Today at 1:00 p.m. ET, the Toronto Maple Leafs (20-16-5, 45 points) and Detroit Red Wings (18-14-9, 45 points) faceoff live from Michigan Stadium in the 2014 Winter Classic. The game can be live steamed here. Toronto fans can hear all of the action on TSN 1060 while Detroit fans can do the same on 97.1 The Ticket.
Detroit and Toronto sit in a tie for fourth place in the Atlantic Division. The first time these two teams met, the Red Wings beat the Maple Leafs 5-4 in a shootout on Dec. 21. After today's game, the teams meet two more times.
Toronto is coming off of a 5-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes and the team signed captain Dion Phaneuf to a seven-year contract extension on Tuesday. Phaneuf described his feelings heading into the Winter Classic.
"Just when I drove up to the building I got chills," Phaneuf said via NHL.com. "You grow up playing on outdoor rinks as a kid and to be able to come here and obviously with this news being announced, to have my family here ... it's going to be a special game to be a part of. I'm looking forward to stepping out there not only [Tuesday] to practice, but [Wednesday] when there are 110,000 people. It's going to be an experience I'll never forget as a player."
Detroit is coming off of a 6-4 defeat at the hands of the Nashville Predators on the road Monday night. Despite an off night, coach Mike Babcock has all the confidence in the world in goaltender Jimmy Howard.
"The great thing about [Howard], he's a world-class goalie," Babcock said per NHL.com. "He's always been good. He usually bounces back [well]."
Howard will get the start outside and is 6-9-7 with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. He'll be opposed by Jonathan Bernier, who is 12-11-4 with a 2.42 GAA and a .930 save percentage.
The Maple Leafs have been led by Phil Kessel, who has 37 points off of 20 goals and 17 assists while James van Riemsdyk has notched 14 tallies and 15 helpers for 29 points and Mason Raymond has lit the lamp 11 times and added 15 assists for 26 points.
Detroit has been paced by Henrik Zetterberg, who has 33 points off of 12 goals and 21 assists while Pavel Datsyuk has found the twine 15 times and added 17 helpers for 32 points and Daniel Alfredsson has 10 markers and 19 assists for 29 points.
It will be a spectacle when the Maple Leafs and Red Wings head outdoors for the 2014 Winter Classic.
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