Update (9:16 PM): Just noticed that Derek Meech is in the lineup. I’d forgotten that Chris Chelios isn’t going to play in back-to-back games in the first half. - Matt

Update (9:02 PM): Not related to the game per se, but the Avs have announced that Joe Sakic will undergo hernia surgery that will keep him out of the lineup another 8-12 weeks. The Colorado captain has already missed  12 games. (via Kukla’s) - Matt

Update (8:40 PM): The Avs took Brad Richardson  off the IR today, so he’ll be in the lineup. - Matt

Update (8:37 PM): Abel to Yzerman is putting on a “Christmas Card Live Blog” tonight. - Matt

Update (8:35 PM): George Malik has a more detailed breakdown of the pre-game videos here. - Matt

Update (5:25 PM): Red Wings TV has added some pre-game interviews:

  • Ryan Smyth and John-Michael Liles
    • interesting comment by Liles in there about his time in Michigan. He says he heard about the Wings so much while in Ann Arbor and East Lansing that it turned him off to them
  • Jiri Hudler
    • Huds notes that the Avs skill will make this game a battle, even without Joe Saki’s involvement
  • Aaron Downey
    • Talks about the past rivalry, which he says is still hanging on “by a thread”
  • Mike Babcock
    • Babs talks about becoming the coach of the Western Conference All-Stars, putting Johan Franzen in the right matchups, being concerned with earning the only credit that matters (from within the organization), dealing with the “problem” of having Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, watching the old rivalry with Colorado, and defending against Avs’ skill.

- Matt
Update (3:05 PM): Shane Giroux of Colorado Avalanche Talk has posted his preview of the game. - Matt

Tonight is the first of four games between these two past rivals. The teams split the 06-07 series 2-2, with the Wings winning January 9th (4-3 SO) and January 28th (3-1) and the Avs winning January 20th (3-1) and March 4th (4-3 OT).  The teams will meet again on January 8th, February 1st, and February 18th.

The Avs are 8-3-1 in December thus far and have posted a 5-0-1 record in their last six. They kicked off this tear with a pair of wins over Nashville on the 13th and 15th and continued with a road win over LA on the 17th. Two nights later, they lost in overtime to the Ducks. They rebounded from that game with an overtime win over the Rangers on the 21st and a home win over Vancouver on the 23rd. Tonight is the third game of a four-night homestand for Colorado, who are 15-3-0 in the Pepsi Center.

Paul Stastny leads the team in goals (15), assists (28), and points (43). He is one of five 10-or-more  goal scorers in Colorado. Milan Hejduk (15), Wojtek Wolski (12), Marek Svatos (12), and Ryan Smyth (11) are the others.

The Avs will be without Tyler Arnason (wrist), Kurt Sauer (concussion), and Joe Sakic (groin) tonight.  Sakic has missed 13 12 games. Avalanche head coach Joel Quenneville told The Rocky Mountain News that it’s “possible” Brad Richardson (shoulder) and Jordan Leopold (lacerated leg) will return to the lineup tonight. Ryan Smyth, who has missed the last three games, is scheduled to dress tonight.

Peter Budaj should be in net for the Avalanche tonight. He has posted a 2.58 GAA and a .903 save-percentage this season.

For the Avs’ perspective, see Colorado Avalanche Talk,  In the Cheap Seats,  Jibblescribbits,  and Mile High Hockey.

The Wings are 10-1-1 in December thus far and are 5-1-0 in their last six. They are coming off a strong 5-0 road win over St. Louis last night. The game was fitting revenge for the Blues physical win the week before. Nicklas Lidstrom, Jiri Hudler, Valtteri Filppula (2x), and Brian Rafalski scored for the Wings and Chris Osgood earned the shutout. The Blues were not able to take it to the Wings physically as they had in the earlier game and could not find a way to capitalize offensively, even when they were occasionally handed the puck on a golden platter by the Detroit defense.

The team’s secondary scoring, a concern earlier in the season, has taken off in recent games. Filppula’s goals last night put him at seven goals in his last nine games, while Jiri Hudler has eight points  in his last nine.  Dan Cleary and Johan Franzen have also been hot lately.

The Wings will be without Tomas Holmstrom (knee bruise) and Henrik Zetterberg (back spasms) for the third game in a row.  Kirk Maltby (back) has been out since injuring his back in the team’s November 27th game versus the Flames.

As per the Wings rotation policy, Dominik Hasek will be the starter tonight, even though it goes against their usual practice of keeping him out of the second game of a back-to-back.

For more of the Wings’ perspective, see Snapshots, “Ricci to Garcia,” HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, Red Wings Nation, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, and Winging It In Motown.

The Avs are a young, talented team and will present a stiff test of the Wings’ endurance. Dominik Hasek will have to deal with the second-best net-front player in the League, Ryan Smyth, and will face a deep Colorado offense that is certain to generate strong scoring chances. The Wings will have to be more careful in their own end than they were last night because you know the Avs will be better able to capitalize on turnovers.  If they can jump out to an early lead as they did last night, things should go well, but if they fall into a hole, they may have trouble climbing out.

Blues game links