Detroit City Wire

On Sunday afternoon, the Detroit Red Wings will face the Chicago Blackhawks at Little Caesars Arena. The matchup, part of the Hockeytown Centennial FanFest Weekend, features two of the NHL's Original Six teams, both celebrating their centennial seasons. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start and will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit).

Moritz Seider commented on the team's approach: “We need to demand the puck on our stick rather than theirs and just have a little bit of swagger and fun,” Seider said. “It’s a great matchup. We’re in great uniforms, so we have nothing to hide from. And now, we just got to bounce back.”

The Red Wings are coming off a 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers, marking their second consecutive defeat at home. Emmitt Finnnie discussed what the team learned from that game and their focus during practice at BELFOR Training Center as they aim to improve.

“I thought we had enough chances to put ourselves in a better position in that game,” Finnie said. “We gave up some goals that we could have taken away, so that was kind of the main focus [on Saturday] was cleaning up our D-zone.”

Detroit is also looking to improve its power play after failing to score on four opportunities against the Rangers and converting only one of its last fifteen attempts.

“I think it just starts with our execution,” Seider said. “If we get everyone on the same page, I think we’ll be really good. We’re getting looks, but sometimes we just force plays. We aren’t really clean or we can’t get in the zone, then it’s tough. You kind of waste seconds and then obviously you only have a minute left, and you try to hand it off to the other guys. We take a lot of responsibility in that and know we got to be better.”

Ahead of Sunday's game, Detroit recalled Nate Danielson from their AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins. Danielson has played four games this season for Grand Rapids with five points.

“For Danny, obviously four games back, I thought it might take him a few games, but it hasn’t,” Griffins head coach Dan Watson recently told DetroitRedWings.com about Danielson’s play since returning from a preseason injury on Oct. 24. “We always talk about his IQ and how he sees the game, but I think it’s only continuing to slow down for him. A 200-foot player who is reliable and responsible in all areas of the game.”

The Chicago Blackhawks have started strong under new head coach Jeff Blashill with points in ten out of fifteen games this season.

“I think Ray and I learned a lot under him,” Seider said about Blashill, who served as head coach of the Red Wings from 2015-22. “He was always honest and very direct. He wasn’t afraid to be in the moment and demand that, and I really liked that. Guys really appreciated him as a human, and that’s something I really take away – could always have a really honest conversation with him.”

Chicago enters Sunday following a 4-0 win over Calgary Flames led by Connor Bedard's four-point night (one goal, three assists) and Spencer Knight's shutout performance with 33 saves.

Knight has made eleven starts this season with six wins, three losses, two overtime losses, a 2.33 goals-against average and .926 save percentage for Chicago.

Bedard leads Chicago in scoring with eight goals and fourteen assists for twenty-two points through fifteen games; Tyler Bertuzzi (twelve points) and Andre Burakovsky (twelve points) follow.

“[Bedard] is still a really young man and the amount of pressure that was put on that individual those first few years, it’s hard for them to handle it,” McLellan said about Bedard's development since being drafted first overall in 2023. “I see him now – his skills are coming out. He’s very confident playing a two-way game. I think Blash has done a really good job there with that team and with him in particular. When he exudes confidence, everybody seems to pick up on it.”