Red Wings-Penguins Game Day Notebook & Where To Watch

Tonight at Little Caesars Arena, the Red Wings will host the Pittsburgh Penguins in their third of eight pre-season games.  In keeping with the trend of their first two preseason contests, Detroit will ice a lineup split between NHL and AHL players.  Here’s everything you need to know ahead of tonight’s action.

Kane Set for Preseason Debut & Lineup

Patrick Kane will play his first game of the pre-season tonight, having skated this morning on a line with familiar running mates in Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin.

The middle six of this evening’s roster will also offer an interesting opportunity for some of the Red Wings’ youngsters to skate with more seasoned line mates.  Joe Veleno is centering two of those youngsters in Carter Mazur and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, while Marco Kasper will get a chance to center a line with the veteran presence of Tyler Motte and Austin Watson.

Detroit dressed seven defensemen for morning skate, but Erik Gustafsson will not play tonight (more on this in a moment), leaving Olli Maatta, Albert Johansson, Justin Holl, William Wallinder, Simon Edvinsson, and Brogan Rafferty to make up the D corps.

Per Lalonde, the Red Wings will keep up the same goaltending approach as the preseason opener, with Ville Husso starting and playing two periods before Sebastian Cossa plays the third.

Raymond, Gustafsson Take Maintenance Days

Lucas Raymond was the only Red Wing who did not take part in either the morning skate or the subsequent practice for today’s non-game group.  However, per Derek Lalonde, his absence is no cause for concern, referring to the absence as “A maintenance day, typical of camp.”  “Sometimes lower body needs a little rest, so made sense to keep him out today,” Lalonde added.  “He’ll be back in the mix on Monday” after the team takes an off day on Sunday.

Lalonde also noted that Gustafsson will not play this evening despite taking morning skate out of an abundance caution: “Gustafsson had a little upper body issue.  Very similar to Lucas where we’ll be cautious and give him the day too for maintenance, so he’ll be out until Monday also.”

On the whole, Detroit is fortunate to be, to this point in camp, as close as possible to full health all around.

Where to Watch

Tonight’s game (a scheduled 7 PM puck drop) will not be on traditional television and instead stream on the Red Wings website as well as the team’s mobile app:

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