CENTRAL DIVISION

Playing in the Catholic High School League’s Central Division has Donnelly facing highly-ranked opponents every night without reprieve. Currently, all five teams that make up the Central Division -- Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, Detroit Catholic Central, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Jesuit -- are all ranked in the top 10 of the most recent Associated Press Division 1 rankings. De La Salle lost to St. Mary’s at the buzzer in double overtime and lost to Detroit Catholic Central by 10. Brother Rice had four point losses to De La Salle and Catholic Central while also losing by 19 to Jesuit. Along with its two-point loss to Jesuit, Catholic Central lost to St. Mary’s by 11.

At least in MLive’s top 25 boys basketball rankings it isn’t. After Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice surrendered the top spot in the rankings over the last couple weeks, there is a new No. There is a lot of movement in the top 10, which is to be expected when five of the top 14 teams are from the same league and division. That Catholic High School League’s Central Division is pretty crazy. All five teams in the division have completed the first cycle through it’s league schedule and will begin its second trek through the gauntlet next.

Two of the hottest teams in the NHL will tangle on Sunday afternoon, as the surging Pittsburgh Penguins get set to host the Winnipeg Jets, who are trying to get back into a playoff position in the ultra-competitive Central Division. After a really slow start to the season, the Penguins have picked up steam over the last month, catapulting themselves into a Wild Card spot as we creep towards the All-Star break. Watch the NHL on DirecTV StreamWinnipeg is sitting in an odd spot rounding out the weekend. What: NHL HockeyWho: Winnipeg Jets (17-12-6) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (23-10-5)When: Sunday, January 23Time: 1:00 p.m. ETWhere: PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, Pa.)Channel: NHL NetworkStream: DirecTV Stream, Sling, FuboTV (Free Trial)Check out the NHL standings and results on NHL.com

An old Central Division rivalry is renewed on Saturday night, as the Detroit Red Wings wrap up their back-to-back with a meeting down in Smashville as they take on the surprising Nashville Predators. The Red Wings are coming off quite the battle with the Dallas Stars on Friday night. Watch the Detroit Red Wings on DirecTV StreamNow the Wings have the task of knocking off one of the suprsingly good teams out of the Central Division, as the Predators are trying to get back up towards the top of the division. The Preds and Wings met back on December 7 in Detroit, Nashville coming away with a 5-2 victory. Check out more stories about the Detroit Red Wings here on MLiveWhat: NHL HockeyWho: Detroit Red Wings (18-17-6) vs. Nashville Predators (25-14-3)When: Saturday, January 22Time: 8:30 p.m.

The first Metro Detroit boys basketball rankings for the 2022 season have arrived and they are dominated by teams from the Catholic High School League Central Division. Here are the top 10 Metro Detroit boys teams this week. Check back each Tuesday for new rankings moving forward. The Macomb, Oakland and Wayne County top 10 teams are also included.

I’ll work my way through each team in the league, alphabetically by division.

Detroit suffered its third loss of the season to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night in Detroit. Similar to their loss against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Pistons had one bad quarter that pushed them to defeat. 1 pick led Detroit with 28 points, while Frank Jackson chimed in with 25 off of the bench. The Pacers are one of the four teams Detroit has beaten this season, as the Pistons pulled out a 97-89 win at home back on November 17. Check out more stories about the Detroit Pistons here on MLiveWhat: NBA BasketballWho: Detroit Pistons (4-22) vs. Indiana Pacers (12-17)When: Thursday, December 16Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Ind.)

