DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings are looking to bounce back from a lopsided 6-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday as they host the Ottawa Senators on Friday night.
- GAME TIME: 7:30 p.m.
- TV: FSD
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The Red Wings (14-14-4) will want to forget what happened Tuesday night as quickly as possible. Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick while Nicklas Bäckström tallied 4 assists. One positive for Detroit is 37 shots on Braden Holtby, but the effort didn't matter much when the score was already 5-0 by the end of the 2nd period.
The Senators (13-15-4) are dealing with injuries to key players including forwards Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Matt Duchene, and defensemen Christian Jaros and Dylan Demelo. Duchene has 34 points through 29 games played. Forward Marian Gaborik also remains out of the lineup indefinitely with an injury. The injuries, coupled with the organization's decision to deal away star franchise defenseman Erik Karlsson, has left a sense of frustration in Ottawa.
However, the team is enjoying success from rookie Brady Tkachuk, who has 9 goals and 7 assists through his first 21 career NHL games. Forward Mark Stone also has 35 points in 32 games while 21-year-old defenseman Thomas "Hotsam Batcho" Chabot is having a breakout season with 33 points.
Despite all the drama surrounding this team -- a spat between players' significant others and an Uber ride to regret -- it's not all doom and gloom for the Senators. They still have a chance to turn their season around and shoot for a Wild Card playoff spot.
Detroit and Ottawa last faced off on Nov. 15 in Ottawa. The Senators won, 2-1. The Atlantic Division foes will meet two more times after Friday for a total of four games against each other this season.
Friday's will be a pretty even matchup between teams who are trending in the .500 range. Both have good goaltending in Jimmy Howard and Craig Anderson. The expectation would be a low-scoring affair, but this is a new NHL where goals have been easier to come by all season.
This hockey newsletter is authored by Dave Bartkowiak Jr. He can be contacted at dbartkowiak@wdiv.com or on Twitter @DaveBartko.