(SportsNetwork.com) – The Detroit Red Wings will try to shake off a winless
road trip as they return home to face the New Jersey Devils at Joe Louis
Arena.
The Red Wings went just 0-1-2 on a three-game swing through Buffalo, Ottawa
and New York, capping the trip with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Rangers on
Wednesday.
Tomas Tatar forced overtime on a goal with 7.7 seconds left in regulation, but
Derick Brassard scored the winner for New York 1:50 into the bonus frame.
After Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk went off for tripping, New York’s Dan Girardi
unleashed a blast from the point. Jonas Gustavsson made the initial save, but
the rebound trickled across the crease to Brassard, who was present at the
right side of the net to wrist it home for the win.
Gustavsson made 26 saves, but suffered a dislocated shoulder on the final
sequence of the game. He is expected to miss weeks with the ailment.
Jakub Kindl and Daniel Cleary also scored for the Red Wings, who will play
their next four games at home starting tonight.
“It was good to get the point. We really wanted to get the win, it was
important for us, but these are games you look back on,” Cleary said.
Netminder Petr Mrazek was recalled from the minors on Thursday to back up
Jimmy Howard, who is 1-2-0 with a 2.36 goals against average and .905 save
percentage in three prior meetings with the Devils.
The Red Wings have won four of six and eight of their past 11 games against
the Devils and have taken 11 of the past 13 played in Detroit.
New Jersey comes in having just been swept by the St. Louis Blues in a home-
and-home series. The Devils were shut out 1-0 at home by the Blues on Tuesday
before being bested 4-3 in St. Louis last night.
Michael Ryder scored twice and Marek Zidlicky added a goal for the Devils,
with all three tallies coming in the game’s final 3:25.
“We found a way to find the net and put them on their heels … but it wasn’t
enough,” Devils coach Peter DeBoer said.
Cory Schneider, making his 13th straight appearance, was pulled early in the
third period after allowing three goals on 25 shots. Keith Kinkaid finished
the contest with three stops on four chances and was saddled with the loss.
New Jersey dropped to 3-5-2 since opening the season with three straight wins
and played last night without forward Adam Henrique because of a lower-body
injury. He joined Martin Havlat, Mike Cammalleri, Jordin Tootoo and Jon
Merrill on a crowded injury list and New Jersey also lost Ryane Clowe to an
undisclosed ailment late in the first period.
Schneider could get the start on back-to-back nights despite his recent heavy
workload and is 1-3-0 with a 3.06 GAA in five games against the Red Wings,
including four starts.
Kinkaid, who made his second career appearance last night, has never started a
game at the NHL level.
