Kings-Wings Game Preview: Good riddance to you, too

Time: 4.30 PM

TV: TSN2, NBC Sports Network

Enemy reading: Winging it in Motown

Season series: Game 1 recap, game grades | Game 2 recap, game grades

Red Wings (projected) lineup:

Franzen-Datsyuk-Abdelkader
Filppula-Zetterberg-Cleary
Nyquist-Andersson-Brunner
Eaves-Emmerton-Tootoo

Kronwall-Ericsson
Smith-Quincey
DeKeyser-Kindl

Howard

Injured: Miller (hand), Samuelsson (upper body), Bertuzzi (back), Helm (back); Scratched: White, Lashoff, Colaiacovo

Kings (projected) lineup:

(probably not) Brown-Kopitar-Williams
Penner-Richards-Carter
King-Stoll-Lewis
Clifford-Richardson-Nolan

Regehr-Doughty
Scuderi-Voynov
Greene-Muzzin

Quick

Injured: Mitchell (knee); Scratched: Ellerby, Fraser?, Martinez

Game notes:

Remember when the Wings traded their first-round draft pick for Kyle Quincey? Yeah.
Remember when the Kings’ first-line centre scored ridiculous goals? Yeah.
Remember when the Wings announced an important ~mystery~ defenceman signing and everyone got all worked up about it and then it was Kent Huskins? Yeah.
Okay, I’m done reminiscing. Actual hockey stuff: Dustin Brown might be out for tonight’s game, after he presumably took offense to Jason Pominville’s boy band hair and delivered an ill-advised hit to the head. It was bad, he should feel bad, I have no problem with a one-two game suspension, and I hope Jason Pominville suffers no ill effects.
In his potential absence, my guess is the forwards line up: Penner-Kopitar-Williams / Clifford-Richards-Carter / King-Stoll-Lewis / Richardson-Fraser-Nolan. Man, who misses Simon Gagne? (Me. I miss him.) (Jeff Carter might get bumped to the top line, but this is how I’d do it.)

Fun! With! Numbers!:

This is the first time I’ve seen both the Kings’ special teams percentages in the top 10 since I’ve started keeping track in these game previews. Doesn’t mean that much, but it makes me feel better, so there you go.
These two teams haven’t met since February, when they split a pair of games. Since then, the Wings have dropped back to be part of a pack of four teams fighting for those 7th/8th playoff spots. They’ve been lacklustre in their last 10, with a 4-3-3 record, and they’ve got a handful of depth injuries, but I still think the Kings will be in tough tonight.
Despite what NBC would have you believe, this isn’t a rivalry, but it’s not exactly nothing. It ranks well, well below most of the Blackhawks/Avalanche/etc stuff, but there’s still a bit of history between these two teams that it’s a little sad will be left behind. That being said: I hate you, Detroit – get the hell out.
Prediction: Dustin Brown gets suspended, twitter cries bitterly about what a horrible dirty player he is, and I drink heavily – until the Kings pull out a miraculous last-second 2-1 win. Go Kings Go.

Talking Points