Yahoo Sports Red Wings-Islanders Game Day Preview & Where to Watch
DETROIT—Tonight, the Detroit Red Wings (7-9-2) will look to snap their three-game losing skid on home ice at Little Caesars Arena, where they will host the New York Islanders (7-7-5).
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An 0-2-1 tour of California leaves the Red Wings with a cloud of desperation hanging above them. Per Derek Lalonde, that desperation increases the imperative to maintain focus. "It's very cliché, but you kinda gotta keep within the process, and our process was no different coming off this road trip," he said after this morning's skate. "We're trying to build off some of the positives. We're trying to eliminate some of the negatives and play a complete game. Again, it's not all loss in that there's been some formula and recipe for some success here, it's just putting it all together."
In late October, the Red Wings stole a 1-0 victory on Long Island, despite the Islanders commanding a 30-11 advantage in shots. "It was one of our flatter offensive games," Lalonde reflected this morning. "Weird game in that we kinda leaned on the D there in the third, which certainly didn't help the volume...When we create offense, it's gotta look like the Ranger game: We're clean out of our zone, we're puck retrieving, we're back on top of it. I'd still like our group to get more pucks to the net to create maybe a little shot scramble confusion for the opposing team. I think that's what it's gotta look like. [You] know against the Islanders you're not gonna get any easy offense. You've got to work for it."
This evening's game will bring a rematch of the goaltending battle from that night in October: Alex Lyon (who earned a 30-save shutout back on Long Island) against Ilya Sorokin. Lyon will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing performance in his last outing, Detroit's 6-4 defeat in Anaheim, while the normally imperious Sorokin skates into the night not quite at the peak of his form. In six starts in November, Sorokin has given up four or more goals three times. The Red Wings will be looking to add another 4+ goal against entry into Sorokin's ledger this evening at Little Caesars Arena.
Related: Struggling Red Wings Shuffle Lines Seeking Balance
Red Wings to Celebrate Datsyuk's HHOF Induction
Tonight, the Red Wings will be honoring the club's latest Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Pavel Datsyuk, affectionately known around Hockeytown as the Magic Man, with commemorative coins for the first 5,000 fans to arrive.
Datsyuk's slight of hand awed hockey fans around the world and lives on via YouTube in a mixtape archive no NHLer may ever be able to match. As Lalonde pointed out this morning, perhaps the ultimate testament to Datsyuk's greatness is not the awe he inspired in fans, but from his peers.
"There's a handful of Islander players showing up tonight, wanting a jersey signed," Lalonde pointed out. "I think that's one of the most amazing compliments...You play in the league, you're a one percenter, and when NHL players are seeking autographs or sticks...I tell the story of Pav borrowed [Red Wings assistant coach] Alex Tanguay's gloves during development camp. He left him a picture and a signed grammatically brutal [note]...Even Tanguay was like this is awesome, and Alex obviously played 1,100 games, 900+ points, so I think that speaks volumes about the type of player [Datsyuk] was when his peers in the league have such a respect for him."
Related: Larkin on New Hall-of-Famer Datsyuk: "Those Were Cool Memories"
Where to Watch
Tonight's game (a 7pm scheduled puck drop) will be on its usual television/streaming homes: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit for in-market fans and ESPN+/Hulu for the out-of-town crowd. As ever, the game will be broadcast on the radio by 97.1 The Ticket.
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