michael grabner

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

The Rangers are in Detroit tonight as they continue their string of games against non-playoff teams. Detroit isn’t really good, and will certainly miss the playoffs for the first time in 25 years. That’s one amazing run, but the Wings are a team in transition. They sold at the deadline, with the Rangers being a benefactor in landing Brendan Smith. This will also be the Rangers’ final trip to Joe Louis Arena. I always wanted to see a game at The Joe. Never got the opportunity to.

This game represents a chance for the Rangers to get back on track, however they will need to do so with a growing injury list. Henrik Lundqvist is out for 2-3 weeks, joining the walking wounded of five injured starters. Such is life. Better now than in April though. Either way, the Rangers shouldn’t have any issues with Detroit. But I’ve been wrong before.

Red Wings Systems

For those that don’t follow Prashanth Iyer, you should. He does a great job breaking down everything Detroit.

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.

For more on these systems, check out our Hockey Systems page.

Disclaimer: I wrote this yesterday. Lines may not be accurate.

Red Wings Lines

Gustav Nyquist-Henrik Zetterberg-Tomas Tatar
Andreas Athanasiou-Dylan Larkin-Riley Sheahan
Justin Abdelkader-Frans Nielsen-Darren Helm
Drew Miller-Luke Glendening-Mitch Callahan

Danny Dekeyser-Mike Green
Nicklas Kronwall-Nick Jensen
Xavier Ouellet-Robbie Russo

PP1: Nyquist-Nielsen-Zetterberg-Abdelkader-Kronwall
PP2: Athanasiou-Larkin-Tatar-Sheahan-Green

Peter Mrazek gets the start.

Rangers Lines 

Pavel BuchnevichMika ZibanejadJT Miller
Chris KreiderDerek StepanMats Zuccarello
Jimmy VeseyKevin HayesMatt Puempel
Tanner GlassOscar LindbergBrandon Pirri

Ryan McDonaghBrendan Smith
Marc StaalNick Holden
Brady SkjeiSteven Kampfer

PP1: Zibanejad-Buchnevich-Vesey-Miller-McDonagh
PP2: Stepan-Hayes-Kreider-Zuccarello-Holden

Antti Raanta gets the start.

Injuries/Scratches:  Jesper Fast (shoulder), Rick Nash (upper body), Kevin Klein (back), Dan Girardi (ankle), Adam Clendening (healthy), Michael Grabner (hip), Henrik Lundqvist (lower body)

Crazy Prediction: Kampfer gets a point.

Game time is 6pm. Gifs are on @blueseatblogs. Be sure to follow our snapchat (blueseatblogs) too!

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