The Detroit Pistons saw their future shine bright on Monday night, but still fell short. Now they, look to get back on the winning track when they host longtime Central Division rival Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. The Pacers scored only 84 points marking the first time this season they were held under 90. Check out more stories about the Detroit Pistons here on MLiveWhat: NBA BasketballWho: Indiana Pacers (6-9) vs. Detroit Pistons (3-10)When: Wednesday, November 17Time: 7:00 p.m. ETWhere: Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, Mich.)Channel: Bally Sports DetroitStream: DirecTV StreamCheck out the NBA standings and results on NBA.com

While they dropped their first game of the season on Wednesday night, the Detroit Pistons kept it close against the Chicago Bulls. It was not quite how the Pistons wanted to start their 2021-22 season, but there are some positives in the 94-88 defeat at the hands of Chicago. Detroit led at half, 44-40, after an exceptional start where the Pistons outscored the Bulls 20-14 in the opening quarter. However, Zach LaVine and Chicago rallied in the second half, including scoring 31 points in the third to send the Bulls to victory. Check out more stories about the Detroit Pistons here on MLiveWhat: NBA BasketballWho: Detroit Pistons vs. Chicago BullsWhen: Saturday, October 23Time: 8:00 p.m.

After picking up a big road win in front of ruckus crowd in game one, the Tampa Bay Lightning look to go two-for-two against the Carolina Hurricanes to begin the Central Division Finals. In front of an almost capacity crowd in Raleigh on Sunday, the Lightning and Hurricanes came out flying in the opening 20 minutes, with the two teams combining for 27 shots. Watch the Stanley Cup Finals on FuboTV (7-day free trial)The Lightning finally broke through in the second with Brayden Point scoring his fifth goal of the playoffs on the power play. The third period was even more tense following Jake Bean scoring on the power play for the Canes to tie the game. What: NHL Central Division PlayoffsWho: (3) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (1) Carolina Hurricanes (Lightning lead 1-0)When: Tuesday, June 1Time: 7:30 p.m.

After two hard fought opening round series, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes prepare to faceoff in the Central Division Finals, with a spot in the Stanley Cup Semifinals on the line. The Carolina Hurricanes are coming out of an unexpected series against the Nashville Predators. Heavy favorites going into the series after winning the Central Division title in the regular season, the Predators gave the Canes everything they could handle. Watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs on FuboTV (7-day free trial)The Lightning had to literally fight through a six-game battle against in-state rival Florida Panthers. What: NHL Central Division PlayoffsWho: (3) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (1) Carolina Hurricanes (Game 1)When: Sunday, May 30Time: 5:00 p.m.

The Central Division series between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Nashville Predators was not supposed to be a long series. After falling behind 2-0, the Predators rallied back to win games three and four, both in double-overtime, at home to even the series. Thursday night, over 14,000 fans are going to be in the arena, giving Nashville a definite home ice advantage. What: NHL Central Division PlayoffsWho: (1) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (4) Nashville Predators (Hurricanes lead 3-2)When: Thursday, May 27Time: 9:30 p.m. ETWhere: Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, Tenn.)Channel: NBC Sports NetworkStream: FuboTV (7-day free trial)

After the first two games down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes have a stranglehold on their Central Division Semifinal Series against the Nashville Predators. The Canes won the first two games by a combined score of 8-2, but the Preds inability to cash in on the power play proved to be their downfall in game two. After an early goal from Carolina’s Sebastian Aho, the Hurricanes found themselves in and out of the penalty box. What: NHL Central Division PlayoffsWho: (1) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (4) Nashville Predators (Hurricanes lead 2-0)When: Friday, May 21Time: 7:00 p.m. ETWhere: Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, Tenn.)Channel: USAStream: FuboTV (7-day free trial)

Every series in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has a narrative coming into it. The Central Division battle between the four-seeded Nashville Predators and the division champ Carolina Hurricanes sees one club as the surprising favorite, the other a surprise to be in the postseason at all. 1 team, especially in a division with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Yet, after finishing the regular season with a 36-12-8 record, they hold home ice advantage through the first (and possibly second) round of the playoffs. What: NHL PlayoffsWho: (4) Nashville Predators vs. (1) Carolina HurricanesWhen: Monday, May 17Time: 8:00 PM ETWhere: PNC Arena (Raleigh, N.C.)Channel: CNBCStream: FuboTV (7-day free trial)

There used to be a thing called the Governor’s Cup, a trophy presented to whichever team won the annual regular season series between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

A season like none other will come to an end this weekend for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Grand Rapids will visit Cleveland for a 7 p.m. game today before hosting the Monsters in Saturday’s 7 p.m. season finale at Van Andel Arena. In all, the Griffins will have played a 32-game schedule when the final buzzer sounds this weekend. In addition, it was a season that didn’t start until early February and saw the Griffins play just four Central Division opponents all year. The obstacles the Griffins were forced to overcome is one reason why Grand Rapids coach Ben Simon said this year’s squad has been so special.

