The Penguins begin the week in second place in the Eastern Conference, sixteen points behind the rampaging Washington Capitals, but more importantly they are only two points clear of the New Jersey Devils in their own division.

Pittsburgh come into the game 6-2-2 in their last ten matches but they have only won two of their previous five games on the road. The have played well defensively during that run conceding only thirteen goals and only giving up an impressive 111 shots. Their penalty kill has also proved effective stopping 93% of the power plays they have faced. The problem for the Penguins is scoring, which is surprising given the talent at their disposal. Pittsburgh have only managed 2.20 goals a game during their last five away games and have only converted 10% of their power plays. Their season average is 3.01 goals a game so you’d fancy this to be a mere blip as opposed to a new trend. After tonight’s game the Devils will have two games in hand over the Penguins so a win for them here will be vital if they want to maintain the top spot in their division. From an injury point of view only Evgeni Malkin is an injury concern. Malkin has an injury to his right foot but he did play on Saturday and even had a goal in defeat.

As an injury ravaged regular season begins to wind-down the Detroit Red Wings find themselves in the middle of a battle for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Wings are two points clear of the ninth placed Calgary Flames and three points behind the seventh placed Colorado Avalanche. Every game from here on out is must win the Red Wings as they try to cement their playoff position. Detroit is 7-2-1 in their last ten games and has won three of their last five games at the Joe Louis Arena. While the Penguins have struggled in front of the net the Red Wings have been scoring for fun. They have eighteen goals in their last five at home and have converted 25% of their power plays highlighted by the performance of captain Henrik Zetterberg who has eight goals and fifteen assists in his last twenty games. Defensively the Red Wings have also been playing well, although not as well as Pittsburgh, conceding fifteen goals in their last five at home and with a penalty kill of 88%. While not as effective as the Penguins the Red Wings blue line has proved steady but unspectacular in maintaining their playoff position. Injury wise both Dan Cleary and Patrick Eaves are day-to-day while forward Kirk Maltby is out for the rest of the season.

These are two teams who both need the win and are both playing reasonably well at the moment. They have met once before this season with the Penguins winning 2-1 in Pittsburgh on January 31st. That game was a tightly contested matchup and you have to expect something similar tonight, with the Penguins again having just a little too much for the Red Wings.