The Senators vs Red Wings matchup Tuesday carries an early-season subplot bigger than the standings: will Dylan Larkin finally suit up for Detroit? The Red Wings (0-2-0) host Ottawa (1-0-0) at Little Caesars Arena at 7 p.m. ET, and the answer to that question could shape the rest of Detroit’s week at center ice.
Senators Vs Red Wings Game Information
- Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+, DSN
Will Dylan Larkin Finally Make His Season Debut?
Larkin has missed Detroit’s first two games with an upper-body injury suffered during offseason training, and coach Todd McLellan said earlier this week he was hopeful his former captain could return for “Senators vs Red Wings preview: Larkin’s return in focus”Game 3,” according to NHL.com. That game is Tuesday against Ottawa. The official injury report lists Larkin as on injured reserve with an expected return date of Oct. 6, meaning his availability remains a projection until the Red Wings confirm their lineup at warmups.
Larkin’s situation carries extra weight after he requested a trade following last season and lost the captaincy entering this year. He still ranks 10th in franchise history with 643 points in 808 games. Marco Kasper, who sat out Sunday’s loss to Winnipeg with his own upper-body injury, is listed as day-to-day with the same Oct. 6 return date, according to Yahoo Sports. Detroit took Monday off and won’t have clarity on either center until Tuesday’s game-day skate.
How Depleted Is Detroit’s Center Depth Right Now?
Without Larkin and Kasper on Sunday, McLellan dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen rather than inserting winger Carter Mazur, who has yet to play a regular-season game. Defenseman Andreas Englund made his Detroit debut in that alignment instead. The Red Wings also have Simon Edvinsson out on a contract dispute with an expected return of Oct. 10, plus defenseman Chase Stillman and forward Carter Bear on injured reserve, leaving Detroit thin and expected to lean on whatever combination McLellan settles on Tuesday.
McLellan did find something late in Sunday’s 3-2 loss. He swapped Alex DeBrincat over to a line with Emmitt Finnie and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, while moving Viktor Arvidsson alongside Andrew Copp and Lucas Raymond. “I thought Razor played better with the other group with Arvi.
And I thought Finn’s speed was something that Cat and his linemates could use, and it worked. So we’ll probably look at keeping something like that,” McLellan said, according to Yahoo Sports.
Who Starts In Goal, And Who’s Missing For Ottawa?
John Gibson is expected to start for Detroit after allowing only a power-play goal before an empty-netter sealed the 2-0 loss to the Rangers, according to CBS Sports. Gibson won 29 games last season, his highest total since 2017-18, but has received little offensive support early this year. Ottawa is projected to counter with Samuel Ersson between the pipes.
The Senators are without defenseman Jake Sanderson, out with a lower-body injury and an expected return of Oct. 8. Forward Andre Burakovsky (upper body) and defenseman Artem Zub (knee) are on injured reserve with Oct. 10 return targets, while Blake Montgomery and Kurtis MacDermid are also sidelined.
By The Numbers
- Goals: Senators 3, Red Wings 2
- Points: Senators 9, Red Wings 6
- Shots on goal: Senators 29, Red Wings 57
- Shooting percentage: Senators 10.3%, Red Wings 3.5%
- Save percentage: Senators .931, Red Wings .915
- Goals against average: Senators 2.00, Red Wings 2.50
- Power-play goals: Senators 0, Red Wings 1
- Faceoff percentage: Senators 56.9%, Red Wings 58.0%
- Penalty minutes: Senators 10, Red Wings 28
Key Matchup: Ottawa’s Finishing Touch Against Detroit’s Leaky Defense
Ottawa has converted at a 10.3% clip despite generating fewer shots than Detroit, a sign the Senators are making the most of their chances early. Thomas Chabot leads the club with two points and Claude Giroux paces Ottawa with two assists, giving the Senators secondary scoring from the blue line as well as up front. The Senators also enter Tuesday on the back of a 3-2 win over Toronto on Oct. 3, carrying momentum from that result.
Detroit, meanwhile, has allowed five goals through two games and will be tested further if Larkin and Kasper remain out, thinning a lineup already without Edvinsson, Stillman and Bear. Emmitt Finnie leads the Red Wings with a goal, and Viktor Arvidsson’s lone point currently tops the team, but Detroit needs more from its top six to support Gibson after consecutive losses to the Rangers and Jets.
What To Watch
Detroit sits last in the Atlantic Division with zero points after an 0-2-0 start, while Ottawa opened 1-0-0 and already has a win over Toronto this season. A Red Wings loss would mark three straight to open the year, while a Senators win would keep Ottawa unbeaten through two games. Whether Larkin and Kasper dress will shape how competitive Detroit can be up the middle, and how quickly McLellan’s newly shuffled lines produce will matter just as much as the final score.
Reporting from Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports and NHL.com contributed to this story. Official statistics: ESPN (official league data).