The Detroit Red Wings wrap up what has been one of the most bizarre seasons in NHL history tonight in Columbus, needing one point to avoid the Central Division cellar. The Red Wings are 6-4-3 in their past 13 games, due mostly to strong goaltending and solid defense. It figures be the final game in a Red Wings uniform for some players. Helm, 34, has the longest continuous service among Red Wings, having made his NHL debut on March 13, 2008. While the Red Wings and many other teams wrap up this weekend, the regular season continues through May 19 because of postponements caused by COVID protocol, particularly involving the Vancouver Canucks.

The Detroit Red Wings battle the Columbus Blue Jackets in the season's final weekend, but they're not thinking about their draft lottery spot.

With no 2020-21 season, the Ontario Hockey League went to a lottery to determine the order for the OHL Draft, June 4-5. The Flint Firebirds won the seventh pick, with the Saginaw Spirit slotted in the 15th spot in the first round. The draft, which remains 15 rounds, will also take place over the span of two days instead of the customary one-day draft. The first three rounds start at 7 p.m. Friday, June 4. 2021 OHL First Round Draft Order1.

The Detroit Red Wings’ final two home games this weekend will have significant playoff seeding implications for the Tampa Bay Lightning. For the Red Wings, the matchups present more growth opportunities for younger players like Michael Rasmussen, Evgeny Svechnikov, Dennis Cholowski, Filip Zadina and Joe Veleno. The Red Wings (17-26-9) need to win one of their four remaining games – they wrap up with a pair at Columbus next Friday and Saturday – to exceed last season’s win total in significantly fewer games (71 in 2019-20). The Red Wings have scored only three goals in their past two games and will be without key forwards Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Robby Fabbri, Bobby Ryan and Adam Erne. Jakub Vrana has six goals and seven points in seven games as a Red Wing.

Members of the Pacific Division will complete the 2020-21 season with a playoff tournament to determine its division champion. However, teams in the other four divisions, including the Central in which the Grand Rapids Griffins plays, will not have postseason play. *Pacific Division: A postseason tournament will be held to determine the division championship. The tournament winner will be awarded the John D. Chick Trophy as champions of the Pacific Division; the Chick Trophy has been presented to an AHL division champion annually since 1961-62. The AHL’s 86th season, with 31 clubs expected to be active, will begin October 15, 2021 and conclude April 24, 2022.

The Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets will be seeing a lot of each other over the final two weeks of the season in their competition to avoid the Central Division cellar. Three of the Red Wings’ remaining six games are at Columbus, including tonight’s contest at Nationwide Arena (7 p.m., Bally Sports Detroit Plus). The Red Wings (17-25-8) are two points ahead of the Blue Jackets (15-25-10). The Red Wings were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Monday when Nashville defeated Florida. But the Red Wings also could move up several spots, lowering their odds of winning the lottery or winding up with a top-two pick.

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings were set up to play spoilers Tuesday against a team battling for the final playoff spot in the Central Division. However, a couple of mistakes involving personnel changes drew the ire of coach Jeff Blashill. The (penalty) call is the call.”After Adam Erne snapped the tie at 12:02, a tripping penalty to Marc Staal proved costly. He gave the Red Wings a chance to win by making 29 saves in regulation and overtime, before Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi scored on Nashville’s first two attempts in the shootout. “We’re looking for guys that can step up and play and he’s right up there in goals for our team,” Blashill said.

