Red Wings Host The New York Rangers
The playoffs won't begin for 2 1/2 months, but the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings understand the importance of racking up points now.
Two "Original Six" teams looking to build off some recent solid play meet for the second time this season as the Rangers take on the Red Wings on Sunday in Detroit.
After giving up 16 goals during a three-game skid, New York (29-16-1) received two goals from Michael Grabner and 23 saves from Henrik Lundqvist en route to a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
Rick Nash said New York must continue playing a strong all-around game.
"It seems like lately we have been having a good game then a bad one," Nash said on Saturday. "We kind of want to put some streaks together, so it's very important to kind of bring that momentum from Toronto and bring it into Detroit and do a lot of the same things."
New York, which fell 2-1 to the Red Wings on Oct. 19 at Madison Square Garden, has dropped seven of its last eight in Detroit, including three overtime losses. Each of the last eight games in the Motor City has been decided by one goal.
"It's a tough building to play in, Joe Louis Arena, and we need to be ready right off the start there," Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi said Saturday.
The Rangers will visit "The Joe" for the final time on March 12. The Red Wings are scheduled to move into new Little Caesars Arena this fall.
Grabner has been red-hot for the Rangers this month, leading the team with seven goals and nine points in seven games. New York is 15-2-0 when Grabner records a point, but 14-13-1 when held scoreless.
He has not had a point through nine career games in Detroit.
A tweet from the Rangers attributed to coach Alain Vigneault stated that he expects to have the same lineup in Detroit that faced the Maple Leafs. That indicates Lundqvist will start in goal.
Lundqvist is 0-1-2 with a 3.94 goals-against average all time in Detroit. He needs one win to reach 20 for the 12th straight season.
Like the Rangers, Detroit (20-19-7) has rebounded from a three-game losing streak earlier in the month. The Red Wings are 3-0-1 in their last four after losing 3-2 in overtime to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.
"I think we've been playing pretty good. We got seven out of eight points. If we keep playing like that and keep getting points like that, we will be happy," said Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg, who has three assists in his last two home games versus New York.
Zetterberg has struggled over the last nine games, totaling two goals and one assist. Despite the slump, he leads Detroit with 22 helpers and is tied with Thomas Vanek for the team lead in scoring with 31 points.
Despite losing on Friday, Petr Mrazek impressed coach Jeff Blashill with a 34-save performance.
"He looks like he's on top of his game. He's got a swagger, he's on top of the crease, he's making lots of good plays, so I think he's trending in the right direction," Blashill said Friday.
In his only career appearance against New York, Mrazek stopped 23 of 25 shots in a 3-2 overtime win on March 12.
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