PREVIEW: Detroit goes for season sweep of Vancouver on Thursday

DETROIT – Carrying an 8-3-0 record against opponents in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division so far this season, the Detroit Red Wings will try to continue that positive trend when the Vancouver Canucks visit Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night.

Broadcast coverage of Thursday’s 7 p.m. puck drop between Detroit (25-15-4; 54 points) and Vancouver (16-21-5; 37 points) will be carried on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit). In the opener of this two-game season series, the Red Wings shut out the Canucks, 4-0, at Rogers Arena on Dec. 8.

“There were times in that Vancouver game when we got hemmed in our zone, but that’s a big thing is bending not breaking or letting it get to you,” Alex DeBrincat said. “We didn’t play our best in either game, Vancouver [on Dec. 8] or in Ottawa [on Monday], but we’re finding ways to win and that’s what good teams do. We got to come out and take another two points.”

Monday’s 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre, which saw James van Riemsdyk lead the way with three points (one goal, two assists) and nine other Red Wings skaters notch a point, snapped a two-game winless skid for Detroit.

“Over the course of an 82-game season, obviously there’s going to be different ebbs and flows where guys get hot at different times and things like that,” said van Riemsdyk, who has tallied seven points (three goals, four assists) in his last seven games. “Some of that can be around special teams and things like that too, so just having a consistent approach. We’ve seen it. We’ve had guys all over the lineup chip in offensively, so that’s what it takes to win in this League, especially in a year like this, I feel like, when games are so compressed. You need guys chipping in all over the place. We’ve had that and got to continue to keep that up.”

Mired in a four-game winless streak, the Canucks are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Tuesday. Elias Pettersson (11 goals, 15 assists) and Filip Hronek (three goals, 23 assists) are tied for first in scoring on Vancouver, which is also amidst a six-game road trip, with 26 points each.

And since being acquired via trade as part of a package that sent Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 12, rookie Zeev Buium has four points (one goal, three assists) in his first 11 games with the Canucks.

Netminder Kevin Lankinen and Thatcher Demko have both shouldered 19 starts apiece for Vancouver, combining for a 3.08 goals-against average with a .893 save percentage and one shutout.

“They’ve got Demko back,” McLellan said. “They’re a handful to beat. Buffalo had a lead and then Vancouver came back the other night, but shots were 2-to-1 for Vancouver. They’re a tough out.”