Preview: Bruins visit the Red Wings for their second game in two nights

Just the facts

When: Tonight, 7:30 PM

Where: Little Caesars Arena - Detroit, MI

How to follow: NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SBN site: Winging it in Motown

Know your enemy

• 26-34-9, 61 points, 5th in the Atlantic Division
• Dylan Larkin: 29G-35A-64PTS; Tyler Bertuzzi: 26G-28A-54PTS; Lucas Raymond: 22G-30A-52PTS
• Alex Nedeljkovic: 17-21-8, 3.31 GAA, .900 save percentage

Game notes

• Right back at it! Less than 24 hours after their tilt in Columbus ended, the Bruins play a different team in a different city. Hey, at least the 7:30 start gives them a little bit more of a cushion...
• Standings-wise, this is a pretty interesting match-up: the Bruins and Red Wings are 4th and 5th in the Atlantic Division, but there’s a bigger points gap between these two teams than there is between the Red Wings and the last-place, NHL-worst Montreal Canadiens. Definitely a “haves and have nots” vibe in the Atlantic this season.
• Bruce Cassidy mentioned this weekend that he’d like to get some guys some ice time given the back-to-back games, and last night’s game in Columbus has forced his hand. Both Trent Frederic and David Pastrnak left last night’s game at different times with upper-body injuries, and it remains to be seen whether either will be available tonight.
• This will be these two teams’ fourth meeting of the season, and second in Detroit. The Bruins won the first three meetings by a combined score of 12-3, including a 5-1 win in the last meeting in early January.
• The Wings weren’t really expected to be great this season, and 5th place in the Atlantic might be a spot or two better than anticipated. For the team to grow at all, defense will have to be a major point of improvement: the Wings are allowing a league-worst 3.86 goals per game on the year.
• Special teams could be big tonight, as Detroit sports the league’s worst penalty kill (72%) while the Bruins have the league’s sixth-best power play (24.4%).
• We’ll be treated to some very talented rookies in tonight’s game. Jeremy Swayman leads all rookie goalies in all major statistical categories. Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider (both 20 years old) are second and fourth, respectively, in rookie scoring, with Seider leading all rookies in assists.
• If/when Detroit starts to turn things around, the 2019 and 2020 NHL Drafts will be viewed as the turning points. While it’s early to say either is a true lock for NHL success, drafting Raymond (4th overall) and Seider (6th overall) in back-to-back drafts sure look like fruitful selections.

See ya tonight!