Preview: Red Wings at Canadiens
Montreal aims to grow Atlantic lead; Detroit forward Tomas Nosek looking to build on solid NHL debut
by Sean Farrell / NHL.com Correspondent
RED WINGS (28-32-11) at CANADIENS (41-23-8)
7:30 p.m. ET; SNE, RDS, FS-D, NHL.TV
Red Wings team scope
The Detroit Red Wings did not have a morning skate Tuesday following their 2-1 loss against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday. Forward Tomas Nosek made his NHL debut Monday and made a good impression on coach Jeff Blashill. Nosek led the Red Wings with six shots in 10:05 of ice time. "I thought he skated well," Blashill told the Detroit Free Press on Monday. "I thought his skating looked good, he can make a play with the puck, he's been accountable defensively. ... When you're accountable defensively that earns you trust, you get on the ice. I thought he was good, I thought he was dangerous." Center Ben Street was recalled from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League under emergency conditions. If he plays it would be his first NHL game since Nov. 17, 2015, as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.
Canadiens team scope
The Montreal Canadiens have a four-point lead on the Ottawa Senators, who have a game in hand, in the Atlantic Division. Goalie Al Montoya will start. Coach Claude Julien said Carey Price earned a rest after making back-to-back starts in wins against the Senators on Saturday and Sunday. The Canadiens play nine of their final 10 games against teams that currently do not have a spot in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. "I think this team's getting ready, absolutely, but there's still 10 games to go," said center Steve Ott, who will play against his former team after sitting out the Canadiens' 4-1 win against the Senators on Sunday. "I think we're ramping up after the last five weeks, and you incorporate five new guys into the lineup and juggling things around and you continue to build a process towards the playoffs."
Red Wings projected lineup
Tomas Tatar -- Henrik Zetterberg -- Gustav Nyquist
Andreas Athanasiou -- Dylan Larkin -- Justin Abdelkader
Anthony Mantha -- Frans Nielsen -- Riley Sheahan
Tomas Nosek -- Luke Glendening -- Drew Miller
Danny DeKeyser -- Nick Jensen
Mike Green -- Niklas Kronwall
Robbie Russo -- Xavier Ouellet
Jimmy Howard
Petr Mrazek
Scratched: Ben Street
Injured: Tyler Bertuzzi (ankle), Jonathan Ericsson (wrist), Ryan Sproul (knee), Darren Helm (leg), Mitch Callahan (shoulder)
Canadiens projected lineup
Max Pacioretty -- Alex Galchenyuk -- Alexander Radulov
Paul Byron -- Tomas Plekanec -- Brendan Gallagher
Artturi Lehkonen -- Phillip Danault -- Andrew Shaw
Dwight King -- Steve Ott -- Torrey Mitchell
Andrei Markov -- Shea Weber
Alexei Emelin -- Jeff Petry
Nathan Beaulieu -- Jordie Benn
Al Montoya
Carey Price
Scratched: Brandon Davidson, Michael McCarron, Andreas Martinsen
Injured: Nikita Nesterov (lower body), Brian Flynn (upper body)
Status report
Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told the Detroit Free Press that Street's lineup status depends on whether an undisclosed forward who played Monday is available. ... Martinsen will be a healthy scratch for a fifth straight game, but Julien said he expects he'll play soon while he continues rotating players into the lineup to keep them fresh. "We need to continue to create that inner competition that keeps everybody on their toes and keeps our team playing its best," Julien said.
Who's hot
Zetterberg has five points (one goal, four assists) during a three-game point streak, and has 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in his past 14 games, including eight multipoint games. Tatar has goals in three straight games, and six points (four goals, two assists) during that stretch. Green has four points (one goal, three assists) during a three-game point streak. ... Byron has eight points (six goals, two assists) in his past eight games. Gallagher has four points (one goal, three assists) during a four-game point streak. Weber has three points (one goal, two assists) during a three-game point streak.