rangers red wings

Photo: AP

The Rangers face the Detroit Red Wings for the first time this season, just one game after barely squeaking by the Leafs in a game that should have been dominated by the Blueshirts. Process is everything right now, and hopefully that game against Toronto was a blip in the recent trend of solid on-ice process.

Detroit is going to be a tough matchup, as the Wings are in the thick of it for a playoff spot, and assuming they continue to play Petr Mrazek over Jimmy Howard, will continue that push. The Wings have a solid set of forwards, but lack depth on the blue line. That’s where the Rangers, who are still scoring without Rick Nash, will need to capitalize on their advantage.

A strong forecheck will pressure the weak Detroit defense into turnovers. It’s something that Detroit struggles with, as any team that can get in with speed will disrupt their breakouts. It’s a strength for the Rangers, so this could be a favorable matchup.

Wings Systems

For those that don’t follow Prashanth Iyer, you should. He does a great job breaking down everything Detroit. I haven’t watched much of the Wings this year, but I’m able to read Arik’s work and get an idea of what Jeff Blashill’s strategies are.

The Wings run a 1-2-2 forecheck, which is fairly standard. But Blashill is very aggressive, and encourages the first defenseman to get involved at the blue line, instead of the red line. That means more pressure on the Rangers blue liners to make proper decisions with the puck. The Rangers deploy a similar forecheck, but are less aggressive with their defensemen, preferring to pressure at the red line, instead of the blue line. The risk of Blashill’s scheme is that quick passing can lead to odd-man rushes with that aggressive defenseman.

In the defensive zone, the Wings play a hybrid overload/low zone collapse. They overload the strong side, much like the Rangers. When the puck gets below the goal line, the forwards collapse into low zone coverage. That’s where the Rangers differ, as they switch to man coverage when the puck gets below the goal line. Although it was admittedly hard to see what kind of scheme the Rangers ran early in the year, they’ve been significantly better at their switches lately.

The Wings run a variety of breakouts, all detailed here. This is common for a lot of teams, and the way Prashanth breaks it down is very relevant, as the Rangers play a 1-2-2 forecheck. The Rangers have had a strong forecheck the last few games, so expect them to pressure those first two passes on the breakouts. For more breakout plays, see this post from Suit.

On special teams, the Wings run a 1-3-1 powerplay. This has been standard for multiple teams since the Bolts started using it a few years ago. The Wings don’t have that one sniper they try to feed, so they rely on quick passes to breakdown the penalty kill. Considering how amazing the Rangers’ PK has been, the best bet is to stay out of the box.

On the PK, the Wings are one of the few teams that don’t run some form of hybrid system. They run a straight wedge+1, which is similar to the diamond force the Rangers use. Both have a “roamer” designed to force the play, while the remaining three defenders take out the high percentage shots. The difference is that the Wings will only use their forwards as the “+1” whereas the Rangers will rotate out based on puck location, including defensemen. The wedge is simpler to execute and more conservative, but the diamond force creates more turnovers.

Wings Lines

Henrik Zetterberg-Pavel Datsyuk-Justin Abdelkader
Gustav Nyquist-Brad Richards-Tomas Tatar
Tomas Jurco-Andreas Athanasiou-Teemu Pulkkinen
Darren Helm-Luke Glendening-Riley Sheahan

Kyle Quincey-Danny Dekeyser
Brendan Smith-Mike Green
Xavier Ouellet-Alexey Marchenko

PP1: Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Abdelkader-Richards-Green
PP2: Nyquist-Tatar-Pulkkinen-Helm-Smith

PK: Glendening, Abdelkader, Sheahan, Athanasiou, Helm, Quincey, Dekeyser, Smith, Marchenko, Ouellet

Jimmy Howard gets the start.

Rangers Lines

Chris KreiderDerek StepanMats Zuccarello
JT MillerDerick BrassardJesper Fast
Oscar LindbergKevin HayesViktor Stalberg
Tanner Glass–Dominic Moore–Marek Hrivik

Keith YandleDan Girardi
Marc Staal–Kevin Klein
Dan Boyle-Dylan McIlrath

PP1: Yandle-Klein-Miller-Hayes-Fast
PP2: Zucc-Boyle-Kreider-Stepan-Brassard

PK: Stepan, Moore, Lindberg, Fast, Boyle, Staal, Yandle, Girardi

Henrik Lundqvist gets the start.

Scratches/Injuries: Rick Nash (leg)

Crazy Prediction: A perfect penalty kill.

Be sure to check out our ticket link if you’re looking for tickets to the game. Game time is 7pm on NBCSN. All gifs will be on nyrgifs.com.

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