Monthly Archive for February, 2008Page 3 of 6

Kings claim Ellis

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 21, 2008
in Kings, Matt Ellis and Roster Moves
. 3 Comments

Update (3:19 PM): The official site has more, including quotes from Babcock and Ellis’ former teammates, here.

Also, IwoCPO suggests this is evidence that Ken Holland is up to something. - Matt

Ryan Doherty reports that the LA Kings claimed Matt Ellis off the waivers today.

Rarely do the Wings make personnel moves that deserve overt criticism, but this is one such instance. Yesterday, I attempted to keep a positive outlook on the move, assuming Ellis would clear waivers and would be able to return to Grand Rapids. The risk of his being claimed seemed small. I should have known better.

I have to wonder what the Wings were thinking by not taking another strategy to get Ellis to Grand Rapids. Say a two-week conditioning stint. It worked for Meech and certainly would have been justifiable for Ellis given the fact that he’s cracked the lineup just four times over the past 19 games.

Ellis was a real asset to this organization, much more so than Hartigan, and I’m sorry to see him go.  The guy built a reputation as one of the hardest-working players in the system and the reward he gets is being cast off. If the Wings did this as a favor to help him get to a team that could use him more, that’s nice, I suppose. You still hate to see the guy have to uproot his young family and move 3/4 the way across the country.

Good luck with LA, Matt.

Lidstrom out three weeks with sprained MCL

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 20, 2008
in Injuries and Nick Lidstrom
. 9 Comments

Update (2:35 PM): Ansar Khan has more here. - Matt

Bruce MacLeod reports that Nick Lidstrom will miss the next three weeks as a result of Ian Laperriere’s hit Monday night. He has a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee and because the team is sure to take every precaution, you can bet that three weeks is more of a minimum. The earliest we can expect to see him back is March 13 against Dallas.

The good news is that it does not look like he as a concussion, though he still has to undergo more tests.

I’m quite thankful it didn’t turn out to be a season-ending injury or something, but this sucks. A lot can happen over three weeks. The Wings have not had to go that long without #5 since he entered the League and it happens this season, of all seasons? This will be a heavy test of the team’s leadership capabilities, to be sure.

The adversity did not end with the skid-halting 4-0 win over Colorado Monday night.  It just started.

2/20 Rafalski Update

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 20, 2008
in Brian Rafalski, Injuries and Links
. 0 Comments

Update (21. Feb, 7:18 AM): George Sipple confirms the waiving. - Matt

Update (11:15 PM): Ted Kulfan casts some doubt on the status of Matt Ellis by suggesting he has not yet gotten confirmation from the Wings on the move. I find it hard to believe that MacLeod would be wrong, but I suppose it’s possible. (via Snapshots) - Matt

Update (5:59 PM): Bruce MacLeod reports that Matt Ellis was put on waivers today, so the Hartigan move isn’t due to an injury after all. George Malik says the Wings must want to give Ellis more playing time and are opting to expose him to waivers rather than send him down for a conditioning stint. He is available to until noon tomorrow.

Let’s hope no one claims him. The Griffins could sure use Ellis back and I’d hate to see him lost to the Wings’ system. - Matt

Update (2:41 PM): Ansar Khan claims that Jonthan Ericsson will make his NHL debut Friday, as Niklas Kronwall will not be ready.He also mentions that Dallas Drake and Pavel Datsyuk were given the day off. Given Hartigan’s call-up, I have to think one of those two must be injured. - Matt

Update (2:15 PM): Looks like Rafalski isn’t returning Friday after all. Ryan Doherty reports that he skated for only 15 minutes or so and then left the ice. Doherty says Jonathan Ericsson has been called up from Grand Rapids. Bruce MacLeod says it’s possible Niklas Kronwall could return Friday, but Ericsson will play if not.

Doherty also reports that Mark Hartigan has been promoted. Not sure of the reason for that, as no more forward injuries have been reported that I know of, aside from Valtteri Filppula’s gashed face. Rafalski and Dominik Hasek have been put on the IR to make room for Hartigan and Ericsson. - Matt

Bruce MacLeod reports that Brian Rafalski (groin) participated in practice today. As he points out, this is good news, as it could mean Rafalski will in fact be back Friday night. That means the team may not have to call up Jonathan Ericsson.

Still no word on Nick Lidstrom’s knee, but MacLeod reports he was not on the ice this morning. No surprise there.

