5 things to know about Red Wings ahead of game against Penguins

The Detroit Red Wings will face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. 

• Game time: 7 p.m. 
• TV: FSDT, ATTP

Here are five things to know about the Red Wings right now: 

 1. Statistically speaking, Red Wings among worst in NHL 

The Red Wings (15-17-6) are pretty bad. They have been an exciting team to watch at times, but overall the numbers don't lie: 

• Detroit averages 2.82 goals per game, ranking them at 23rd in the league.
• Detroit only averages about 28.53 shots per game, ranking them at 29th in the league.
• The Red Wings also lack an effective power play, averaging less than .50 power play goals a game for 25th in the league. Their power play percentage is 18.18 percent -- 20th in the league.

Strikingly, the Red Wings are 51.47 percent at the faceoff dot -- 8th in the league. 

 2. Dylan Larkin remains the leader 

Dylan Larkin ranks among the best in the league in terms of Corsi For* at even strength. His 739 rating puts him in the top 15 in the NHL. In fact, he's the only forward with such a high Corsi For rating -- the rest are defensemen. 

Larkin leads the Red Wings with 15 goals and 36 points. He is on an 11-game point streak. It's quite remarkable considering his team is 3-5-2 in the past 10 games. Somehow Larkin is playing well up and down the ice. 

^{* Shot attempts for at even strength: Shots + Blocks + Misses}

 3. Several key Red Wings out with injuries 

• Defenseman Mike Green is on injured reserve with an ankle injury and is expected to miss three-to-five weeks.
• Defenseman Dan DeKeyser is on the injured reserve list with a hand injury and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks.
• Forward Andreas Athanasiou has missed the last two games with an upper-body and it is unknown if he will suit up against the Penguins on Thursday.
• Forward Anthony Mantha will be held out of action for four-to-six weeks with a broken hand while on the injured reserve list. He could be back mid January. 
• Forward Darren Helm has been designated for the injured reserve list with a substantial shoulder injury and is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks of action. He could be back mid January. 

Welp ... this is not helping. Green helped turn this team around when he entered the lineup late this season. With him gone, the Red Wings have lacked stability on the blue line. Losing DeKeyser was sort of the proverbial nail in the coffin. It's impossible to achieve success in this league when you're missing your top two veteran defensemen. 

Losing Mantha in what looked like could be a career year for him has been devastating. He had 9 goals in 27 games and was just starting to find his groove. Hopefully Athanasiou is back in this lineup soon. He's a pure goal scorer when he's healthy, and obviously goals are at a premium for the Red Wings right now. 

 4. Nyquist, Howard on trade rumor lists 

Forward Gustav Nyquist is in a contract year, and he's performing quite well with 9 goals and 22 assists in 38 games played. He's expected to be sought after by several teams looking to add scoring depth at the trade deadline. 

Goalie Jimmy Howard is in a contract year, too, and he needed a solid season to ensure a good deal for him. He might very well be wearing a Red Wings sweater next season, but that doesn't mean the team won't consider selling him off at the deadline. The Red Wings reportedly want nothing short of a first-round draft pick for their veteran goalie who has a 10-8-2 record and .922 save percentage. 

 5. The projected Red Wings lineup 

With all those injuries, let's take a look at who might be in the lineup Thursday night: 

Forwards: 

Defensemen:

 Notes on the Penguins 

• The Penguins (18-12-6) were outside of the playoff picture just a few weeks ago, but now they're in 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division.
• Sidney Crosby leads the team with 41 points in 33 games. 
• Pittsburgh is 7-2-1 in their past 10 games.