Last time Detroit played Phoenix, they eliminated the Coyotes from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tonight, though not as momentous as the last game, is still pretty important.
The Wings are on their heels after only pulling 1 point from their last two games, and face the dreary thought of an early season winless streak if things don't improve in the desert.
Detroit (2-1-1) will look to start bringing in the W's again against the Coyotes (1-1-0), one of the few teams still only a pair of games into the season. From the sounds of the reports coming in, Detroit will be challenging the Desert Dogs short one forward, as Johan Franzen and Justin Abdelkader are both scratched for tonight's affair. Drew Miller will be matched on the second line, with Darren Helm and Patrick Eaves playing subs on the 3-line squad.
Let's look at The Geek's Winning Formula for tonight's matchup:
1.) Stay Fresh - Being short a player on your bench is not fun and will tire a team out that much faster. The Wings need to get on the ice, skate hard, do their jobs, then get back off the ice and let another group take over. Detroit can NOT afford to let Phoenix pin them in their own end, this will only end in tears, unnecessary icings, and--eventually--goals against.
2.) Keep it Clean - If Detroit can stay out of the penalty box and get lucky with some penalties on Phoenix's side, it's going to be much easier to keep the lines rested and get a more complete game from all the skaters. It's going to be bad enough playing down one roster spot, it's going to be inexcusable for the Wings to take sloppy penalties tonight.
3.) Depth Charges - Guys, we need some secondary support here, stat!! The bottom half of Detroit's lineup really needs to step up and contribute in tonight's game, if only to help ease the pressure on the top half of the lineup. The whole squad needs to improve defensively, top to bottom, as many of our top guys--including my beloved Dats--are in the minus category. Let's see some stronger shifts defensively, boys!!
Alright, I have tonight off, so I'll be watching along at home. Should be entertaining!
See you on Twitter, Wingnuts! Let's Go Red Wings!!
