Scouting Report: Red Wings

Published Nov. 28, 2010 3:26 p.m. ET

foxsports

Eric Smith
FOXSportsOhio.com
November 28, 2010

The Blue Jackets will try and reverse fortunes tonight as they face off again with the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. What Detroit will bring, or the strategy they will employ, won't change from what they did Friday night in their two-to-one victory at a sold out Nationwide Arena.

The one change will be that Mike Modano will not be with the team tonight and possibly not until the playoffs after severely cutting his wrist in the game against the Jackets. In a fluke injury Modano cut his wrist on the skate blade of R.J. Umberger in the second period. Justin Abdelkader will center the third line for now in the absence of Modano.

Abdelkader only had 10:10 of ice time in the last match up against Columbus but was still able to fire four pucks on net. He has two goals in five games that he has played against the Blue Jackets through his career. Detroit's head coach Mike Babcock has confidence in the defensive game that the 23 year old center gives him as was evidenced in the 3:16 of his ice time against the Blue Jackets coming on the penalty kill.

It would be hard for either team to change goaltenders in this match up as both were fantastic. The game could have easily been an eight-to-seven game as there were plenty of scoring opportunities on both sides.