Preview: Wings look for second straight win on Hockey Fights Cancer Night

DETROIT - Jeff Blashill knows which lines and combination of players present the best chance for a win in Saturday's game against the Buffalo Sabres, but the Detroit Red Wings coach isn't ready to show his cards just yet.
When asked about the possibility of slotting forward Givani Smith alongside center Pius Suter and winger Robby Fabbri, Blashill said he is considering it.
"I'm not sure if we stay with it in a game, but it's something we want to look at," Blashill said. "If we have Smitty up there, he's a net presence, a big body, so you have (Smith) with a playmaking center (Suter) and a shooter in Fabs."

While Smith still has much to learn, Blashill said adding the 23-year-old could bring a physical presence that would help the Red Wings' offense.
"He's been solid the last three games. The Vegas game, he made a mistake or two defensively, but he was a presence in the offensive zone (scored a goal). He was better defensively in Arizona. The last game (Wednesday) he was a solid player," Blashill said of Smith. "He can be a guy who if he can get consistent in his game and brings what he brings to the table different than other people, he can be a guy who can help us."

On Wednesday, the Red Wings got plenty of help from goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic during their 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues at Little Caesars Arena. Nedeljkovic made highlight-reel plays and finished with 37 saves. It was his highest save percentage (.946) and total saves mark since Nov. 13 against the Montreal Canadians.
The Sabres come into Saturday's contest 24 hours removed from a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadians. Buffalo has struggled on the road this season, with a 2-5-1 record.
Offensively, Buffalo is led by eight players who have at least 10 points on the season. Forward Tage Thompson has tallied a team-best 15 points and 10 goals. Winger Victor Olofsson has added 13 points on five goals and eight assists.
Between the posts, Sabres coach Don Granato has utilized a goalie platoon of Dustin Tokarksi and Craig Anderson. After Anderson started the season with a larger workload, Tokarski now appears to be the primary goaltender He made 25 saves on Saturday against Montreal.
Saturday night is
Hockey Fights Cancer Night at Little Caesars Arena
, and is the second meeting of the 2021-22 campaign between Detroit and Buffalo. The Red Wings won the first meeting, 4-3, at KeyBank Center on Nov. 6, capped off by Moritz Seider's first career goal in overtime.
No update on DeKeyser after entering COVID-19 protocol
Detroit has been forced to adjust due to COVID-19 multiple times this season. Currently, defenseman Danny DeKeyser remains in COVID-19 protocol and Blashill said he doesn't have an update on the 31-year-old.
After DeKeyser was placed in protocol, the Red Wings recalled defenseman Dan Renuof from Grand Rapids. Renuof logged 13 minutes in Wednesday's victory over the Blues.