Preview: Red Wings at Flames

RED WINGS (25-26-10) at FLAMES (34-26-4)
9 p.m. ET; SNW, FS-D, NHL.TV

Red Wings team scope

Forward Mitch Callahan, 25, will play his second NHL game, and first since March 25, 2014, with the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. Callahan, selected by the Red Wings in the sixth round (No. 180) of the 2009 NHL Draft, was recalled from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League on Wednesday. "I have to show I can play here," he said. "It's a test for me to see if I can play in this League or not. I'm looking at the game as a test and hoping to prove a lot of people wrong." Callahan has 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 53 AHL games this season. "He's been a real good hockey player in the [AHL] for a number of years," coach Jeff Blashill said. "He's a little bit undersized (6-foot, 190 pounds). He's not a fast skater. That's the one thing that's held him back from getting as many opportunities as he'd like. But I can tell you he's found a way to do it at that level and be an elite player at that level." The Red Wings are 16th in the Eastern Conference but are 3-1-0 in their past four games. "I think it's our attention to detail," defenseman Mike Green said. "We're dialed in in that sense. Not only that, we're finding a way to score a few more goals."

Flames team scope

The Calgary Flames are seeking their sixth straight win to match their longest streak of the season, set from Nov. 30-Dec. 10. The Flames, who hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference, are two points back of the Anaheim Ducks for third place in the Pacific Division. "We have a lot of energy," captain Mark Giordano said. "You can feel it. We have to learn to stay even-keel as much as we can through this last stretch. There's going to be ups and downs. Right now we're on an up. We want to keep going as long as we can." They are 10-2-1 in their past 13 games. "Our belief has changed a lot," center Sean Monahan said. "At the start of the year we'd be winning games and teams would come back and beat us in the third. Right now we're playing a complete 60 [minutes] and the belief in the room is huge." Goaltender Brian Elliott will start for the seventh time in the past eight games. He is 8-1-1 with a 2.20 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in his past 11 games. "He's been one of if not our best player over the last couple of weeks," Giordano said. "He's been a big part of our streak. If you can get goaltending like that in this League it goes a long way."

Red Wings projected lineup

Tomas Tatar -- Henrik Zetterberg -- Anthony Mantha
Andreas Athanasiou -- Frans Nielsen -- Riley Sheahan
Justin Abdelkader -- Darren Helm -- Dylan Larkin
Drew Miller -- Luke Glendening -- Mitch Callahan
Danny DeKeyser -- Xavier Ouellet
Mike Green -- Niklas Kronwall
Nick Jensen -- Ryan Sproul
Petr Mrazek
Jared Coreau
Scratched: None
Injured:Jimmy Howard (knee), Jonathan Ericsson (wrist)
Suspended:Gustav Nyquist

Flames projected lineup

Johnny Gaudreau -- Sean Monahan -- Micheal Ferland
Matthew Tkachuk -- Mikael Backlund -- Michael Frolik
Kris Versteeg -- Sam Bennett -- Troy Brouwer
Lance Bouma -- Matt Stajan -- Alex Chiasson
Mark Giordano -- Dougie Hamilton
TJ Brodie -- Michael Stone
Matt Bartkowski -- Deryk Engelland
Brian Elliott
Chad Johnson
Scratched:Curtis Lazar, Freddie Hamilton, Dennis Wideman
Injured:None

Status report

Howard, who last played on Dec. 20, has resumed practicing with the Red Wings and is expected to play in Grand Rapids on a conditioning stint Saturday. … Lazar was acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday but will not play.

Who's hot

Zetterberg has one goal and six assists during a four-game point streak, and 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in his past 12 games. Mrazek has a 2.39 goals against average and .923 save percentage in his past 10 games. …Tkachuk has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his past 10 games. Gaudreau has eight points (two goals, six assists) in his past five games.