Preview: Bruins head to Detroit for an Original 6 showdown

Just the facts

When: 7:30 PM

Where: Little Caesars Arena - Detroit, Michigan

How to follow: NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SBN site: Wingin’ It in Motown

Know your enemy

• Dylan Larkin: 8G-11A-19PTS; Gustav Nyquist: 2G-13A-15PTS; Andreas Athanasiou: 7G-5A-12PTS
• Jimmy Howard: 6-6-2, 2.64 GAA, .922 save percentage

Game notes

• Pegged as also-rans in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Red Wings are on a pretty nice run as of late. They’re 8-2-0 in their last ten games, sitting just five points out of playoff position with Thanksgiving looming. As most know, American Thanksgiving is considered a playoff bellwether for the NHL; the Wings, while not contenders, look like they’d like to at least make a little noise.
• I will never not post that picture of Zdeno Chara and Brendan Smith from the 2014 playoffs. Everything about it is beautiful.
• These aren’t your early 2010s Red Wings. With Henrik Zetterberg’s abrupt retirement and Pavel Datsyuk’s abrupt departure for the KHL, the high-end talent just isn’t there anymore. However, the Wings have replaced that raw skill with a wealth of speed, particularly in guys like Andreas Athanasiou and Gustav Nyquist. That speed could give the Bruins trouble.
• Speaking of trouble, you don’t need to be reminded how much injury trouble the Bruins have had. Kevan Miller should be returning, but we’re looking at a “second-line center Joakim Nordstrom” situation tonight. Buckle up!
• Seems like Tuukka Rask is likely to get the nod tonight. He had a strong outing in Dallas, though he didn’t get the win. Another big effort tonight should go a long way toward getting him back where he needs to be.
• If Miller does return, it looks like the Bruins will be deciding between Jeremy Lauzon and Jakub Zboril. If nothing else, this injury spell has given the Bruins a good look at their young defensemen. Lauzon has been fine, barely standing out...which is a good thing on defense. I’d like to see a little more of Zboril, personally. He hasn’t been lights out, but has been fine in his limited ice time.
• Not exactly a ringing endorsement of Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson from Bruce Cassidy. When asked if he was ready for more ice time, Cassidy said no.

Never forget

Jordan Caron scored a playoff goal.