Wings 4, Avs 0, Rivalry Fans 999

Published
by
Sarah Baker
on February 19, 2008
in 2007-2008, Aaron Downey, Chris Chelios, Derek Meech, Henrik Zetterberg, Injuries and Mike Babcock
. 10 Comments

The rivalry’s back and people are losing fingers. Okay so when the versus announcer shouted about a finger getting ripped off by Zetterberg, he was talking about a beautiful steal off of Jeff Finger, but we can dream, right? So for those of you who didn’t see the most bittersweet game of the year, you’ve undoubtedly now heard about the Nicklas Lidstrom crisis. Barely six minutes into the first, Ian Laperrierre took our prized captain into the boards in what appeared to be a relatively clean hit, except for a rising elbow. Lids crumpled and then struggled to return to play. He was helped off the ice and I’m pretty sure everyone watching was thinking concussion with how dazed he looked. Shockingly, it was announced later in the game that he passed the concussion test with flying colors. When Chris Chelios came on for an interview in the intermission, he looked like he’d just been to a funeral. It appears, however, that the attack on Nick was just what this team needed to come together and kick some butt. Aaron Downey did his best Darren McCarty impression, chasing down Laperrierre not once, but twice, to deal out justice. I don’t know about you, but I loved seeing Babs get all huffy with Granato. Why don’t they ever put mikes on the coaches? I would have loved to know what words were being exchanged there. Though it was pretty fun trying to guess. Oh and for anyone who was wondering about our defensive depth going into the deadline - we pitched a shutout yesterday without our top 3 defensemen. Youngsters Derek Meech and Kyle Quincey stepped up and showed they can be counted on to carry the big minutes if necessary. Sure it was only one game, but it still left me feeling a lot more comfortable about our depth chart.

Honestly if it weren’t for the whole Lidstrom debacle, this game would have been more comforting than a warm cup of cocoa on a cold winter day. The Wings ended their losing streak, righted their powerplay, and wrestled a win from the jaws of the injury bug. All at the same time, they revived a treasured rivalry. Though the animosity may have dwindled away over the years, the cup of hate has just been refilled. The Wings do not like it when you hurt their captain. Period. If we see the Avs in the playoffs, I expect the mood to be testy at best. I can’t wait. I wonder if the sales of Downey jerseys just skyrocketed…

Lidstrom: out 7-10 days with knee sprain

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 19, 2008
in Aaron Downey, Avalanche, Injuries and Nick Lidstrom
. 4 Comments

Update (2:42 PM): The official site has a brief piece in which Lidstrom talks about the hit and his injury.

He describes his knee as “sore and a little bit swollen,” so take that as you will. It sounds like his head is fine as he does not have a headache.

He of course does not come right out and accuse Laperriere of anything, but he does leave his true feelings open to interpretation:

“I have a pretty good mark on my chin where he hit me. Whether he tried to or not, I don’t know, but he followed through and finished with his elbow up on my chin and that’s when my head went back into the glass.”

- Matt

Update (1:43 PM): Ryan Doherty reports that Nick’s knee will be reevaluated tomorrow morning rather than today, as previously expected.

As some have noted, the “7-10 day” diagnosis came a little fast, but  there’s no particular reason to disbelieve it at this point. Sure, it’s possible that 7-10 days is optimistic, but if it was much worse than a simple sprain, we’d probably already know.

Still, pray that the MRI has a positive result. - Matt

Ansar Khan is reporting that the right knee sprain Nick Lidstrom suffered last night as a result of a high hit by Colorado’s Ian Laperriere will keep him out a week to ten days. A seven-day recovery period would put Nick back for the February 26th meeting with Edmonton, while ten days would have him back for the March 1st February 29th home game against the San Jose Sharks.

That Nick will miss 2-3 games is a blow, to be sure, but the team is extremely fortunate he won’t be out longer. A more serious injury would have put a serious damper on their hopes for a long playoff run. It is impossible to overstate Lidstrom’s importance to the team and it is going to be a major test of their resiliency as they go through the next couple games.

The situation on the blueline will be improved by Brian Rafalski’s likely return Friday, but no one player can replace a five-time Norris Trophy winner. In the coming games, the team will need to put forth the same effort that propelled them to a 4-0 win over the Avs last night.

