Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Red Wings are set to return to the ice following a break for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. They will host the Minnesota Wild for Kids Day at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday afternoon. The game between Detroit, holding a record of 28-22-5 with 61 points, and Minnesota, standing at 33-19-4 with 70 points, is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. It will be broadcast exclusively on ABC/ESPN+ and can be heard on radio via 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit.

This match marks the beginning of a back-to-back weekend series for the Red Wings, who will face off against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. Joe Veleno commented on the schedule: “A 12:30 p.m. game [on Saturday] and a 6 p.m. game [on Sunday], so there’s definitely enough time to recover,” adding that playing both games at home is advantageous.

Detroit's last outing was on February 8 when their winning streak ended with a loss to Tampa Bay Lightning. Head Coach Todd McLellan expressed disappointment over that performance but expects improvement from his team against Minnesota. “We got scored on four times [in the first period], should have been six or seven with some of the chances [the Lightning] missed,” McLellan said.

Currently holding an Eastern Conference Wild-Card spot, Lucas Raymond shared his enthusiasm about returning after participating in the international event, saying, “[The 4 Nations Face-Off] was an unreal experience...I think I’m even more excited for what’s to come now.”

McLellan anticipates having captain Dylan Larkin and Raymond available for Saturday's game against Minnesota. “[Larkin] played really well and looked like he was confident,” McLellan noted regarding Larkin's recent performances.

On the other side, ranked third in their division, Minnesota comes into this match after two consecutive wins before their break. Kirill Kaprizov leads their scoring despite being sidelined by injury, while Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi follow closely behind in points.

Joe Veleno also mentioned expectations for this weekend’s games: “The first game, I think guys will feel fresh...Even the second game, I think guys will probably feel even better that they got a couple periods in them.”