PREVIEW: Red Wings visit Kraken Monday for Presidents’ Day matinee to end four-game road trip 

SEATTLE – The Detroit Red Wings will wrap up their four-game road trip on Monday afternoon, facing the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.

Puck drop for the Presidents’ Day matinee between the Red Wings (28-20-6; 62 points) and Kraken (23-21-10; 56 points) is set for 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT, with TV broadcast coverage airing exclusively on ESPN and radio coverage on 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit. Seattle won the first meeting against Detroit this season, 5-4, in overtime at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 24.

“They’re a really good team,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said about the Kraken. “We’re similar to them in the balanced scoring. We can get scoring out of all four lines, so hopefully we match up a little bit better. A great test for us. Even at home, we had to chase them. Good opportunity for us, could finish this road trip pretty strong.”

Detroit is coming off a 5-0 shutout victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday, led by goalie James Reimer’s 38-save performance and two-point nights from Patrick Kane (one goal, one assist) and Moritz Seider (two assists).  

“Every game is important,” said J.T. Compher, who extended his point streak to three straight games with a goal on Saturday. “We’re trying to get as many points as possible. I still think (Saturday) wasn’t one of our best games. The result was probably better than it looked. It’s good to win games when you’re not at your best, but we’ve got to up our level for (Monday) and come out of this road trip with four points.”

Looking for a spark following losses to the Edmonton Oilers and NHL-leading Vancouver Canucks, Lalonde shuffled the Red Wings’ lines prior to facing the Flames. His changes paid off in Calgary, as Detroit scored three even-strength goals and twice on the power play.

“You just trust what the coaches do,” David Perron said. “You want to see some consistency but at the same time, anytime you change lines, it usually creates a spark. Guys get excited to play with new linemates. We just go along with what Newsy feels like. That’s why he’s the coach.”

Lalonde said the only lineup change he expects in Seattle is netminder Alex Lyon to start in goal.

“It was kind of our plan all along,” Lalonde said. “We thought it would be a nice little reset for him. Obviously he gave us a really good month of hockey in January, but Reimer had an unbelievable performance (Saturday). These are good conversations we haven’t had in a while, where our goaltending has been.”

Currently fifth in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division, the Kraken have a 2-2-0 record this month and are coming off a 4-1 road win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday.

Oliver Bjorkstrand leads Seattle with 41 points (13 goals, 28 assists) this season, while Jared McCann (22 goals, 17 assists) and Vince Dunn (eight goals, 31 assists) are tied for second in scoring with 39 points apiece.

Three Kraken goalies have seen action in the crease this season, with Joey Daccord making the most starts (34) for a 16-11-9 record with a 2.33 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and two shutouts.