Tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET, the Detroit Red Wings host the Buffalo Sabres in both team's season-openers at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The game can be live streamed here. Sabres fans can hear all the hard-hitting action on WGR 550 SportsRadio, while Red Wings fans can do the same at 97.1 The Ticket.
The game is notable as with the league's realignment, Detroit makes its first start in the Eastern Conference, which will mean that the team will play just 14 games out of the Eastern time zone this year, 15 less than the last 82-game season in 2011-12, which is a blessing to the team's players, coaches and fans.
There are two very notable additions to the Red Wings this year in forward Daniel Alfreddson and center Stephen Weiss.
Alfredsson signed a one-year deal with Detroit in July after playing for Ottawa in 17 seasons after making his debut in the 1995-96 campaign. In the 48-game lockout-shortened season last year, Alfredsson appeared in 47 games and had 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points. Alfredsson leads Ottawa in plenty of offensive categories all-time, including games played (1,178), goals (426), assists (682) and points (1,108), but tonight he'll don a different team's uniform in an official game for the first time.
Alfredsson, appearing in his first preseason game of the year after being held out the first four due to a groin injury, had a goal, an assist and four shots on goal in his first action as a Red Wing.
"I had some very good looks where I didn't bury it, but it feels good when you have the puck and you're playing on the offensive side more," Alfredsson told NHL.com. "It gives you more energy, and I thought we had fun out there."
Weiss left the Florida Panthers, who he played with since 2005, in July and signed a five-year $24.5 million deal with them. Weiss appeared in just 17 games last year, and scored one goal and notched three assists for four points.
The Sabres, meanwhile, recently made Thomas Vanek and Steve Ott team captains, with Vanek taking the 'C' at home and Ott getting the honor during road games. Vanek was drafted fifth overall by Buffalo in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, and has played with the team since the 2008-09 season. Last year, Vanek netted 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points in 38 games.
Vanek will be the top-line left winger while reports indicate that the team may place Cody Hodgson in at top-line center.
Between the pipes, Buffalo will look to Ryan Miller, who went 17-17-5 last year with a 2.81 GAA and a .915 save percentage. Jimmy Howard will man the crease for Detroit after going 21-13-7 last year with a 2.13 GAA and a .923 save percentage.
Detroit looks to join the Eastern Conference with a bang tonight while Buffalo will try to get off to a good start on the road.
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