PREVIEW: Red Wings host Hurricanes on Sergei Fedorov Jersey Retirement Night, presented by Meijer, on Monday

DETROIT – Widely regarded as one of the most iconic players in franchise history, Sergei Fedorov will have his No. 91 jersey retired by the Detroit Red Wings before they host the Carolina Hurricanes at Little Caesars Arena on Monday night.

“To see 91 going up there is well deserved,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. “It’s really cool that we get to witness it, sit on the bench, listen to what he has to say and see the videos. I know the fans will be really excited. They feel it’s a long time coming, and it’s rightful that he’s going to be up there as the greatest players in Red Wings history.”

Little Caesars Arena doors will open at 4:20 p.m., and fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 5:35 p.m. to experience the full pregame jersey retirement ceremony. Then comes puck drop at 7:15 p.m., with FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit) set to carry the second of three regular-season matchups between Detroit (27-15-4; 58 points) and Carolina (28-14-3; 59 points).

“It’s a big game tonight,” Larkin added. “A chance to go into first place in the Eastern Conference, which if you told anyone when we had this date circled on our calendars for Sergei’s night that would be the case, we would all probably have not believed it. But there’s belief in our room now. It does make it more special that we’ve come together, been winning as a team in different ways and winning in big games as well.”

Over an impressive Hockey Hall of Fame career in which Fedorov spent his first 13 seasons (1990-2003) with the Red Wings, there is no shortage of incredible accomplishments to look back on.

“You knew he was a big part of those teams,” Andrew Copp said of Fedorov. “You knew how dangerous and dynamic he was with the puck. I can’t pinpoint one specific memory or play, because he had a certain aura about him. That’s the first thing I think of when I think of Fedorov.”

Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said he’s been privileged to experience several jersey retirement and Hall of Fame pregame ceremonies over the years, describing them as very special nights and anticipating Monday will be no different.

“It goes a long way to teach the existing players about the history of the game,” McLellan said. “Our organization is rich in that, and they’re going to get a little bit of a lesson tonight when they listen to his path and effect that it had on the teams to what he did to contribute towards championships. It’ll be good for our players to attend, listen and keep an open mind.”

Originally drafted by Detroit in the fourth round (No. 74 overall) of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, Fedorov will be the ninth player to have his number retired in franchise history, joining Sid Abel (No. 12), Alex Delvecchio (No. 10), Gordie Howe (No. 9), Red Kelly (No. 4), Nicklas Lidstrom (No. 5), Ted Lindsay (No. 7), Terry Sawchuk (No. 1) and Steve Yzerman (No. 19).

“His game matured over the years,” Patrick Kane said about Fedorov. “When I watched him as a kid, he was flashy, had the flair and the white skates. He was a very entertaining player to watch, then as his career went on he seemed to become a guy that could be a shutdown center and could play in all different roles… He just seemed like he was on a different level, skating-wise.”

But after enjoying what will surely be a nostalgic ceremony, McLellan said his players will need to “recover quick” and get “focused on the game again.”

“The Hurricanes aren’t a team that you want to start slow against,” McLellan said. “We’ll have some personal things that we have to tend to between the ceremony and game time.”

Currently riding a three-game winning streak, the Red Wings most recently blanked the Montreal Canadiens, 4-0, at Bell Centre on Saturday. Netminder John Gibson stopped all 27 shots he faced in Montreal, and is expected to start against the Hurricanes on Monday. In 28 starts this season, he’s posted a 16-9-1 record with a 2.75 goals-against average, .902 save percentage and three shutouts.

"Playing against [Gibson], you knew he was a great goalie,” Lucas Raymond said. “But seeing him every day and how he takes care of himself, it’s incredible."

Atop the Eastern Conference – just one point ahead of Detroit -- and Metropolitan Division, Carolina secured its fourth win in a row by rallying to beat the Seattle Kraken, 3-2, at Lenovo Center on Saturday.

Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes in points with 43 (17 goals, 26 assists), with Andrei Svechnikov’s 35 (12 goals, 23 assists) and Nikolaj Ehlers’ 34 (11 goals, 23 assists) rank second and third, respectively. Netminder Frederik Andersen, who backed up rookie Brandon Bussi in Carolina’s 5-2 win over Detroit on Dec. 27, is 6-10-2 with a 3.35 GAA and .866 SV% in 18 starts this season.

“They give us a hard time,” McLellan said about the Hurricanes. “They give everybody a hard time. Their shots differential is the best in the League. They’ve done it for years… You really got to work hard to earn anything in their end. They’re very good at recovering the pucks that are fired at the net, and they do fire a lot of them there. We better be prepared to play in all three zones because it’s going to happen fast.”