When I got home last night after the game (which I was unable to watch), I just wanted to check the score and go to bed. Then I saw the comment emails sitting in my inbox. IwoCPO put it perfectly, titling his first post on the incident “Worst Case Scenario: Lidstrom Helped Off the Ice.” When it comes to possible injuries, losing Nick Lidstrom is basically as bad as it gets. Fortunately, the post-game news was fairly good. Otherwise, I would have slept much worse than I did.

This morning, I just wanted to see a replay as I worked on school stuff (thinking the whole time, “I have more important things to do than prepare for this presentation. Like find out how Nick is.”). Thankfully, IwoCPO posted the highlights from the game.

It’s difficult to watch. The hit is high, but not overtly vicious. Maybe unnecessarily hard, but not particularly dangerous. Laperriere caught Lidstorm in a bad position and didn’t hold back. Personally, I call it disrespect and typical of a lowlife like Laperriere, though I know there are those out there who disagree.

In any case, I’ve seen players get up fine after much nastier-looking hits. The part that’s hard to watch is Nick’s disorientation as he gets up. In all my years of watching the Wings, I have never seen him out of it like that. It was jarring in a way similar to seeing Steve Yzerman’s reaction to taking that puck to the face. Laperriere obviously caught Nick with a late elbow/forearm and his head rebounded off the glass, causing the disorientation. Let’s hope his head is okay.

I’m thankful for Mike Hasenfratz, who was quick to grab hold of Lidstrom and whistle the play dead before he fell again.

I’m glad Aaron Downey was in the lineup last night. It was good to see the replay of him beating up Laperriere. That’s precisely what #20’s job is. I’d like to think that  teams might think twice about streamrolling the Wings’ superstar now. Aaron Downey should never be out of the lineup, as far as I’m concerned.  The guy has earned his spot.

Anyway, Lidstrom has been an incredibly consistent feature of the Wings’ lineup over the years, missing only 32 22 of 1,452 games and most of those because he was being rested for the playoffs. Rarely has the team had to go it without him.

For those who say the Wings need to face some adversity before they can be successful, that they’ve had it too easy this season: you can shut up now.

Be sure to read IwoCPO’s wrap-up here.

Lastly, keep an eye on the AHL wire over the next couple days. If it turns out that Rafalski isn’t quite ready to go Friday, Jonathan Ericsson will get the call-up.

GameDay: @ Colorado (30-24-5, 65 Pts) 8:00 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 18, 2008
in 2007-2008, Avalanche and GameDay
. 12 Comments

Update (4:50 PM): Christy Hammond has posted her preview of the game at Winging It In Motown. - Matt

Update (4:48 PM): An update from Ansar Khan:

Chris Osgood starts tonight.

Brian Rafalski (groin) is out at least until Friday.

Niklas Kronwall (clavicle) it out, perhaps until the end of the three-game Western Canada trip. - Matt

Update (4:46 PM): Some game day reading for you:

- Matt

Update (9:20 AM): Via NHL Media: Mike Hasenfratz (30) and Mike Leggo (3) will officiate the game. Tim Nowak (77) and Tony Sericolo (84) will man the lines. - Matt

Update (9:18 AM): OklahomaWingNut’s GDT is here. - Matt

Tonight is the fourth and final meeting this season between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado. Detroit leads the series 3-0, with wins December 27th (4-2), January 8th (1-0), and February 1st (2-0).

Colorado is 3-3-1 since we saw them last. On the 2nd, they pulled off a 6-4 road win over St. Louis. Two nights later, the Coyotes beat them in Denver, 4-3 in overtime. On the 6th, the Avs defeated the Sharks at the Tank 3-1 and three nights later, they took it to the Canucks in Vancouver, 6-2.

Since then, they’ve dropped three straight. The skid began at home with a 2-1 loss to Anaheim on the 12th, continued with a 4-1 defeat by St. Louis on Thursday, and left off with a 2-1 loss in Chicago yesterday.

The Avs are third in the Northwest Division with 65 points. They are currently 9th in the Conference, but are just one point behind Calgary for the 8th seed.

Marek Svatos is the top Colorado goal-scorer with 25. Milan Hejduk (20), Wojtek Wolski (14), Andrew Brunette (11), and Ryan Smyth (11) are the only active Avalanche to have double-digit goal totals. Brunette is goalless in his last eight and Wolski is goalless in his last nine. Milan Hejduk has not scored in three and Svatos hasn’t in two.

