PREVIEW: Meeting for the second time in 10 days, Red Wings host Kings for Saturday clash

DETROIT – Looking to extend their point streak to five consecutive games, the Detroit Red Wings host the Los Angeles Kings at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday night for the first half of a weekend back-to-back set.

Puck drop between Detroit (20-16-5; 45 points) and Los Angeles (20-10-8; 48 points) is set for 7 p.m., with broadcast coverage on Bally Sports Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit).

The Red Wings are facing the Kings for the second time in a span of 10 days, after earning a 4-3 shootout victory at Crypto.com Arena on Jan. 4.

Saturday marks the fifth annual Grateful Dead Night at Little Caesars Arena. Raising the Dead, a Michigan-based Grateful Dead tribute band, will perform an exclusive pregame concert on the Via Concourse for fans who purchased a special ticket package, which also includes a Grateful Dead-themed Red Wings jersey.

Detroit is looking to bounce back on home ice after Thursday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Andrew Copp and Olli Maatta both scored while goalie Alex Lyon made 44 saves for the Red Wings, who moved to 4-1-1 in their last six games.

Head coach Derek Lalonde said he was pleased by Detroit’s defensive effort against Edmonton.

“We did a pretty good job of defending to the middle and not giving up easy ice in the neutral zone,” Lalonde said. “We’re doing a much better job with the high-risk (plays), but it’s got to continue to grow. You see our DNA. We have some guys who want to make plays and we need them to make plays.”

Maatta said playing with a hard-checking approach will help the Red Wings continue to collect important points during a tough stretch this month. Including Saturday, Detroit has nine games remaining before the 2024 NHL All-Star Break (Feb. 1-9), and eight are against clubs currently occupying a playoff spot.

“It starts with our forecheck,” said Maatta, who scored his second goal of the season on Thursday. “We’re a really good team when we play in the offensive zone. We don’t let (opponents) out and then if they get out, it’s usually not clean. That’s when we have our gaps, we’re on top of them and they don’t have time or space.”

Against the Kings, Lalonde said he anticipates deploying the same forward group that he did against the Oilers. The second-year NHL head coach has not decided whether Lyon or James Reimer will start in goal on Saturday.

“(Thursday) was a really good forward night for us,” Lalonde said. “I think a lot of that (Michael Rasmussen – Andrew Copp – Christian Fischer) line was excellent. And then unfortunately, Joe Veleno’s going to get lost in the shuffle. Every time he was up, there was special teams in there. I trust him a ton, so I don’t know if there’s a forward worthy of coming out after (Thursday’s) performance.”

Currently ranked third in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division, Los Angeles saw its winless streak reach seven games with a 3-2 overtime road loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

Adrian Kempe (15 goals, 22 assists) and captain Anze Kopitar (14 goals, 23 assists) are tied for the team lead in points (37) this season, while Kevin Fiala ranks second in scoring with 35 points (10 goals, 25 points) and is riding a three-game point streak. Netminder Cam Talbot has appeared in 28 games for the Kings this season, posting a 14-9-5 record with a 2.22 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.