PREVIEW: Red Wings host Wild for Hockeytown Halloween on Saturday night

DETROIT-- There will be plenty of tricks and treats at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday night when the Detroit Red Wings host the Minnesota Wild for a special Hockeytown Halloween matchup.

Puck drop between Detroit (3-2-2; 8 points) and Minnesota (3-3-1; 7 points) is set for 7 p.m., with broadcast coverage on Bally Sports Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit).
Fans are encouraged to wear their costumes for an arena-wide costume contest, and can enjoy a variety of Halloween-themed activities on the Via concourse, including face painting, candy giveaways and photo opportunities with roaming character actors. Halloween-specific beverage items will also be sold.

While it will be a spooky atmosphere on the concourse, for Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde, Saturday's matchup against the visiting Wild is an opportunity to "find that consistency."
"We've shown signs of being able to compete with the best in the league," Lalonde said. "Now, it's just having that formula for an entire game."
When reflecting on Thursday's 5-1 road loss to the Boston Bruins, Lalonde said the end result was difficult to digest.
"It got away from us on the special teams, which makes the outcome very frustrating," Lalonde said. "With that said, we're still trying to develop an identity and a formula where we can be successful. You saw that through two periods."

Minnesota extended its point streak to four games on Thursday with a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. Led by Mats Zuccarello (5-6-11) and Kirill Kaprizov (5-5-10), the Wild are averaging 3.71 goals per game through seven contests, the fifth-best mark in the NHL this season. Goalies Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson have combined for a 4.47 goals-against average.
Detroit and Minnesota will play once more this season, facing off at Xcel Energy Center on Dec. 14.

Rasmussen suspended two games for high-sticking

The NHL's Department of Player Safety announced on Friday that Michael Rasmussen has been suspended for two games, without pay, for high-sticking Bruins forward David Krejci during Thursday night's game in Boston.
Through seven games, the 23-year-old Rasmussen has one goal and four assists.

Smith recalled from Grand Rapids

With Rasmussen unavailable on Saturday, the
Red Wings recalled Givani Smith from the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins.
Smith has skated in 83 games for Detroit the past three seasons, including a career-high 46 contests in the 2021-22 campaign.
"I'm just gonna play my game," Smith said after Saturday's morning skate. "I don't know how long I'm up here for, but I'm gonna have fun and play my hockey."
The 24-year-old Smith has one assist in three games with the Griffins this season.