Colorado will likely be without Paul Stastny (groin), who is close to returning, but apparently not quite ready.  Joe Sakic (hernia surgery) and and Cody McCormick (chest contusion) are out.

It seems Jose Theodore is the likely starter tonight.

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

The Wings are 3-5-1 in February, with their losses coming all in a row starting February 7th against the Kings. They’ve since lost to Toronto (3-2 OT), Anaheim  (3-2), Nashville (4-2), Columbus (5-1) and Dallas (1-0).

The loss to the Stars came yesterday and was particularly disappointing because of the stretches in which they played well enough to win. They were, however, unable to get past Marty Turco, who put on a stellar performance and got the help of the post a couple times when he couldn’t make the save himself. It was probably the Wings’ best game over the skid, but wasn’t good enough.

The loss cut the Wings’ lead over the Conference and League to eight points, as Dallas continued its bid to overtake them.

Henrik Zetterberg leads the team in goals with 33, but he is goalless in five. That his drought roughly corresponds with the Wings’ nose dive is no coincidence.

The Wings will be without Niklas Kronwall (clavicle) for the 10th straight game. Derek Meech will fill in once more.

It looks like Brian Rafalski (groin) will not play for the third game in a row. In that case, Kyle Quincey will dress.

Dan Cleary (broken jaw) will be out for the fourth straight game. Aaron Downey filled in yesterday, but I’m guessing Babock may go for a slightly mixed-up lineup today and dress Matt Ellis instead.

Projected lines:

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Filppula-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Kopecky-Draper-Maltby
Hudler-Ellis-Drake

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Chelios
Lebda-Lilja
Quincey-Meech

My guess is Chris Osgood will return to the net tonight, but Jimmy Howard’s performance yesterday may have earned him another start.

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

Todd won’t be posting his pre-game numbers any more, but you can still find OklahomaWingNut’s GDT’s at Kukla’s Forums.  He hasn’t posted today’s yet, though.

Tonight’s going to be a tough game for the Wings. The Avs have played them close in every meeting this season and the last thing they need is to face a team fighting for a playoff spot. They are going to have to build on yesterday’s performance and go a long way in returning to form if they want to come out of this one ahead.

Remember, the game is on Versus tonight.

GameDay: @ Dallas (36-21-5, 77 Pts) 3:30 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 17, 2008
in 2007-2008, GameDay and Stars
. 7 Comments

Update (1:34 PM): NHL.com’s John McGourty looks at the match-up here.

Rob Shick (16) and Justin St. Pierre (45) will officiate the game. Tim Nowak (77) and Tony Sericolo (84) will man the lines. - Matt

The Detroit Red Wings and the Dallas Stars, the two top teams in the West, meet this afternoon on NBC in the Game of the Week. The Wings won both of the previous meetings, beginning with a 4-1 decision on January 2nd and continuing with a 3-0 shutout on January 5th.  The fourth and final meeting will take place on March 13th in Detroit.

The Stars are 7-1-0 in February, with their only loss coming on the 14th in Phoenix. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak that went back to January and included wins over Vancouver (2x), Edmonton, Calgary,  Minnesota, St. Louis, and Phoenix. The night after their loss to the Coyotes, they put down the Ducks in Anaheim, 4-2. They are kicking off a three-game homestand this afternoon.

Dallas leads the Pacific Division with 77 points. Anaheim and San Jose have 71 and 70 respectively. They are ten points behind the Wings for the League lead and are four points ahead of Ottawa for second place overall.

Mike Ribeiro leads the team in assists (43) and points (67), but his 24 goals are tied with Brendan Morrow. Six other Stars have 10 or more goals: Niklas Hagman (20), Mike Modano (16), Jussi Jokinen (14), Antti Miettinen (12), Jeff Halpern (10), and Steve Ott (10).

The Stars will be without Sergei Zubov (groin/foot) and Phillippe Boucher (shoulder).

Mark Fistric (face laceration) is scheduled to play.

The starter has not been announced, but it looks like Marty Turco is a good bet.

For the Stars’ perspective, see Andrew’s Stars Page (preview here),  Razor with an Edge (official),  Stars Blog (Dallas Morning News), and Stars Scene.

The Wings fell to 3-4-1 in the month of February with their fifth straight loss Friday night. In what was supposed to be a recovery game, they got shellacked at home by the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-1. Rather than gradual improvement, the team’s play has seemingly fallen off more with every game they’ve played lately. As recently as a week ago, they looked like they could pull out a win. With bad losses to Nashville and Columbus, however, this team has never looked less like the dominant force it has been most of the season.

