DETROIT – A widespread power outage Tuesday morning in Detroit affected Joe Louis Arena, canceling the Red Wings' morning skate.
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The Red Wings are scheduled to host the Florida Panthers at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. That won't change now that power has been restored to the arena.
On Sunday, the Red Wings' game with the Vancouver Canucks was delayed a half hour due to a power outage at the arena.
Game preview:
The Detroit Red Wings are rocketing up the Atlantic Division standings, and their potent power play and performance at Joe Louis Arena are key elements in their surge.
The Red Wings vie for their fifth win in a row overall and 10th at home when they host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. Pavel Datsyuk and Gustav Nyquist each scored a power-play goal in Sunday's 5-3 victory over Vancouver as Detroit went 2-for-4 with the man advantage to improve to 7-for-17 in its last four games.
"The power play helps your offensive guys feel good because they feel like they're getting their touches and opportunity to score, so those things are important," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said.
Rookie defenseman Aaron Ekblad scored with the man advantage, but Florida failed to muster anything else in a 2-1 setback to Columbus on Monday. Al Montoya made 21 saves in the loss, but Roberto Luongo is expected to get the nod versus Detroit after a six-day absence due to a strained arm.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Florida, FSN Plus Detroit
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (9-7-6): Coach Gerard Gallant opted to give Luongo an additional 24 hours before sending him into the crease on the tail end of Florida's back-to-back contests.
"I could have played (Monday), but it gives me an extra practice to work on a few things - just to get a little extra sharpness in my game for (Tuesday)," Luongo told the Sun-Sentinel following Monday's morning skate at Nationwide Arena.
Fellow veteran Shawn Thornton also was a spectator versus the Blue Jackets after requiring stitches for his lip and seeing a few teeth loosened following a puck to the mouth on Friday.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (14-5-5): Detroit may boast a 9-2-2 mark at home and play 10 of its next 14 games at Joe Louis Arena, but Babcock isn't interested in looking at the month at large.
"I can talk about a real important game, the next game," Babcock said. "We have a game on Tuesday, so that's what we're living in. I know what the schedule is, there's lots of red on it, so that means we're at home this month, but the reality is you just focus on tomorrow." Jimmy Howard, who has won his last three starts, is 2-0-1 with a rail-thin 1.26 goals-against average in three career contests versus Florida.
OVERTIME
1. Detroit C Stephen Weiss dismissed any emotional attachment to facing the team with which he spent 11 seasons, saying "Last year, I was really excited to play against them. This year, it's just another game."
2. Florida has thwarted its last 14 short-handed situations over the past six contests.
3. Red Wings LW Justin Abdelkader (shoulder) is expected to sit out versus the Panthers, MLive.com reported on Monday.