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

The end is in sight for the Detroit Red Wings, who finish their season tonight having won three in a row and five of their last seven games.

It’s been a season if adjustments for the Wings, which included a rare midseason coaching change during the holidays, when Todd McLellan took over.

“We’ve said a number of times on the bench down the stretch here, maybe we’re starting to get some things that we’ve worked on,” McLellan said after Wednesday’s win at New Jersey. “In our end we’re breaking out a little cleaner and escape ice has been used way more often than it was earlier. The forecheck, that part of the game, is is an important part for us. We tend to be a pretty good entry team but it’s starting to come.”

The Wings worked on McLellan’s systems during the regular season, no easy task while playing games at the same time.

They were done in by their penalty kill, which was at the bottom of the league even as their power play was tops in the NHL.

All that is for McLellan and his staff to install in training camp n October.

Tonight they play a Maple Leafs team that’s ramping up for an all-Ontario playoff series with the Ottawa Senators.

The Maple Leafs won’t be sitting out key players like the Devils did on Wednesday. It’ll be all hands on deck, and a win tonight would end the season on a satisfying note for a Detroit team that didn’t have enough of those during the regular season.

The Matchup

Who: Red Wings at Maple Leafs

Where: Scotiabank Area, Toronto

When: 7:30 p.m.

TV/Radio:  Fan Duel, 97.1 FM

Detroit Projected Lines

Berggren – Larkin – Raymond

DeBrincat – Kasper – Kane

Rasmussen – Compher – Tarasenko

Smith  – Motte – Watson

Defensive Pairings

Chiarot – Petry

Edvinsson – Seider

Johansson – Holl/Lagesson

Goalies

Mrazek

Lyon

Toronto Projected Lines

Knies – Matthews  – Marner

Domi -Tavares – Nylander

McMann – Holmberg – Robertson

Lorentz – Laughton – Jarnkrok

Defensive Pairings

Benoit – Tanev

Rielly – Myers

Mermis –  Carlo

Goalies

Stolarz

Woll