Today’s game kicks off a five-game stretch of road games, though they will return home following tomorrow night’s game in Denver. After that, they don’t play again until Friday in Calgary.

Despite their current nose dive, the Wings still lead the League by ten points. If that’s not a mark of their previous dominance, I don’t know what is. Let’s hope they can recover it soon.

Henrik Zetterberg leads the team in goals with 33, but he has not scored in his last four. Nick Lidstrom is now the team leader in assists with 50, but Pavel Datsyuk is not far behind him with 48.

Jiri Hudler is goalless in 13. Valtteri Filppula is goalless in nine. Those two have to get going.

The Wings will be without Niklas Kronwall (clavicle) for the ninth straight game. Derek Meech will continue to fill in for #55.

Brian Rafalski (groin) is expected to sit out for the second game in a row. If he does, Kyle Quincey will fill in.

Dan Cleary (broken jaw) will miss his third straight. It looks like Aaron Downey will dress again.

Projected lines (via Khan):

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Filppula-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Kopecky-Draper-Maltby
Hudler-Drake-Downey

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Chelios
Lebda-Lilja
Quincey-Meech

You can expect some mixing there, as Quincey and Meech will probably see time with more experienced defensemen throughout the night.

Jimmy Howard will start today. By the way, today is the first time this season I’ve been disappointed in Chris Osgood. His comment to George Sipple about his record against Dallas was very out of character for him and something I hope does not become a habit.

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

OklahomaWingNut’s GDT is here.

This is obviously a big game for the Wings, who need a win badly. I would love to see the Wings put on a great performance on national TV and make up for last week’s debacle. Can they do it? Sure. Of course. Will they? I don’t know. At this point, I’m with IwoCPO:

But don’t fret.  There’s always Turco.

But that’s not going to be enough.  I’m thinking we’re looking at 6.

I hope we’re wrong, because I’m not looking forward to hearing the same people who called the Wings the most dominant team in hockey start hailing their downfall, as if that’s what a losing streak means.

I want to see the Wings pull out of this skid and doing it while backstopped by Jimmy Howard would make for a great story, even though it may create some controversy.

Can they just flip a switch and win like that?

I hope so.

2/16 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 16, 2008
in Brian Rafalski, Chris Osgood, Dominik Hasek, Injuries, Johan Franzen, Lines and Niklas Kronwall
. 0 Comments

… Both Ansar Khan and Bruce MacLeod report that Jimmy Howard will start tomorrow in Dallas. He has not started an NHL game since December 13, 2005, when he was pulled after allowing three goals on sixteen shots during the Wings’ 7-6 loss to Atlanta.

Given that the Wings seem to play more carefully in front of the young goaltender, this is probably a good move. They have not been giving Chris Osgood much support and he could probably use a game off to regain confidence in his teammates.

… Dominik Hasek (hip flexor) will not make the trip to Denver and Colorado, and it does not look like he’ll be back until  next Saturday in Vancouver.

… Brian Rafalski (groin) will make the trip, but it looks like he won’t be back until Monday against Colorado.

… Niklas Kronwall (clavicle) is also going along with the team, but Khan says he won’t be back until the Calgary game on Friday at the earliest.

… With Kronwall and Rafalski remaining out, Kyle Quincey will stay with the team at least one more game.

… Khan also provides some mixed-up lines that Babcock tried in practice:

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Filppula-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Kopecky-Draper-Maltby
Hudler-Drake-Downey (Ellis working in)

As he points out, that top line skated together at the start of the season prior to Franzen’s knee sprain.  As I wrote when Dan Cleary went down, Johan should benefit greatly from inheriting a larger role in Cleary’s absence. Let’s hope he takes advantage of the move to the top line.

On Darren McCarty’s home debut

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 15, 2008
in AHL, Darren McCarty and Griffins
. 4 Comments

Update (11:19 PM): You can read the Grand Rapids Press recap of the game here. - Matt

Darren McCarty’s first game in front of a packed-out Van Andel was a big one. The former Red Wings bruiser scored a  hat trick and added a late assist on his way to being named the arena’s first star. He was a huge hit with the crowd, which took every opportunity to cheer him

His first goal was an easy redirect slam dunk of a the rebound of a Darren Helm pass shot on the Griffins’ second shot.  His second came on the power play in the second period was he stuffed it between the feet of the Lake Erie goalie from the side of the net. He finished the trick with a blast from the right circle that beat the goalie blocker side, just inside the left post. In addition to the goals, Mac dealt out a few big hits and provided just the spark the Griffins needed to overcome two Lake Erie leads.

