On Saturday, the Detroit Red Wings will try to bounce back from a tough 5–0 loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday. In an afternoon matchup, they will face the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team that has caused trouble for several strong opponents recently, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, and Edmonton Oilers.
Before Thursday’s defeat, Detroit had won three of its previous four games, while Columbus has also been on a good run with four wins in its last six outings. This will be the 116th meeting between the two clubs, and Detroit holds a clear historical edge with a 66-33-1-15 record in the all-time series.
Lineup Storylines
The Red Wings are looking for a spark once again after being shut out on home ice Thursday and will be going back to what worked earlier in the season with the top line of Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond paired up with rookie Emmitt Finnie.
This means that Alex DeBrincat, who had been temporarily moved up to the first line while on a hot streak but has since been returned to play with his longtime linemate in Patrick Kane with veteran center J.T. Compher up the middle. It was exciting to see Finnie play with his longtime Grand Rapids Griffins linemate in Nate Danielson but Detroit bench boss Todd McLellan seemingly didn’t see enough from the unit. Danielson is to remain on the third line with Mason Appleton while Jonatan Berggren draws in for his first game since November 15th versus the Sabres.
This pushes late season breakout Marco Kasper even further down the lineup as the 21-year-old is desperately searching for a spark. While many expected a breakout season for the Austrian forward, Kasper has been disappointing with three goals and no assists in 21 games this season. He’ll be joining veterans in Andrew Copp and James van Riemsdyk on the bottom line with every play on the unit hoping to find the scoresheet as they’ve all been struggling to make an impact.
In planning for the Blue Jackets, the Red Wings will need to do their best to slow down the top line of Kirill Marchenko, Dmitri Voronkov and former Michigan Wolverine Adam Fantilli. The trio have been lethal this season with help from Norris trophy finalist Zach Werenski, totaling 22 of Columbus’ 62 goals this season. Fantilli will need to be the focus of the Detroit defense, as he’s been red hot with six goals and four assists for ten points over his last eight games, putting himself in the same conversation as players like Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak, Cale Maker and Detroit’s Lucas Raymond among others during that span.
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Player & Betting Trends (Presented By BetMGM)
DET ML (-135) | CBJ ML (+115)
DET -1.5 (+180) | CBJ +1.5 (-222)
O/U 6.5 Goals
Detroit has dropped two straight to Columbus, but this year’s Red Wings look much different and will be aiming to correct the mistakes of last season. Before those recent losses, Detroit had won six of the previous seven meetings with the Blue Jackets and will try to reestablish that momentum.
The matchup also features a series debut for Columbus netminder Jet Greaves, a breakout goalie prospect riding a hot stretch with four wins in his last five starts. He’ll face Detroit’s top goaltender this season, Cam Talbot, who enters on a three-game winning streak but has struggled against Columbus lately. The Red Wings may need to brace for a potential shootout, as Talbot has given up four goals in four of his last five starts versus the Jackets. This sets up an interesting storyline, with Talbot looking to end his slump while Detroit tries to avoid falling behind early yet again. Recent history leans toward offense, with their last five meetings producing seven or more total goals.
Detroit is badly searching for a full-team effort up front. Veterans Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, Mason Appleton, and James van Riemsdyk have combined for just one goal over their last 12 games, highlighting the team’s lack of depth scoring. The Red Wings believe the breakthrough has to come eventually. In the meantime, star winger Lucas Raymond continues to lead the way with two goals and eight assists for ten points in his last six outings, including four straight multi-point games before the streak ended on Thursday. Raymond has gone quiet against Columbus in three consecutive games, but before that he dominated the matchup with points in nine straight meetings, totaling seven goals and six assists.
On the Columbus side, Adam Fantilli remains the player to watch, not only because he’s on a hot streak but also due to his strong record against Detroit. He has recorded points in four of his five career games versus the Red Wings, posting two goals and two assists.
Goalie Matchup
Detroit: Cam Talbot (Season: 8-2-0 record, 2.64 GAA, .897 SV% | VS CBJ: 7-6-1 record, 3.02 GAA, .891 in 15 games)
Columbus: Jet Greaves (Season: 7-4-2 record, 2.72 GAA, .906 SV% | First Game VS DET)
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