red wings hockey returns to center stage tonight as Detroit visits the New Jersey Devils with lineup questions and new faces in the mix. The Devils are coming off a 6-3 home win against the New York Rangers on Saturday, while Detroit enters after a 3-1 home loss to the Florida Panthers on Friday. As of the latest available updates, neither team held a morning skate, and Detroit captain Dylan Larkin is not expected to play as he is listed day to day.
What’s happening now: projected lineups and key absences
Detroit’s projected forward lines list Alex DeBrincat with Andrew Copp and Patrick Kane, followed by Emmitt Finnie with Marco Kasper and Lucas Raymond. The next groups are Mason Appleton with J. T. Compher and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, then James van Riemsdyk with Michael Rasmussen and Dominik Shine. On defense, Detroit is projected to dress Albert Johansson and Axel Sandin-Pellikka.
Detroit’s scratches are listed as Travis Hamonic, Elmer Soderblom, and John Leonard. Injuries include David Perron (lower body) and Dylan Larkin (lower body).
On the Devils’ side, the projected top line is Timo Meier with Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer, followed by Arseny Gritsyuk with Jack Hughes and Connor Brown. The next units are Jesper Bratt with Cody Glass and Lenni Hameenaho, then Paul Cotter with Nick Bjugstad and Maxim Tsyplakov. The Devils’ scratches are Colton White, Dennis Cholowski, and Evgenii Dadonov. Their injured list includes Stefan Noesen (knee), Zack MacEwen (ACL), and Brett Pesce (lower body), with Pesce listed week to week.
Immediate reactions: Faulk debut, emergency recalls, and the crease
Justin Faulk is expected to make his Detroit debut after being acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Friday. Detroit also brought up Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and John Leonard from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League under emergency conditions.
In net, Detroit’s most recent start went to John Gisbon in the 3-1 loss to Florida, and there was no definitive word in the available team preview on whether Gisbon or Cam Talbot would start against New Jersey.
For the Devils, goaltending also sits under the spotlight after Jacob Markstrom made 17 saves in Saturday’s 6-3 win against the Rangers. Allen is expected to start next, with the Devils playing back-to-back games over the weekend and Markstrom having started five games in a row.
Quick context: where both teams are coming from
New Jersey’s Saturday win at home featured a fast start, a back-and-forth middle, and three unanswered goals in the third period, including an empty-net goal. Jack Hughes recorded a hat trick in that game.
Detroit’s Friday loss to Florida included Detroit’s lone goal from Alex DiBrincat at 10: 56 of the second period, while Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk scored a hat trick including an empty-netter.
What’s next: the stakes tonight
The Devils continue their seven-game homestand and play Detroit for the second time this season, with the home side carrying a four-game win streak into the matchup. Detroit is listed in third place in the Atlantic Division in the game preview, setting up a tougher test for New Jersey than several of its recent opponents.
For Detroit, the immediate focus is navigating a game without Larkin while integrating new pieces, starting with Faulk’s expected first appearance. For New Jersey, the next step is translating Saturday’s offensive surge into another win at home—against a red wings team looking to steady itself after back-to-back losses.