I was definitely impressed with him. He’s obviously still not in tip-top shape, but he looked good. I was only disappointed he didn’t get a natural hat trick. It’s too much to expect him to contribute three goals every night, but I think his presence in the lineup had the Griffins playing closer to their potential. They certainly looked better than they had in any of the other games I’ve been to and heard about this season. That’s the value he brings to the Griffins and if he can draw crowds like he did tonight, the franchise will do better as a whole.

Because the Monsters are the primary affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, it was interesting to see how chippy the game got as it went on. There were two all-out fights involving Jamie Tardiff and plenty of post-play scrums that got pretty nasty.

I went into the game with the aim of focusing on Jonathan Ericsson as well as McCarty. I was impressed with the big young Swede was well. He’s got great size and has a booming shot to go with a good defensive sense. His goal was a perfectly-placed snapper, just below the crossbar. He looked steady out there and definitely earned the second star. I look forward to seeing him in the Winged Wheel.

Jakub Kindl, on the other hand, was a disappointment. He definitely needs more experience before he’ll be NHL-ready.

I do not regret passing up the Wings’ embarrassing loss to Columbus in favor of Darren McCarty’s home debut and three-goal night. It was a great game and I’m glad I got to see it.

GameDay: vs. Columbus (26-24-9, 61 Pts) 7:30 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 15, 2008
in 2007-2008, Blue Jackets and GameDay
. 3 Comments

Update (4:47 PM): In his latest update, the Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline delivers a typical below-the-belt shot at Detroit.

My response? Have you been to Toledo lately? I hear they’re painting abandoned buildings to make them look occupied. And they kicked Marines out so that they couldn’t undergo necessary training. How’s that for an image? My point is there are blighted cities in every state and kicking them while they’re down does nothing more than perpetuate that image. It certainly does nothing to contribute to that city’s recovery. Thanks, Mr. Portzline.

Aside from taking easy potshots at the city, Mr. Porztline does provide some actual journalistic content:

No Fedorov tonight, though he may return tomorrow  Sunday in St. Louis.

No Jiri Notovny, either.

Pascal Leclaire will start.

Modin will skate on the top line with David Vyborny and Rick Nash.

Portzline also thinks the rumors of Fedorov’s return to Detroit are “premature,” saying the Jackets will probably wait until just before the deadline to move him. - Matt

Update (1:51 PM): Bethany has her pre-game thoughts posted. I found this comment to be particularly interesting:

Fedorov has had an amazing career and after this season I’m certain that he will call it quits.

I’m not as up to speed on Fedorov as I used to be, but I find it hard to believe that he’d automatically “call it quits” after this season.

Also, check out JacketBuzz for more of the Columbus perspective. - Matt

Update (11:50 AM): Ryan Doherty confirms the defensive pairings listed below (Lidstrom/Chelios, Lebda/Lilja, Quincey/Meech).

He also notes that Sergei Fedorov made the trip with the Jackets and that he is participating in the team’s morning skate.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Fedorov will play tonight, however. It’s probable that he came along with the team just so that he could stay in shape as he continues to recover.  - Matt

Update (11:37 AM): IwoCPO has some more on a possible Fedorov-to-Detroit move at the deadline as USA Today’s Kevin Allen weighs in here. - Matt

Update (10:38 AM): I missed this: Columbus activated Fredrik Modin off the IR Wednesday, so he’ll be in the lineup tonight. He has missed 47 games this season, but scored 22 goals for the Jackets last year and is an offensive threat. - Matt

Tonight is the fourth of eight games between the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets this season. Detroit leads the series 2-1 with wins November 9th (4-1) and November 18th (5-4 SO). Columbus won the November 23rd 24th meeting, 3-2 in a shootout. The teams will face-off three times in March and once in April to round out the series.

