A Break in the Schedule
Following that 3-0 win over Arizona, in which Petr Mrazek made 23 saves on 23 shots for his first shutout in a Hurricanes' uniform, the team had three days of practice before this upcoming set of three-in-four.
"We try to approach each break a little differently," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said on Tuesday. "This break was more going back to basics for the three days."
PROJECTED LINEUP
Brushing up on the basics helps the Canes fine-tune their game heading into three straight games against Eastern Conference opponents.
"They're all important. The more the year moves on, the more importance gets put on them," Brind'Amour said. "We definitely need to get as many points as we can."
Fresh Bodies?
Forwards Micheal Ferland (upper body) and Jordan Staal (concussion) have practiced with the Canes all week, as has goaltender Curtis McElhinney (lower body). The Canes figure to get at least two of those players back versus Detroit.
"I certainly hope so," Brind'Amour said on Wednesday when asked if Ferland and Staal could play Thursday. "I think it's more their approval. These guys have been out for a while, and it's one of those injuries that you just don't know, so we'll see."
The Canes recalled center Clark Bishop Wednesday evening, meaning Staal might not quite be set to draw back into the lineup. After missing four games with a concussion, Ferland returned to the lineup against Toronto on Dec. 11, but played just over five minutes. He's missed three games since. McElhinney has been on the shelf for the last five games after tweaking a lower-body injury during practice in Anaheim.
The Last Meeting
After dominating the first of three meetings between these two teams in a 3-1 win in Detroit, the Hurricanes settled for a point in a 4-3 loss to the Red Wings on Nov. 10. The Canes had a 3-1 lead in the third period, but two goals from Anthony Mantha in a span of 2:58 forced overtime. Frans Nielsen then scored the deciding goal in the shootout to secure the extra point for his club in what was a stinging defeat for the Canes.
The Opposition
A slumping Red Wings club is wrapping up a three-game road trip in Raleigh. Detroit is winless in its last four games (1-3-0), and veteran goaltender Jimmy Howard is dealing with back troubles that flared up during warm-ups in Philadelphia on Tuesday. The Red Wings are 14-16-5 (33 points) through their first 35 games of the season.
"They have that dynamic element with a couple of their players who are top-notch and can go end-to-end and all of a sudden change the game," Brind'Amour said. "They've got a lot of wins this year that way where they're kind of out of it and then boom-boom, they score a couple quick ones at the end. You can't ever take a rest against those guys."
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS KEYS TO THE GAME