The Detroit Red Wings, with a pair of games against Nashville this week, had an opportunity to close the gap on the team ahead of them in the Central Division, in an effort to avoid finishing in last place. Poor puck management, defensive breakdowns and, according to coach Jeff Blashill, too many no-shows translated into a 7-1 loss at Bridgestone Arena. The Red Wings (10-20-4) have lost three in a row after decent stretch (6-5-1) during which they competed hard consistently, except for a few bad periods. “If we don’t work hard, we’re going to be in for some trouble, because they work and compete,” Larkin said. So, we better start by figuring out tomorrow how we’re going to check better.”More: Red Wings don’t doubt integrity of officiating following controversy

The Grand Rapids Griffins didn’t start its season until Feb. 5, and they are playing a 30-game schedule against only Central Division opponents. “A lot of these games were are learning on the fly because we haven’t done this before,” Griffins coach Ben Simon said during a Friday afternoon Zoom call. But first, Grand Rapids will visit Cleveland Saturday at 4 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. game at Rockford Thursday. Chicago jumped out to a 2-0 lead Thursday before Grand Rapids rallied to tie it in the third. Hopefully we can get a couple more in and a couple of wins under our belt and go for that.”MOREGrand Rapids Griffins’ rally falls short in ChicagoGrand Rapids Griffins announcer Bob Kaser undergoes successful heart surgery

Here are the current standings for the NHL’s 2021 Central Division.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 06: Dylan Larkin #71 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on November 06, 2019 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Red Wings 5-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)Here is the Detroit Red Wings 2020-21 season schedule with results. The Red Wings are competing in the realigned Central Division -- Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Florida, Nashville, Tampa. Central Division teams will meet each other eight times to complete a 56-game schedule before the playoffs begin in May.

Let’s take a look at the full results from the preseason survey given to “Dear Red Wings” newsletter subscribers -- a loyal group of Red Wings fans:Do you think the Red Wings will be better this season than last? (2021 preseason survey) (WDIV)How many wins do you think the Red Wings will have by the end of the 56-game season? (2021 preseason survey) (WDIV)Who will be the Red Wings’ leading scorer this season? Larkin was named captain a day before the Red Wings’ season opener. (2021 preseason survey) (WDIV)Yzerman has given us optimismIt’s not crazy to see Red Wings fans more optimistic about this squad.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)The rejuvenated Detroit Red Wings (2-2-0) will play two games against an old division foe this weekend. The Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks used to enjoy a heated rivalry in the Norris and Central divisions dating back to the early 1980s. Weekend games:8 p.m. Friday: Red Wings at Blackhawks (TV: FSD)12:30 p.m. Sunday: Red Wings at Blackhawks (TV: NBC)View the full Red Wings schedule here. This weekend, Detroit and Chicago will meet again as rivals in the realigned Central Division created due to the pandemic. Read more: Blashill lauds newcomer Bobby Ryan: ‘He’s in a great spot’Join: Dear Red Wings Discussion Board -- let’s talk hockey

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)The Detroit Red Wings have not played a regular season NHL game since March 10 against the Carolina Hurricanes. As discussed, the Red Wings are competing in the realigned Central Division -- Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Florida, Nashville, Tampa. I have placed the full Red Wings 2020-21 season schedule here. We all know how terrible this past season went for the Red Wings -- one of the worst in franchise history. I’ll share the results before the first game Thursday -- I’ll post them to the new Dear Red Wings Discussion Board.

Oddsmakers are projecting the Detroit Red Wings to finish with more points in fewer games played in 2021 than they collected in 2019-20. But they are still expected to finish with the worst record in the NHL. Detroit garnered only 39 points in 66 games last season, finishing 23 points behind the next-worst team, Ottawa. The Red Wings will play only 56 games this season in a temporarily realigned Central Division that figures to be tougher than the 2019-20 Atlantic Division. The Red Wings will play eight games each against Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay, runner-up Dallas and 2020 playoff teams Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Florida and Nashville.

