Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Red Wings are set to take on the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena in an important matchup in the Eastern Conference Wild-Card race. The game, scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m., will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network.

Both teams are in the thick of the Wild-Card race, with the Red Wings currently holding a 33-32-6 record and 72 points, while the Senators stand at 37-28-5 with 79 points. Detroit won their last matchup with Ottawa, a 3-2 overtime victory on January 7, but lost two other encounters this season at Canadian Tire Centre by 2-1 scores.

“We play each other a lot every year,” noted Red Wings player Lucas Raymond. “These games are always good, with high intensity and a lot of emotions. Nothing changes for tonight, even with where [both teams] are at in the standings…It’s going to be a fun game.”

The Red Wings recently concluded a road trip with a 1-3-0 record, including a 5-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. J.T. Compher, scorer of a goal in the last game, emphasized the team's determination: “We were able to get the two points in Utah, but we know how important every game is. We need to be ready to go coming back home tonight.”

Detroit's playoff chances remain uncertain, trailing the Montreal Canadiens by three points for the second Wild-Card spot. The Senators, meanwhile, hold a four-point lead over the Canadiens with a game in hand.

Head coach Todd McLellan stressed focusing on immediate challenges, stating, “We’ve been trying to do that, almost from Day 1 here, where we want to focus on what’s in front of us and deal with that. Put a good effort in, adjust, fix things and then move on.”

For Ottawa, the game marks the end of a road trip after they suffered a 3-2 defeat to the Buffalo Sabres. Senators captain Brady Tkachuk added to his season goals, now totaling 29, while teammates Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, and Josh Norris have each scored 20 goals. Linus Ullmark has been a key figure in net with a 19-13-3 record and a .909 save percentage.

Ottawa’s head coach emphasized the Senators' recent strong performances, particularly noting Ullmark's role: “Their goaltending has been really elite in the last few weeks. Ullmark has given them a chance to play through some patches in games where they haven’t played real well or it got a little ugly for a few shifts. He’s been able to bail them out.”