Preview: Red Wings, key players return from protocol to host Capitals

DETROIT -- It has been 13 days since the Detroit Red Wings last played a game. For coach Jeff Blashill and his players, it has been 13 days too long.
"Eager to get back into games," Blashill said. "This is what we do, and to a large degree, what we live for. It's great to get that going."

After having their last four games postponed due to COVID-19-related concerns, the Red Wings will take the ice on Friday against the Washington Capitals for the annual New Year's Eve game at Little Caesars Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Bally Sports Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network.
Despite the break in the schedule, Detroit had multiple days to practice. Players recently missing from the lineup were able to get back into skating shape, while others took advantage of an optional skating session on Wednesday.

Over the past few days, the Red Wings saw several players come off the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list, including Lucas Raymond, Adam Erne, Jordan Oesterle, Sam Gagner, Joe Veleno, Filip Zadina, Alex Nedeljkovic, Carter Rowney, Givani Smith, Pius Suter, Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen. Blashill and assistant coach Alex Tanguay were also removed from protocol earlier this week.
Before the NHL's pause and Wednesday's postponement against the New York Islanders, Detroit beat the New Jersey Devils, 5-2, on Dec. 18 at Little Caesars Arena. Captain Dylan Larkin tallied his first career hat trick, while Tyler Bertuzzi found the back of the net twice.
For Moritz Seider, building off Detroit's last win and returning to regular-season action is exciting.
"I think everybody is really looking forward to playing games again," Seider said. "It was a rough stretch for us but all in all, I think the boys are hungry."

Detroit currently sits in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 15-13-3. The Red Wings are 11-3-2 at Little Caesars Arena, tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the fourth-best home-ice record in the league.
"Little Caesars Arena, for us, has proven to be a great, great building for the home team," Blashill said. "A great building for us. A great advantage from a momentum standpoint. The crowd has been awesome."
Washington enters the game in second place in the Metropolitan Division and is 19-6-7 on the season. Under coach Peter Laviolette, the Capitals have collected 45 points, one point shy of the league-leading Lightning.
As he has for most of his 17-year career, Alex Ovechkin is leading the way for Washington this season. He leads the Capitals in points (48), goals (22) and assists (26). The 35-year-old has the second-most points, second-most goals for and fifth-most assists in the NHL this season.
Evgeny Kuznetsov (31 points) and John Carlson (30 points) have both topped the 30-point plateau and combined for 17 goals and 44 assists. Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov have split time in goal, with Samsonov enjoying the most team success with a 12-2-2 record in 15 starts.

Blashill confirms Leddy will not be available against Capitals

On Thursday, Blashill said defenseman Nick Leddy will not play against the Capitals.
Leddy was placed in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol on Dec. 26 and is the only Red Wings player still in protocol.

Blashill calls cancellation of 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship 'devastating'

On Wednesday, the IIHF announced it had cancelled the 2022 World Junior Championship due to COVID-19 to ensure the health and safety of all participants.
"Devastating," Blashill said of the announcement. "I had a chance to talk to the World Junior team, our U.S. team, before the tournament. I, like a lot of people, was really excited to see this group. It's just honestly, devastating. I was crushed to see it."
The event, which featured eight Red Wings prospects competing against some of the sport's top talent, was set to run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5.
"For it to just end on a drop of a dime is crushing for everybody involved," Blashill said. "It's really too bad and it's a great chance, a great tournament and a great opportunity to showcase for the NHL Draft. There's tons of scouts that are out there, then all of a sudden, don't get to have those looks that they depend on."