The Blue Jackets are 1-2-3 in February, with their only win coming in Phoenix on the 7th. The 2-1 decision snapped a four-game skid that began in January. Since then, however, they have lost three in a row, starting with a 2-1 overtime loss in San Jose on the 8th. Two nights later, they played host to the LA Kings and lost 3-2 in a shootout. On Tuesday, they were embarrassed by the Chicago Blackhawks in their own arena, losing 7-2.

Tonight’s game kicks off a five-game road trip for the Jackets, who will make stops in St. Louis, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal  before returning home for a game against the Sharks on the 27th.

Columbus’ 61 points are good for third in the Central Division and 11th in the Western Conference. They are five points behind Nashville for second place in the Division and four points behind Colorado for the eight seed.

Nikolai Zherdev leads the team with 48 points, 26 of which are assists. Rick Nash is the top goal-scorer with 29. Just Zherdev (22) and Jason Chimera (11) have reached double-digit numbers in goals scored. Former (and perhaps future?) Red Wing Sergei Fedorov has 19 assists and 27 points.

Jan Hejda is unique for the Jackets in that he is +6 through 58 games. The rest of the team is +1 or below.

The Jackets have been hit pretty hard by injuries/sickness lately. The Columbus Dispatch lists Zherdev (knee) and Jiri Notovny (shoulder) as questionabale, while Sergei Fedorov (concussion) and Jared Boll  (bronchitis) are out.

Pascal Leclaire is expected to start tonight, though he has had the flu and isn’t a lock to play.

For the Columbus side of things, see  Better on Ice, The Jacket Times, Army of the Ohio, End of the Bench, Neutral Zone Trap, and Bethany’s Hockey Rants.

The Wings fell to 3-3-1 in February with their fourth straight loss Tuesday night. They began the month with three wins extending a streak to eight games, but the skid began with a 5-3 loss at home to the Kings on the 7th. They lost 3-2 in overtime on the road against the Leafs on the 9th and followed that up with a 3-2 loss to Anaheim the next afternoon. On Tuesday, they dropped a game to the Predators in Nashville, 4-2.

Tonight’s game is the last before a five-game road trip that will take them to Dallas, Denver, Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton. They will play San Jose at home on the 29th.

Despite their recent troubles, the Wings maintain a 12-point lead over Dallas and a 14-point lead over Ottawa to hold their place atop the League.

Henrik Zetterberg leads the team in points with 70 and his 33 goals are also a team high. He is goalless in his last three games. Pavel Datsyuk is the top assist man with 48. Five active Red Wings have 10 or more goals: Datsyuk (20), Tomas Holmstrom (20), Valtteri Filppula (15), Johan Franzen (12), and Jiri Hudler (11).

The Wings will be without Niklas Kronwall (clavicle) for the eight straight game. He is hoping to return Sunday in Dallas. Derek Meech will continue to gain NHL experience.

Dan Cleary (broken jaw) will miss his second full game. It looks like Aaron Downey got  the most reps in practice yesterday, so there’s a good chance he’ll dress tonight instead of Matt Ellis.

Brian Rafalski (groin) will sit out. Kyle Quincey has been called up from the AHL to fill in.

Projected lines (via Khan):

Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Franzen-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Hudler-Draper-Kopecky
Maltby-Drake-Downey

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Chelios
Lebda-Lilja
Quincey-Meech

That third pairing isn’t as frightening as you might think, as those two have experience together in Grand Rapids. However, we can expect some mixing on the blueline. Babcock seems to be giving Meech more responsibility, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he saw time with Lidstrom and Lilja.

Chris Osgood will get his second-straight start tonight. He was pulled Tuesday night as Babcock tried to send a message to the team. Jimmy Howard will back him up, as Dominik Hasek is out with a sore hip flexor.

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

OklahomaWingNut’s GDT is here.

This is a big game for both teams. The Wings are looking to halt a skid before they head out on a road trip this weekend and the Blue Jackets will be looking to rebound from their embarrassing loss Tuesday night. The Jackets have the added motivation of fighting for a playoff spot.

For the Wings, it’s a must-win situation. The last thing they need is to go into Dallas on Sunday while still on a losing streak. If nothing else, they have to elevate their game well above the level at which they’ve been playing lately. They cannot afford to have a slow start as they did Tuesday night, as a highly-motivated Columbus team will make them pay.

With a guy like Rick Nash dressed for the opposition, they’ll have to give Osgood better support this time around.

I will not be watching tonight because I will be at Van Andel Arena watching Darren McCarty’s home debut with the Grand Rapids Griffins.