Five other Red Wings have 10 or more goals: Tomas Holmstrom (20), Dan Cleary (19), Valtteri Filppula (15), Jiri Hudler (11), and Brian Rafalski (10). Kris Draper and Johan Franzen both have nine, while Mikael Samuelsson has eight.
Projected lines (based on Monday's practice units):
Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom
Hudler-Filppula-Cleary
Kopecky-Franzen-Samuelsson
Drake-Draper-Maltby
Projected pairings:
Lidstrom-Rafalski
Lebda-Lilja
Meech-Chelios
Expect to see the second and third pairings mix somewhat as Chris Chelios continues to undertake greater responsibility in the absence of Kronwall.
Dominik Hasek should get the start tonight.
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.
Todd has his pre-game numbers posted and OklahomaWingNut's GDT is here.
Minnesota has been strong lately and are certainly looking to prove that they can skate with the best in the league. For them and their fans, this game is huge. If they are going to prove anything, however, they'll have to do it against a team that is even hotter than they are.
With the exception of LA, the Wings have not just been beating up the League weaklings over their current seven-game winning streak, as their wins over San Jose, Anaheim, Colorado, and Boston indicate. Even the win over the resurgent Phoenix Coyotes cannot be considered a slam dunk. They are humming along at the moment and finding ways to win in spite of various points of adversity. I wouldn't call this their best stretch of the season, but they are certainly capable of beating you no matter how you play. Just ask the Ducks, Avs, or Bruins.
You can bet that the Wings will be looking to exact revenge for their January 10th home loss to the Wild. They would love nothing more than to return the favor tonight in Minnesota.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Minnesota Wild articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
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