PREVIEW: Larkin a game-time decision as Detroit ends four-game homestand with key Atlantic Division clash versus Ottawa on Tuesday

DETROIT -- Captain Dylan Larkin will be a game-time decision for the Detroit Red Wings when they conclude their four-game homestand with a critical Atlantic Division matchup against the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night.

“Being out and watching the group, these guys have been battling hard,” said Larkin, who hasn’t played since sustaining a lower-body injury on March 6. “Driesy and Shiner coming in, they’ve played really well and they’ve played hard. Even on that road trip, I watched from up top and was so impressed with how they stuck together. Every play seemed like it was the biggest play of the season, and credit to those guys for playing that and inspiring to get back and play that way.”

Both just on the outside of the Stanley Cup Playoffs picture in the Eastern Conference, the Red Wings (38-24-8; 84 points) currently sit in fifth place and are one point ahead of the Senators (37-24-9; 83 points) in the Atlantic Division. They’ll drop the puck for the fourth and final time this season at 7 p.m., with broadcast coverage on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit).

"Down the stretch, we're not going to get in with 84 points,” Larkin said. “No one's getting in the playoffs with 84 points. We have to keep winning, and we have to keep getting as many points as we can. Scoreboard watching hasn't been the most fun thing to do, but it's the way it's going this year, and I think it was like this a few years ago. It is what it is. We have to take care of business.”

After winning the first two games of its homestand, Detroit dropped a 4-2 decision to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. The two goals belonged to Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat, the latter of whom extended his point streak to six consecutive games, while goalie John Gibson turned aside 23 shots.

Sure, the Red Wings didn’t pocket the two points they were hoping for, but Appleton noted he and his teammates were pleased with how they played against the Bruins and believe there’s a lot of good things they can take with them from that contest.

“I think we played a really good game,” Mason Appleton said. “You look at the back half of that game, I thought we dominated. Our style of play was fast, hard and aggressive. We didn’t give them much. They scored a couple of timely goals, call it, but at the end of the day that’s a game this time of the year that you’re not okay losing but you can accept it in the sense that you like where your game is at and you’re ready to go for the next one.”

Extending its winning streak to three straight games and improving to 8-2-0 in its past 10, Ottawa most recently allowed just 10 shots on goal in a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

Tim Stützle leads the Senators in all three primary scoring categories with 72 points on 32 goals and 40 assists, while Drake Batherson trails closely with 61 points on 27 goals and 34 assists. Goalie Linus Ullmark is expected to start for Ottawa on Tuesday, owning a 9‑2‑3 record with a 2.11 goals‑against average and a .932 save percentage in 14 career games against Detroit.

“You look at the standings, where we are and where they are, these are two big points,” Appleton said. “We’ve scored some goals against this team, but we’ve also not been really happy with our starts. Hopefully, we can get out of the gates quickly, especially with them having played last night, dictate the game early and kind of impose our will.”