NHL Game Preview - Montreal at Detroit
Tue Feb 26, 2019 7:30 PM EST

PIT
5
CBJ
2
F
LAK
1
CAR
6
F
OTT
2
WSH
7
F
BUF
2
PHI
5
F
CGY
3
NYI
1
F
SJS
1
BOS
4
F
MTL
8
DET
1
F
MIN
3
WPG
2
F
NSH
0
STL
2
F
FLA
3
ARI
4
F(SO)
DAL
1
VGK
4
F
Trades, line shifts as Wings look ahead; Canadiens up first
Tue Feb 26, 2019 2:59 AM

The Detroit Red Wings will look a little different on Tuesday, and not only because they made a couple of trades in the past few days.

The rebuilding club dealt defenseman Nick Jensen to Washington and right wing Gustav Nyquist to San Jose before Monday's trade deadline.

Defenseman Madison Bowey, acquired from the Capitals in the Jensen trade, will make his Wings debut on Tuesday when they face Montreal in Detroit.

Coach Jeff Blashill has decided to shake up his lines with the subtraction of Nyquist.

Left wing Andreas Athanasiou will shift to center on the second line, where he'll be flanked by rookie Filip Zadina and Tyler Bertuzzi. Darren Helm will move to the first line to join center Dylan Larkin and right wing Anthony Mantha.

"If AA can be an elite-level center, that will help us in our organization, so we are going to see if that's the case," Blashill told the Detroit Free Press.

"There's benefits to playing him at wing or center, but we're going to see if that's the case. He's going to play against hard matchups and play good minutes and ultimately see if we're a better team with him at that position. He's smart. He can distribute the puck," Blashill said.

Larkin is sad to see Nyquist go. Nyquist scored a goal in his last game as a Red Wing, a 5-3 loss to the Sharks on Sunday.

"It's a tough time of the year," he said to the Free Press. "We're all close in here. We've gone to battle for 60-some games. When your teammate and your linemate, someone I've relied on to generate offense with, goes, it's tough. But, he is going to have a great opportunity."

Zadina, the sixth overall pick in last year's entry draft, made his NHL debut on Sunday after being called up from the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins. He'll eventually return to the minors for the AHL playoffs, but Detroit wants the 19-year-old to get his feet wet at the highest level.

"He's got a lot of skill," Larkin said. "He needs a couple chances where you say, wow, he's got a great shot. He moves his feet well and has great hockey sense. As he gets more ice time and gets involved more, I think he will be a really dangerous player."

Red Wings left wing Thomas Vanek will sit with a hip injury.

The Canadiens also made a move, trading center Michael Chaput to Arizona for another center, Jordan Weal.

Weal started the season with Philadelphia and was dealt to Arizona last month. He has four goals and 11 points this season.

"We've got a lot of players now, so he definitely comes in and gives us another body," coach Claude Julien told the team's website.

"He gives us some depth. He's a right-handed shot. He can play center. He can play wing. We're going to wait and see when he gets here and give him a chance to get used to his new teammates and then we'll see from there," Julien said.

The Canadiens will be playing the second half of a back-to-back. They lost to the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Monday despite a 35-22 advantage in shots.

--Field Level Media

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