Red Wings Vs Rangers: Detroit visits New York with lineups, TV start time, and DeBrincat in focus
red wings vs rangers arrives with Detroit heading into Madison Square Garden on Saturday at 12: 30 p. m. ET, carrying momentum from Alex DeBrincat’s two-goal game in a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The matchup is set for ABC, and the Red Wings enter at 40-27-8 while the Rangers come in at 31-36-9. It is the third meeting of the season, and Detroit won the last one 2-1.
Projected lineups shape the matchup
The red wings vs rangers meeting comes with both teams managing notable absences and lineup questions. Detroit’s projected forward groups feature Emmitt Finnie with Dylan Larkin and Carter Mazur on the top line, followed by Alex DeBrincat, Andrew Copp, and Patrick Kane; David Perron, J. T. Compher, and Lucas Raymond; then James van Riemsdyk, Marco Kasper, and Mason Appleton. On defense, Albert Johansson and Jacob Bernard-Docker are listed.
For New York, the projected forwards are Gabe Perreault, Mika Zibanejad, and Alexis Lafreniere; Tye Kartye, J. T. Miller, and Conor Sheary; Jonny Brodzinski, Vincent Trocheck, and Will Cuylle; and Adam Sykora, Noah Laba, and Jaroslav Chmelar. The projected defense groups include Vincent Iorio and Adam Edstrom, with Taylor Raddysh and Dylan Garand scratched.
Injuries and availability remain part of the story
Detroit lists Michael Rasmussen and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard as injured with undisclosed issues. The Rangers list Matt Rempe with an upper-body injury and Urho Vaakanainen with an upper-body injury, while Jonathan Quick is set to return and start after missing the past eight games, including the past seven with an upper-body injury. The red wings vs rangers preview also notes that Justin Faulk is questionable after leaving Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury, and Todd McLellan said he was hopeful Faulk could play.
Sandin-Pellikka was recalled from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League on Saturday under emergency conditions with several other defensemen banged up. Vaakanainen was in a regular jersey for the second straight day after missing eight games, and Sykora could remain on the fourth line after he and Brodzinski swapped places in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Recent form points to a tight matchup
Detroit is 20-13-5 on the road and 20-11-2 in games in which it scores at least one power-play goal. New York is 12-19-7 at home and 8-11-8 in games decided by one goal. Over the last 10 games, the Rangers are 3-6-1 and the Red Wings are 4-5-1, with both teams averaging 2. 8 goals per game and allowing 2. 8 goals per game.
Top performers add pressure on both sides. Mika Zibanejad has 33 goals and 38 assists for New York, while Conor Sheary has four goals and one assist over the past 10 games. For Detroit, Lucas Raymond has 25 goals and 47 assists, and DeBrincat has six goals and 10 assists over the past 10 games.
What to watch next in Red Wings Vs Rangers
The key questions now are whether Faulk can play, how Quick looks in his return, and whether Detroit can build on the scoring burst that lifted it past Philadelphia. The red wings vs rangers game also carries standings weight, with Detroit ninth in the Eastern Conference on 88 points and New York 16th on 71 points. The start at 12: 30 p. m. ET gives this red wings vs rangers meeting an early spotlight, and the next shift could determine which club leaves with a cleaner read on where it stands.
