DETROIT – Another early-season measuring-stick game is up next for the Detroit Red Wings, who will host the current NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday night.

Puck drop between the Red Wings (4-4-1; 9 points) and Jets (8-1-0; 16 points) is set for 7:30 p.m., with broadcast coverage on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit). Fans are encouraged to arrive early for Wednesday’s matchup, as the first 7,500 in attendance will receive a Mickey Redmond Bobblehead, presented by Carhartt.

Detroit will play the second of three consecutive games on home ice in seven days, coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. Andrew Copp had a goal and assist while Patrick Kane had a pair of helpers for the Red Wings, who are 2-2-1 inside Little Caesars Arena this season.

ICYMI: “It’s tough to get real reps on the penalty kill. We have a unique part of our schedule, so we’re going to probably take advantage of some practice and get some of those reps.” #LGRW https://t.co/IHo1wYWv2s

— Jonathan Mills (@JonathanDMillsy) October 30, 2024

“Kaner said it best,” Michael Rasmussen said. “He said the first period [on Sunday] was probably one of our best first periods of the year, so we just got to keep playing that way. All four lines were going, having o-zone time and staying above their good players. We were disciplined too, gave them two power plays, and our guys have done a great job the last couple games here of killing penalties especially against a pretty intimidating unit like Edmonton.”

Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said the plan is for goalie Alex Lyon to start against the Jets. In his most recent outing against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Saturday, Lyon stopped 34 of 38 shots.

“We’ll probably be a post-meeting here [on Tuesday], but I think we’re in a really good spot with two goalies going really well,” Lalonde said. “I don’t see any reason not to come back with Alex.”

The Jets’ franchise-best eight-game winning streak ended with a 6-4 setback to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.

UPDATE: The #RedWings have traded defenseman Olli Maatta to the Utah Hockey Club in exchange for a 3rd round pick in 2025. pic.twitter.com/XUy7a6TvpM

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 30, 2024

Kyle Connor registered four points (two goals, two assists) in Winnipeg’s first loss of the season, and leads the club with 14 points (nine goals, eight assists) on the year. Mark Scheifele (6-6–12), Nikolaj Ehlers (4-7–11), Josh Morrissey (1-10–11) and Neal Pionk (1-9–10) also have all crossed the double-digit point threshold this season. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, a Commerce, Mich., native, has a 6-1-0 record with a 2.14 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and one shutout.

Among the areas that the Red Wings are focusing on for Wednesday is containing the Jets’ power play, which enters at an NHL-best 44.4 percent success rate.

“Same kind of thing as Edmonton: stay out of the box first of all,” Rasmussen said. “And then just stick to our structure. I think the last couple games has been really positive for our penalty kill. I expect that to keep going.”