PREVIEW: Red Wings wrap up four-game road trip on Monday against Sharks
Edvinsson (lower body) and Rasmussen (upper body) both expected to play in San Jose, but final statuses will be made after warmups
SAN JOSE — Looking to earn a split of their four-game road trip, the Detroit Red Wings will face off against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Monday night.
Puck drop between the Red Wings (7-9-1; 15 points) and Sharks (5-10-4; 14 points) is set for 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT, with broadcast coverage on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit).
“[Monday’s game is] the biggest one of the whole trip,” Moritz Seider said. “We want to get a .500 road trip here. We all got to put it together for 60 minutes today. No matter what, we just got to come out with two points.”
Game day in San Jose. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/zBHU72StgY
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 18, 2024
Detroit is coming off its second straight loss, a 4-1 setback to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. The Red Wings’ lone goal in the second half of their recent back-to-back set came from captain Dylan Larkin, who has produced 13 points (10 goals, three assists) in 17 games this season.
“We knew this would be a little bit of a grind of a trip,” Detroit head coach Derek Lalonde said. “Obviously [day off on Sunday] was important probably both mentally and physically, but we need to go tonight. This is an opportunity, I don’t know if salvage the road trip is the right word, but get out of this road trip 2-2. We’d take that as a positive, especially winning on the back end and heading into a few games at home.”
Simon Edvinsson (lower body) and Michael Rasmussen (upper body) are both expected to play against the Sharks, Lalonde announced after Monday’s morning skate at SAP Center. Both missed Saturday’s game due to their respective injuries.
“We’ll warm up another D just in case,” Lalonde said. “But from morning skate, [Edvinsson] looks pretty positive to be able to play.”
Moritz Seider, Patrick Kane, Derek Lalonde Morning Skate Media vs SJS | Nov. 18, 2024
In last place in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division, San Jose saw its winless streak reach three straight games and concluded a recent four-game road trek with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
Notching five points (two goals, three assists) over his last five games, Mikael Granlund leads the Sharks in assists (11) and points (19) and is tied for first in goals (eight) with Tyler Toffoli (8-6—14) this season. Fabian Zetterlund and William Eklund are tied for third on the club in scoring with 13 points apiece.
A lower-body injury forced Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, to miss some time this season. The 18-year-old rookie forward has three goals and one assist in seven games.
“He’s obviously a guy who can push the pace of play,” Patrick Kane said about Celebrini. “Really good offensively, really creative. Seems like it doesn’t really take away from his 200-foot game, so I can see him being a top center in the league for a long time.”
In 11 games for San Jose this season, netminder Mackenzie Blackwood has a 3-5-3 record, 2.98 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and one shutout.
“A high compete,” Lalonde said when asked what he’s seen from the Sharks this season. “They’re 5-3-2 in their last 10 [games], which is obviously very good in this league. They’ll get you on the forecheck. They got some young-with-no-fear, high-end guys that are very tough to play against. But again, I think it’s about us.”