Detroit Red Wings GameDay: @ Anaheim

Update (2:16 PM): Two things from the comments on this post at OtW:

First, thanks to mc keeper for pointing out something I hadn't noticed because I opted not to watch the game and didn't think to check: Derek Meech played last night in LA. That means Chris Chelios will dress tonight instead.

Smart move by Babcock there, to put the veteran in against the tougher team rather than the rookie.

Second, thanks to Earl Sleek of The Battle of California for providing some projected lines and pairings:

"

Bertuzzi-Getzlaf-Perry
Kunitz-Weight-Bochenski
Moen-Carter-R.Niedermayer
May-Marchant-Sutherby

S.Niedermayer-Beauchemin
Pronger-O’Donnell
Schneider-Huskins

"

He also notes that this will be Giguere's first game against the Wings since the playoffs. I'd forgotten that.

I should also mention that this will be Mathieu Schneider's first game against his old team since he left this past summer. He was out with a broken left ankle for both of the first two meetings between the Wings and Ducks this season. - Matt

Tonight is the third of four games between the Detroit Red Wings and the Anaheim Ducks. The season series is tied 1-1, with the Wings winning 3-2 in a shootout on October 3rd, and the Ducks winning 6-3 on October 15th. The final game will be played on February 10th in Detroit.

The 27-18-6 Ducks are 8-1-1 in 2008, with their only losses coming to Phoenix and Dallas. The loss to the Stars on Sunday snapped a six-game winning streak in which the Ducks won four at home against Nashville, Toronto, San Jose and Dallas. They then won a game in Nashville and Minnesota before heading to Texas, where they fell to second in the Pacific Division as a result of the Stars' win.

Ryan Getzlaf leads the Ducks in points with 57, 38 of which are assists. Corey Perry is the leading goalscorer, with 26. Four other Ducks have 10 or more goals: Getzlaf (19), Chris Pronger (10), Chris Kunitz (15), and Todd Bertuzzi (11).

Scott Niedermayer has two goals and nine assists since returning from semi-retirement mid-way through the season. The Ducks are 12-3-2 in the 17 games since his return on December 16th. I suppose that is the rationale behind the NHL's decision to name him an All Star as an injury replacement for Sergei Zubov instead of a someone with more candidates under his belt.

The Ducks will be without defensive specialist Sammy Pahlsson (abdomen) and  George Parros (knee), who now looks less like a 70s throwback character and more like a musketeer in his team photo.

J-S Giguere should get the start for the Ducks.

For the Anaheim perspective, see Anaheim Duck Fan, The Battle of California (Gameday here), Ducks Wire,  Girl with a Puck, and On the Pond.

The Wings improved to 7-2-1 in 2008 with last night's 3-0 win over Los Angeles. The game came three nights after a wild one in San Jose, which ended in a 6-3 Detroit win. Two nights before that, on the 17th, the Wings halted a three-game skid by beating the Vancouver Canucks in a shootout, 3-2.  Tonight is the final stop in a three-game road trip and the final game before the All Star Break for the Wings, who will be sending three players and a head coach to Atlanta.

Six Red Wings have 10 or more goals: Henrik Zetterberg (28), Daniel Cleary (19), Tomas Holmstrom (19), Pavel Datsyuk (17), Valtteri Filppula (14), and Jiri Hudler (11).

The team will be without Zetterberg (back) for the second straight game. The forward was injured by a hit late in the game Saturday night and is taking extra precautions, given his history of back problems. However, he has been quick to assure the media that this latest injury is unrelated to the "specific disc problem" which kept him out of 19 games last season: "I think this is more muscular."

He was a voted-in All Star, but withdrew as a result of this latest back issue. Mike Ribeiro of Dallas was named his replacement.

Dallas Drake (knee) is also listed as out.

Aaron Downey and Matt Ellis will remain in the lineup.

Projected lines:

"

Cleary-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Hudler-Filppula-Samuelsson
Draper-Franzen-Maltby
Downey-Kopecky-Ellis

"

Projected pairings:

"

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Lilja
Lebda-Chelios

"

There's a chance Babcock will sit Chris Chelios in favor of Derek Meech tonight because it's the second game of a back-to-back, but I wouldn't be surprised if he choses to keep the veteran in the lineup. It is Anaheim, after all.

Dominik Hasek will get the start.

For more of the Wings' perspective, see  Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, Red Wings Nation, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, and Winging It In Motown.

Tonight is an important game for the Wings as they will look to assert their dominance of the Western Conference with a win over the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Their last visit to Anaheim was something of an embarrassment, and the only blight on a otherwise successful four-game road trip. They responded to that game with a nine-game winning streak. They have a chance here at some revenge and to keep the Ducks from returning to their recent winning ways.

Remember, the game starts at 10:00 ET tonight, not 10:30.