The Detroit Red Wings today announced start times for all 56 regular season games in their previously released 2021 schedule. The slate consists of eight games each against Central Division opponents Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Florida, Nashville and Tampa Bay, almost exclusively in two-game sets. TV information has not been released yet. JANUARY14 -- vs. CAROLINA, 7:30 p.m.16 -- vs. CAROLINA, 7 p.m.18 -- vs. COLUMBUS, noon19 -- vs. COLUMBUS, 7:30 p.m.22 -- at Chicago, 8 p.m.24 -- at Chicago, 12:30 p.m.26 -- at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.28 -- at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.30 -- vs. FLORIDA, 7 p.m.31 -- vs. FLORIDA, 5 p.m.FEBRUARY3 -- at Tampa Bay, 5:30 p.m.5 -- at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.7 -- at Florida, 3 p.m.9 -- at Florida, 7 p.m.11 -- at Nashville, 8 p.m.13 -- at Nashville, 8 p.m.15 -- vs. CHICAGO, 7:30 p.m.17 -- vs. CHICAGO, 7:30 p.m.19 -- vs. FLORIDA, 7:30 p.m.21 -- vs. FLORIDA, 7 p.m.23 -- vs. NASHVILLE, 7:30 p.m.25 -- vs. NASHVILLE, 7:30 p.m.27 -- at Chicago, 8 p.m.28 -- at Chicago, 7 p.m.MARCH2 -- at Columbus, 7 p.m.4 -- at Carolina, 7 p.m.9 -- vs. TAMPA BAY, 7:30 p.m.11 -- vs. TAMPA BAY, 7:30 p.m.14 -- vs. CAROLINA, 5 p.m.16 -- vs. CAROLINA, 7:30 p.m.18 -- vs. DALLAS, 7:30 p.m.20 -- vs. DALLAS, 7 p.m.23 -- at Nashville, 8 p.m.25 -- at Nashville. 8 p.m.27 -- vs. COLUMBUS, 3 p.m.28 -- vs. COLUMBUS, 3 p.m.30 -- at Florida, 7 p.m.APRIL1 -- at Florida, 7 p.m.3 -- at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.4 -- at Tampa Bay, noon6 -- vs. NASHVILLE, 7:30 p.m.8 -- vs. NASHVILLE, 7:30 p.m.10 -- at Carolina, 7 p.m.12 -- at Carolina, 7 p.m.15 -- vs. CHICAGO, 7:30 p.m.17 -- vs. CHICAGO, 7 p.m.19 -- at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.20 -- at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.22 -- vs. Dallas, 7:30 p.m.24 -- vs. Dallas, 7 p.m.27 -- at Columbus, 7 p.m.29 -- at Carolina, 7 p.m.MAY1 -- vs. TAMPA BAY, 3 p.m.2 -- vs. TAMPA BAY, 3 p.m.7 -- at Columbus, 7 p.m.8 -- at Columbus, 7 p.m.More: Red Wings envision Michael Rasmussen as shut-down type center

Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings celebrates his first period gaol against the Edmonton Oilers with teammates at Little Caesars Arena on October 29, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)The Detroit Red Wings will open the 2020-21 NHL season on Jan. 14 at home against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Red Wings and Hurricanes are both competing in the realigned Central Division with Columbus, Dallas, Chicago, Florida, Nashville and Tampa. Little Caesars Arena will not have fans. Here’s the full Red Wings schedule (view printable PDF here):

That means if you bet $100 on the Red Wings and they somehow won Lord Stanley’s Cup this season you would cash out $20,000. BetOnline also has the NHL division futures set -- the Red Wings have the worst odds, out of any team, for winning their division: +2500. Fear not, Red Wings fansGo ahead and throw your money away, if you want. On defense, the Red Wings added Troy Stecher, Marc Staal and Jon Merrill. On his own side of the line shall be defined by a “plane” of the blue line which shall extend from the leading edge of the blue line upwards.

The Detroit Red Wings will be back on the ice as a team on Dec. 31 for the start of training camp after the NHL’s board of governors on Sunday approved a plan for a 56-game season to begin on Jan. 13. Under temporary realignment, the Red Wings will play in the Central Division along with Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Florida, Nashville and Tampa Bay. So the Red Wings will play eight games against each of the other seven Central Division clubs. The Pistons are not playing in front of fans at Little Caesars Arena, so that figures to be the case with the Red Wings as well. More:Dylan Larkin eager for season to startFilip Zadina, Filip Hronek return to Detroit to prepare for season