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

Coach Todd McLellan’s Detroit Red Wings squad has a chance to close the gap for the final Eastern Conference wildcard spot if they can beat the Ottawa Senators on the road tonight.

The Red Wings are three behind Ottawa and four behind Columbus. Those two teams hold the wild card positions in the East.  Columbus is idle tonight.

What’s up with the Detroit Red Wings

Goalie Petr Mrazek and wing Craig Smith are expected to suit up for the Red Wings tonight for the first time since coming to Detroit for Joe Veleno. The Red Wings plan is use a three-goalie rotation. Mrazek hasn’t played in 10 games. But coach Todd McLellan did not announce his goalie for tonight after Saturday’s practice. It might make sense to play Petr Mrazek with the hope he might add a new spark, but NHL.com indicates the starter is Cam Talbot…The Red Wings have lost five games in a row, and seven out of their last nine. They have given up four or more goals in eight of their last 10 games. Detroit gave up five or more in four of those 10 contests.

What’s up with the Ottawa Senators

Newly-acquired center Dylan Cozens should be a perfect fit for the heavy-hitting Senators team. Cozens had nine hits and an assist in his first game in a Ottawa uniform. It was a 4-3 overtime win against the New York Rangers. Brady Tkachuk netted the winning goal. Tkachuk has six goals in his past five games…David Perron, who played for Detroit last season, is on Cozens’ line. He has three goals and seven points in 24 games…Former Detroit player Nick Jensen is on Ottawa’s defense…The Senators have won their last two games, and are 3-0-1 in their last four games.

The Matchup

Who: Red Wings at Senators

Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa

When: 7:30 p.m.

TV/Radio: FanDuel/97.1 FM

Ottawa Projected Lines

Tkachuk-Stutzle-Giroux

Perron-Cozens-Batherson

Greig-Pinto-Amadio

Zetterlund-Gaudette-Highmore

Defensive Pairings

Sanderson-Zub

Chabot-Jensen

Kleven-Hamonic

Goalies

Ullmark-Forsberg

Detroit Projected Lines

Soderblom – Larkin – Raymond

DeBrincat – Kasper– Kane

Smith- Compher – Tarasenko

Berggren – Rasmussen-Motte

Defensive Pairings

Chiarot – Seider

Edvinsson –Johansson

Gustafsson – Holl

Goalies

Talbot-Mrazek