The Detroit Red Wings face the New York Rangers with both teams looking to build off strong starts to the season. The Red Wings have a 6-3-2 record and with back-to-back wins have one of the best records in the Atlantic Division. The Rangers meanwhile have a 6-4-2 record and are right in the middle of a competitive Metropolitan Division. Both teams are looking to end the weekend on a high note and improve in the Eastern Conference and the upcoming game should be a good one as result.
The Red Wings are off to a strong start to the season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.10 goals per game. Dylan Larkin, Dominik Kubalik, and David Perron have scored 15 goals and 17 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has also stepped up. Adam Erne, Michael Rasmussen, and Lucas Raymond have combined for five goals and 11 assists while defensemen Olli Maatta and Filip Hronek have added two goals and 10 assists from the point to open up the offense.
While the defense has struggled this season, the unit has stepped up recently, allowing 3.00 goals per game but only one goal in the last two games. Maatta and Hronek lead the top two pairings but the rest of the defense has also played well with Moritz Seider, Robert Hagg, and the rest of the defense creating turnovers in the defensive zone and limiting shots on the net. With the Red Wings playing the second game of a back-to-back, the hope is that Alex Nedeljkovic can step up as he's struggled with a .871 save percentage and a 4.96 goals-against average on 155 shots.