Vegas @ Detroit preview
Little Caesars Arena
Last Meeting ( Mar 8, 2018 ) Vegas 4, Detroit 0
After pulling out an improbable victory against the league's top team, the Vegas Golden Knights will wrap up a four-game road trip with a visit to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. The Golden Knights had dropped four in a row before ending the skid in dramatic fashion, erasing a two-game deficit in a 3-2 shootout win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"We played a good, hard game against a real good team," Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said after knocking off Tampa Bay. "So, we're happy to end that streak, for sure." A lack of offense continues to hinder the Golden Knights, who have been limited to two goals or fewer in five consecutive games. The Red Wings made it three straight victories with a 2-0 win in Ottawa on Saturday night and have a chance to match their longest winning streak of the season by beating Vegas. "It definitely feels like we're playing better hockey. That streak we had in November, we were clicking pretty good," defenseman Danny DeKeyser said. "That's kind of what it feels as of late."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, AT&T Sportsnet-Rocky Mountain (Vegas), FS Detroit
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (30-21-4): Forward Ryan Carpenter had to be helped off the ice after absorbing a heavy hit from Cedric Paquette in Tuesday's win and is not expected to play against Detroit, although Gallant said at Wednesday's practice that he was "doing a lot better today." Cody Eakin, who had been limited to one assist in his previous seven games, scored to start the comeback against the Lightning before Valentin Zykov delivered the tying goal -- his first with Vegas since joining the club on waivers. Forward Paul Stastny had his seven-game point streak halted Tuesday.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (21-25-7): Forward Dylan Larkin, who leads the team with 22 goals and 49 points, sat out the game against Ottawa after suffering a strained oblique the previous night but he practiced with the team Wednesday for the first time since he was hurt. "He did pretty good but the biggest concern is we, the coaching staff and training staff, don't want to put him in a situation where all the sudden he's set back for two weeks," coach Jeff Blashill said. "So that's something we'll talk about." Tyler Bertuzzi (neck), sidelined since before the All-Star break, did not practice Wednesday.
OVERTIME
1. Vegas G Marc-Andre Fleury is 10-8-1 with a 3.10 goals-against average versus Detroit.
2. DeKeyser has only three goals on the season, but has scored in back-to-back games.
3. Golden Knights F William Karlsson, a 43-goal scorer last season, has tallied just once in 14 games.
PREDICTION: Golden Knights 3, Red Wings 2