PREVIEW: Red Wings back on home ice for rematch against Rangers on Thursday

DETROIT -- With payback on their minds, the Detroit Red Wings will host the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night.

Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. puck drop between the Red Wings (1-2-0; 2 points) and Rangers (2-0-1; 5 points) will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu. Ken Kal and Paul Woods will be joined by Daniella Bruce on the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit).

Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as the first 5,000 in attendance will receive a Red Wings Trapper Hat, courtesy of National Coney Island.

Detroit and New York are set to battle for the second time this week, with the Red Wings aiming to rebound from a 4-1 road loss on Monday. Despite the setback, Jonatan Berggren said there are positives the club can build on.

“Both the first and second period were really good from us,” Berggren said. “[The Rangers] are a really good team. Having such a good game through two periods shows how strong this group is. We had a couple flaws in the third, but overall I think it was a good game. Hopefully we can bury a couple chances, we can get two points [on Thursday].”

Lalonde had several personnel updates following Thursday’s morning skate. He first said a flu bug has been biting in the Red Wings’ dressing room, which was why Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp were not on the ice on Thursday morning.

“There’s something going through our team there,” Lalonde said. “Just thought it was best to keep them off, but they’ll be good to go tonight.”

Christian Fischer will also be “ready to go” against the Rangers after missing Monday’s game with an upper-body injury, according to Lalonde. Detroit's head coach added that Erik Gustafsson, who was a healthy scratch on Monday, will replace Albert Johansson in the lineup on Thursday.

Artemi Panarin leads New York in scoring with seven points (two goals, five assists) this season, while Alexis Lafreniere (two goals, two assists) and captain Jacob Trouba (four assists) are tied for second with four points apiece.

“Just a really well-coached and well-structured team,” Lalonde said about the Rangers. “Great in all three facets of the game and all three positions, so there will be some growth from where we were [on Monday]. A little continuity of course, playing the same opponent.”

As the Red Wings continue pushing through their tough early-season slate, Lalonde said consistency will be a key factor in getting the results they want.

“We do a pretty good job of judging ourselves on process,” Lalonde said. “In reality, we’ve probably played seven pretty good periods, three or four really good and a couple stinkers in there, which all 32 coaches are battling the same. It’s been good, but we need to stay on it. Especially tonight, we have to be really sharp in our entire game over 60 minutes to get a result.”