Red Wings at Rangers
The Detroit Red Wings salvaged the finale of their four-game homestand last time out and now look to move closer to the second wild card in the Eastern Conference when they begin a five-game road trip Sunday against the struggling New York Rangers. Detroit began the string at Little Caesars Arena with three losses (0-2-1) before posting a 3-1 victory over Carolina on Saturday.
Captain Henrik Zetterberg converted a power-play chance in the second period for what proved to be the winning goal as the Red Wings remained seven points behind Columbus for the second wild-card spot. Despite being only one point behind Detroit, New York is in the midst of a fire sale as it brings a six-game losing streak into Sunday's contest. The Rangers already shipped leading goal scorer Michael Grabner to New Jersey on Thursday and likely will be parting ways before Monday's trade deadline with Rick Nash, who is expected to miss his third straight game as he awaits a deal. The 33-year-old Nash, a former Maurice Richard Trophy winner who - according to insiders - may be heading to Boston, currently ranks first on the team among active players with 18 goals and is one point shy of 800 for his career.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NHL Network, FS Detroit, MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (25-26-10): Mike Green, who has been rumored to be on the trading block, missed his fifth consecutive game Saturday due to an upper-body injury despite practicing with the team the previous day. "He just isn't ready," coach Jeff Blashill, who insists the defenseman isn't being kept out of the lineup for potential trade reasons, told the team's website on Saturday. "It's a day-to-day thing and he's not ready right now. We'll see if he's ready for (Sunday)." Zetterberg's power-play goal on Saturday was the 100th of his career and his 335th overall tally, tying him with Ted Lindsay for fifth place on the franchise list.
ABOUT THE RANGERS (27-30-5): Although he failed to land on the scoresheet, Chris Kreider made a successful return to the lineup Friday after missing 24 games following surgery for a blood clot in his arm. "I felt like it was my first NHL game again," the 26-year-old left wing, who registered two shots in nearly 16 minutes of ice time in his first contest since Dec. 27, told the team's website. "I was kind of nervous all day. It was definitely an emotional game for me, thinking about where I was six weeks ago and the position I was in." Defenseman Rob O'Gara remains in search of his first career point as he has gone scoreless in two contests since being acquired from Boston on Tuesday and 13 overall in the NHL.
OVERTIME
1. Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist, who has allowed 12 goals over his last two outings, figures to be back in net after Alexandar Georgiev got his first taste of the NHL by making back-to-back starts on Thursday and Friday.
2. Detroit LW Justin Abdelkader is three goals shy of 100 for his career.
3. New York RW Jesper Fast needs one tally to match the career high of 10 he set in 2015-16.