Red Wings at Blues
The Detroit Red Wings are entering a season with much uncertainty about their defense after captain Nicklas Lidstrom retired and Brad Stuart was traded to San Jose. The Red Wings will look to find some answers on Saturday when they open their season on the road against the St. Louis Blues. Niklas Kronwall is now Detroit’s top blue-liner while new additions Carlo Colaiacovo and Kyle Quincey will fill some holes on the depth chart. On offense, Damien Brunner joins the roster after putting up 57 points in 33 games playing with Henrik Zetterberg in Switzerland this season.
St. Louis won the Central Division last season by allowing a league-low 165 goals. The Blues’ goaltending tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott, along with the young defensive corps led by Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk, remains largely intact. The offense should see a boost from having David Perron for a full season. Perron was second on the team with 21 goals last season despite only playing 57 games.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Detroit, Fox Sports Midwest
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (2011-12: 48-28-6, 3rd Central Division): In the wake of Lidstrom’s retirement, Zetterberg has been named captain. He and Pavel Datsyuk led Detroit’s offense with 69 and 67 points, respectively. Johan Franzen scored a team-high 29 goals, while Valtteri Filppula finished with a career-high 66 points. Jimmy Howard has cemented himself as the Red Wings’ starter going forward, with a save percentage of at least .920 in two of the last three seasons.
ABOUT THE BLUES (2011-12: 49-22-11, 1st Central Division): Rookies like Vladimir Tarasenko, who had 31 points in as many games in the Kontinental Hockey League this season, and Jaden Schwartz, who had 19 points in 33 games in the American Hockey League, should help St. Louis score a bit more this season. In 2011-12, the Blues managed only 210 goals. Andy McDonald had 22 points in 25 games and if he can stay healthy, the Blues shouldn’t have as much trouble creating offense.
OVERTIME
1. Mikael Samuelsson rejoins the Red Wings after three seasons with the Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers.
2. The Blues posted an 0-3-1 markin their last four games against Detroit.
3. Detroit’s opening-night roster will be without Todd Bertuzzi (flu/groin), Darren Helm (strained back) and Jakub Kindl (groin).
PREDICTION: Blues 2, Red Wings 1