Rangers vs. Red Wings: Big opener follows New York’s 5-1 win
The New York Rangers needed one night to fix their first impression. A day after a 5-1 home win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, they visit Little Caesars Arena on Friday, Oct. 2, for Rangers vs. Red Wings, the Detroit season opener and the second half of a back-to-back for New York.
Puck drop is 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT and truTV. Detroit opens without center Dylan Larkin, who is out for the first two games with an upper-body injury, according to NHL.com.
Rangers vs. Red Wings game information
- Date: Friday, Oct. 2
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
- TV/Streaming: TNT, truTV, HBO Max (U.S.); SN1 (Canada)
- Records: Rangers 1-1-0, Red Wings 0-0-0
New York bounced back fast against Tampa Bay
The Rangers were shut out 3-0 at Boston on Tuesday, Sept. 29, then answered Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Dorofeyev each had a goal and an assist, Adam Fox added two assists, and Eeli Tolvanen and Gabe Perreault also scored, according to ESPN’s box score.
Igor Shesterkin made 24 saves and even sealed it himself. ESPN’s play-by-play credits the goalie with an empty-net goal at 17:26 of the third period.
Because Shesterkin played Thursday, the Rangers may turn to a backup on Friday, though no starter had been announced Thursday night. Their depth in net is thinner than usual with Joonas Korpisalo on injured reserve (lower body) and projected back Oct. 9, per ESPN. Forwards Aidan Thompson (undisclosed) and Adam Sykora (lower body) are also on injured reserve, and ESPN does not project Sykora back until late January.
Detroit’s ‘early urgency’ meets a short-handed lineup
“Early urgency” has been the Red Wings’ theme since camp opened Sept. 17, NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika reported. “There has to be some early urgency from everybody,” coach Todd McLellan said that day. “You don’t have time to wade into it.”
The message has an edge. Detroit has missed the playoffs 10 straight seasons, the longest drought in franchise history and the longest active streak in the NHL, and it lost its opener 5-1 to Montreal a year ago.
The lineup will be missing more than Larkin. Defenseman Simon Edvinsson is unsigned as a restricted free agent and has returned to Sweden, per NHL.com. Forwards Chase Stillman and Carter Bear are on injured reserve with projected returns of Oct. 4 and Oct. 6, and ESPN lists defenseman Andreas Englund (not injury related) with a projected return of Friday.
Defenseman Moritz Seider described camp as “really intense.” “You don’t have time to mess around,” he said.
Where Rangers vs. Red Wings could swing
Detroit’s centers will carry extra minutes without Larkin, and Seider will anchor a blue line without Edvinsson. New York, meanwhile, arrives on no rest but with a much better feeling after scoring four times on Andrei Vasilevskiy and adding the empty-netter. The first Rangers vs. Red Wings meeting of the season may hinge on whether that offense carries over to a tired second night.
Both teams split their preseason schedules. The Rangers went 2-2, with wins over New Jersey in a shootout and a 6-1 win over the Islanders. Detroit went 2-1-1, beating Pittsburgh 7-4 and Buffalo 3-2 in overtime while losing twice to Columbus, once in a shootout.
Detroit’s home-heavy start
The Red Wings play seven of their first eight games at home, a stretch McLellan called “a chance to put our game together here at home.” They host Winnipeg on Sunday and Ottawa on Tuesday, when Larkin could return. The Rangers head home after Rangers vs. Red Wings to face Utah on Sunday.
For more on Larkin’s status and other Rangers vs. Red Wings absences, see our NHL injuries coverage, and follow opening week in our NHL news section.