PREVIEW: Red Wings looking to stay hot Tuesday against Capitals

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings will kick off a pivotal three-game homestand against Eastern Conference opponents, first welcoming the Washington Capitals to Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night.

After Tuesday’s 7 p.m. puck drop (broadcast coverage on Bally Sports Detroit and 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit) against Washington (27-21-9; 63 points), Detroit (32-20-6; 70 points) will face the New York Islanders (24-20-14; 62 points) on Thursday before battling the Florida Panthers (38-16-4; 80 points) on Saturday afternoon.

“Going into every night, we feel we have the locker room to go out there, win and be competitive with any team in the league,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. “It’s really been something that’s been built from last year when Newsy (head coach Derek Lalonde) came. It’s been a process, but we’re a confident team right now. We feel really good about all four lines, all three goalies and all of our defensemen.”

Detroit currently holds the Eastern Conference’s first wild card spot with a one-point lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have one game in hand. The Red Wings are ahead of the Capitals by seven points and eight up on both the Islanders and New Jersey Devils.

“It’s kind of coming down to crunch time here in this last little stretch of the season,” Jake Walman said. “I think we’ve put ourselves in a good spot. It’s exciting coming to the rink. You can kind of feel the energy within the team and outside the team in the city.”

Detroit rallied to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-2, in overtime on Sunday to extend its five-game winning streak. Returning to Chicago for the first time since being traded to the New York Rangers last season, Patrick Kane had an assist and scored the overtime game-winner for the Red Wings.

On an eight-game point streak, Kane has 28 points (12-16--28) in his first 27 games with Detroit.

“Unbelievable experience and honored to be part of it,” Lalonde said about Sunday’s atmosphere inside the United Center. “Exceeded expectations. Obviously, the way the game ended, (Red Wings assistant coach) Jay Varady described it as a 'rock concert with a hockey game involved.'”

The Capitals are coming off a 6-3 win against the Ottawa Senators on Monday. Currently fourth in the Metropolitan Division, Washington will play Detroit at Capital One Arena on March 26 before the clubs conclude their season series at Little Caesars Arena on April 9.

Dylan Strome leads the Capitals in scoring with 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists) this season, while Alex Ovechkin ranks second with 42 points (16 goals, 26 assists) and has five points in his last five games. Former Red Wing Anthony Mantha (18-13—31) tallied two assists against the Senators.

Washington netminder Charlie Lindgren is expected to start in goal Tuesday and has a 12-8-5 record, 2.64 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and three shutouts in 27 games this season.

Walman said he’s eager to play the Capitals and face his childhood NHL idol Ovechkin.

“He’s still lethal from anywhere,” Walman said about the star Russian forward. “He was my favorite player growing up. I’ve pretty much watched all his highlights 10 or 20 times. You just got to watch him and know where he is. He can score from anywhere. He’s shown it his whole career, so you got to respect guys like that. But at the same time, try to not let the puck in his hands.”