Time: 7:00 PM ET
Place: PNC Arena
TV: FS-CR, FS-D
Radio: 97.1 FM The Ticket / 1270 AM
Canes Blog: Canes Country
The Red Wings (7-15-3) came out of the tunnel with a strong first period on Tuesday night after Anthony Mantha snapped one by Joonas Korpisalo to tie the game 1-1. But, the next two periods they fell flat, registering just 10 shots in those frames and ultimately falling 4-1 to the Blue Jackets. The Jackets snapped a six-game winless drought and the Wings were left searching for answers following the loss.
Not an ideal start to the month of March — much like those bland retro reverse jerseys they were sporting — and now they continue their two-game road trip in Carolina. The Hurricanes (15-6-1) have won three straight and are currently tied for the Central Division lead with the Lightning.
This will be a big test for the Wings as the Canes are one of the stronger teams at 5-on-5 in the NHL, playing with a 53.24 CF% at even strength (6th in NHL). And, there will be plenty of pressure on Jonathan Bernier or Thomas Greiss tonight as Carolina generates a lot of high-danger chances with 207 so far on the year (4th in NHL).
The big story line to watch in this game is Andrei and Evgeny Svechnikov facing off against one another (if Jeff Blashill will allow it — fingers crossed). Evgeny was recently recalled by the Wings and has made an immediate impact with three points in two games. Meanwhile, his brother Andrei has 17 points in 22 games for the Canes this season.
One player to watch for the home squad is Vincent Trocheck, riding a three-game goal streak heading into this one. For the Wings, they will be hopeful that their captain Dylan Larkin will return to the lineup as he’s been out since Feb. 25. And, there doesn’t seem to be any progress on Tyler Bertuzzi as he remains out of the lineup with an upper body injury.
These two teams have met a total of 90 times in their franchise histories and the Red Wings are 46-36-8 all-time in those matchups.