Red Wings at Senators
The Detroit Red Wings resume their season with a visit to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. The Red Wings entered the holiday break 11 points ahead of Ottawa, but the Atlantic Division rivals have struggled recently with four wins in their last 10 games. The Senators and Red Wings split the opening two contests of their four-game season series and also split four contests last campaign.
Detroit leads the league with 32 power-play goals, while Ottawa averages 12.6 penalty minutes - fourth-highest in the league. Neither team has fared well against divisional opponents, with the Red Wings going 5-5-6 and the Senators 4-6-1. Ottawa’s best chance might be to force a shootout, where Detroit is 1-7.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBC, TVA, Fox Sports Detroit
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (18-8-9): Defenseman Niklas Kronwall is day-to-day with an upper-body injury but could play Saturday. Goaltender Jimmy Howard has missed two games with a groin injury but skated earlier in the week and should be ready to go versus Ottawa. Petr Mrazek is likely to be in net if Howard is unable to start. Gustav Nyquist recorded three assists on Tuesday, raising his season total to 22 points.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (14-14-6): Defenseman Marc Methot remains on injured reserve with a back ailment, while Chris Neil is expected to return soon from a knee injury. Craig Anderson is expected to start for the fourth time in five games. Defenseman Patrick Wiercioch rejoined the lineup Monday after missing time due to an undisclosed injury. Mika Zibanejad leads the team with six goals and 11 points in December.
OVERTIME
1. Ottawa captain Erik Karlsson leads the team with three points in the previous two meetings with the Red Wings.
2. Detroit was winless in six games (0-2-4) before entering the holiday break with a victory Tuesday.
3. Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg has 16 points in 13 career meetings with Ottawa.