competing not only for this season, but for contracts next season.

That applies to every free-agent-to-be in the locker room and the coaching staff

The Matchups

Who: Red Wings at Canadiens

Where: Bell Centre, Montreal

When: 7 p.m.

TV/Radio: FanDuel/97.1 FM

Detroit Lines

Tarasenko-Larkin-Raymond

DeBrincat – Copp – Kane

Rasmussen – Compher – Motte

Veleno – Kasper – Fischer

Berggren (extra)

Defensive Pairings

Chiarot – Seider

Holl – Petry

Johansson – Gustafsson

Goalie

Lyon – Talbot

Montreal Lines

Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky

Newhook – Dach – Laine

Anderson – Dvorak – Gallagher

Heineman – Evans – Armia

Defensive Pairings

Hutson – Matheson

Guhe – Carrier

Xhekaj – Savard

Goalies

Primeau – Montembeault