Game Preview: Red Wings @ Capitals – Round 3 – A Green Scene

The Washington Capitals (18-5-2, 38 pts) and the Detroit Red Wings (15-8-4, 34 pts) are set to face-off tonight for the third time in the first 65 days of the season. The Red Wings won the first contest in Detroit 1-0. The Capitals returned the favor eight days later, winning 2-1 in Detroit. Tonight’s contest, the final regular season game between the two teams, also marks the first appearance at Verizon Center for former Capitals’ defenseman Mike Green since leaving Washington to sign with Detroit this past summer. Puck drop is 7:30 PM EST.

Detroit
The Red Wings roll into Verizon Center Tuesday night on a hot streak, earning at least one point in their last 10 games – their best point streak in more than five years. The Red Wings have won their last three games, scoring five goals in each game, against Buffalo, Arizona and Nashville. (all on home ice). The Red Wings practice lines on Monday:

(Photo: James Guillory USA TODAY Sports)

Offensive Lines:
Larkin-Zetterberg-Abdelkader
Richards-Datsyuk-Helm
Nyquist-Sheahan-Tatar
Andersson-Glendening-Jurco

Defensive Pairings:
Kronwall-Green
DeKeyser-Ericsson
Smith-Marchenko

Red Wings Head Coach Jeff Blashil declined to name a starting goalie, following the team’s practice on Monday.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 29: Evgeny Kuznetsov #92 of the Washington Capitals scores a goal in the second period during an NHL Game against the Detroit Red Wings at Verizon Center on October 29, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)

(Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)

Washington
The Capitals, 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, will be looking to rebound from their 2-1 loss to the Jets in Winnipeg this past Saturday. The Capitals, 10-3-1 on home ice this season, have the fewest home losses in the NHL. However, the Capitals will be limping into the contest on the bottom end, as it looks like Brooks Orpik and Karl Alzner will both miss this game due to injuries.

Game Focus
The Capitals will face a stiff test defensively on Tuesday night. As noted, the Red Wings have been scoring goals in bunches lately. This coupled with the Capitals ailing blueliners and the resulting reconfiguration of the defensive line pairs, could pose quite a challenge for the Caps. The Capitals have been struggling a bit offensively in their last three to four games, and will need to snap out of it to keep pace with the Wings.