PREVIEW: Red Wings focused on playing tight defensive game Tuesday against Stars

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings will look to build on a strong start to their six-game homestand when they host the Dallas Stars at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night.

Puck drop for the final matchup this season between the Red Wings (24-17-5; 53 points) and Stars (27-13-6; 60 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). Dallas most recently defeated Detroit, 6-3, at American Airlines Center on Dec. 11.

With Sunday’s 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Red Wings improved to 7-1-1 this month and have allowed three or fewer goals in eight of their last nine games. By comparison, Detroit went 5-9-1 and surrendered three or more goals in 13 of its 15 games last month.

“We always know we have it in here,” Jake Walman said. “It’s a defense-first kind of mentality. During that (December) stretch, it was a little tough, got some bad bounces. But we’re showing that this is just business as usual, how we should play and how we can play every night.”

Head coach Derek Lalonde said a commitment to defense has led to success for the Red Wings since the new year, with good goaltending chipping in.

“You don’t have to have a trained eye to see what we looked like in that December stretch,” Lalonde said. “A lot of easy offense for our opponent to what we’ve been playing of late. And obviously the play of our goaltenders, with Alex (Lyon) playing at a high level and James (Reimer) gave us an unbelievable road game in Toronto (on Jan. 14).”

While Patrick Kane (lower body) and Ben Chiarot (upper body) are both unavailable against the Stars, Lalonde said the pair of veteran skaters are each working towards their return.

“I think Patty is going to be close to skating here, maybe towards the end of the week,” Lalonde said. “Touch and go whether we could see him before the (All-Star) break. I’d be surprised or disappointed if we don’t see him after the break, still a work in progress. But Benny is still a nagging day-to-day-type thing.”

Against a high-octane offense like Dallas, Lalonde said every player must step up defensively with Chiarot out.

“Obviously Mo (Seider) and Wally got the predominant (Nikita) Kucherov matchup (on Sunday),” Lalonde said. “But everyone had opportunities against them, and everyone has to step up defensively. There’s going to be some matchups that are uncomfortable for some of our guys tonight.”

Tuesday’s game marks the finale of a four-game road trip for the Stars, who concluded a weekend back-to-back set Sunday with a 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders. Dallas is currently third in the Western Conference’s Central Division and arrives in Detroit with the third-best goals-per-game average (3.63) in the NHL.

Jason Robertson (16-32—48) has 13 multi-point games this season, while Roope Hintz leads the Stars in goals (20) and has five points (three goals, two assists) in his last five games. Netminders Jake Oettinger and Scott Wedgewood have shared the crease for Dallas this season, combining for a 2.97 goals-against average and .902 save percentage.

“Just a balanced offense,” Lalonde said about the Stars. “You look at their lineup, (Jamie) Benn and (Joe) Pavelski on the third line is a matchup nightmare for our lines and d-pairs. I just think committed to keeping it out of our net through the entire lineup. A little different animal than what we’ve seen of late, with the depth.”