Ducks at Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings couldn't have asked for a stronger defensive showing in their season-opening 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins. Expecting a similarly stingy performance may be a tall task as they host the powerhouse Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night. The Ducks were boosted by Corey Perry's hat trick in their opener, but couldn't keep the puck out of the net as they dropped a 6-4 decision to reigning Hart Trophy winner Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins
The Red Wings took advantage of a weary Bruins team playing the second game of a back-to-back, limiting the 2011 Stanley Cup champions to just 17 shots. "A month from now, or two months from now, it doesn't matter," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said after the game. "But right now it does matter, when you start and you play back-to-back, it's wear and tear on you for sure." Anaheim was peppered for 39 shots in its opening-game loss.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSW2 (Anaheim), FSDT (Detroit)
ABOUT THE DUCKS (0-1-0): Anaheim did well to wipe out a three-goal deficit, but couldn't contain Crosby (two goals), Pascal Dupuis (one goal, three assists) and the fired-up Penguins. "We want to play better," defenseman Ben Lovejoy told reporters. "There were far too many things that went wrong. We need to figure this out because that was embarrassing." Several Ducks skaters acknowledged that they have to do a better job of helping netminder John Gibson, who made 33 saves to absorb the loss in his hometown.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (1-0-0): If Detroit fans hope to see the Red Wings get off to a good start, they'll probably have to get used to low-scoring games like the one they played in their opener. Detroit is without all-world center Pavel Datsyuk, who is nursing a shoulder injury, and is relying on a collection of young players to pick up the slack. But Jeff Blashill, who coaches the Red Wings' AHL affiliate, believes that having an influx of young talent is a benefit, suggesting that "they've all had opportunity to be go-to guys in the minors. They know what the pressure is like."
OVERTIME
1. Anaheim won both meetings last season, including a 5-2 triumph at Joe Louis Arena on Dec. 17.
2. Frederik Andersen, who will get the start in goal for the Ducks, went 20-5-0 with a 2.29 goals-against average in 28 games last season.
3. Perry has just seven goals in 31 career games against Detroit.
PREDICTION: Ducks 4, Red Wings 2