Game 22 Hub: Ottawa Senators @ Detroit Red Wings

Remember when the Ottawa Senators blew a four goal lead to the Detroit Red Wings last month?

Well, I kinda forget the blown lead part because of Tim Stützle's walk-off heroics.

On Tuesday night, the Red Wings not only blew a four-goal lead to the lowly San Jose Sharks, they also lost in overtime.

Oh, did I mention it was Patrick Kane's debut? Anyway...

Projected Lineup:

Jiri Smejkal makes his long awaited debut in the red, black, and gold as he replaces Zack MacEwen on the fourth line. Joonas Korpisalo was in the starter's end during the morning skate, while Anton Forsberg is expected to back him up.

Meanwhile, in Detroit, here's how the Wings lined up during practice yesterday, with J.T. Compher missing tonight's game with an injury and Alex Lyon starting in goal:

Game Notes:

• The Red Wings didn't let a poor showing in Sweden intimidate them. They're 6-2-2 in their last 10, with a +19 goal differential. If Ottawa won all four games they have in hand, they'd still be four points back of the Wings.
• Despite their success in the wins column, their shot and expected goal metrics are poor. Instead, the Red Wings have been – as D.J. Smith would say – getting the bounces. They lead the NHL in 5-on-5 shooting percentage (11.19%) and are 10th in 5-on-5 save percentage (0.924%). Some of the goal scoring might stick given the scoring prowess of DeBrincat, Sprong, Fabbri, et al., but if I were a betting man – which I am not – I'd expect a slump at some point soon.
• In particular, their third line of Rasmussen, Copp, and Perron have been a gongshow at 5-on-5, and their defenders, outside of Shayne Gostisbehere, have struggled to prevent high-danger opportunities. This should sound familiar to Senators fans!
• On Ottawa's end, I'd be really interested to see Smejkal take a shift with Ridly Greig and Mathieu Joseph because Dominik Kubalik in that spot just hasn't worked over the last two games.
• After playing incredibly well with Artem Zub by his side, Erik Brännström has been put back on Travis Hamonic Duty. Sigh.

Stats: