When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington.
TV: NHL Network.
Radio: None.
∎ BOX SCORE
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Game notes: The Red Wings hit the road for the second of their eight preseason exhibitions before their opener in New Jersey on Oct. 12 with a trip to the nation’s capital. While we focus on the milestone chase taking place in Detroit — three more games for Miguel Cabrera! — the Caps have their own revving up, with Alex Ovechkin chasing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals. “The Great 8” is at 822 after last season’s 42-goal effort; he passed Red Wings great Gordie Howe at 801 — though not in pro hockey goals, as “Mr Hockey” still holds that mark. Of course, any goals scored by Ovechkin tonight (if he plays) won’t count toward that total, but any game featuring Ovechkin is still pretty interesting.
As are the rest of the Caps, who are pretty familiar for a team that finished 11 points shy of a playoff spot last season and didn’t make any huge offseason additions. Chief among the latest additions are former Michigan forward Max Pacioretty, who signed a one-year deal with the Caps in July after missing all but five games of the 2022-23 season with a pair of Achilles tears, and defenseman Rasmus Sandin, acquired from Toronto in a trade deadline deal. Pacioretty isn’t expected to be ready for the start of this season, but Sandin should be. The former Sault Ste. Marie Greyhound had 15 points in 19 games with the Caps last season after posting just 20 in his first 52 games of the season. He’s still just 23, so the Caps may have gotten a sneaky good deal.
The Wings, meanwhile, are trying to sort out their addition-packed forward corps; Farmington Hills product Alex DeBrincat is a lock for the top line, but free-agent signees J.T. Compher (Colorado), Christian Fischer (Arizona), Klim Kostin (Edmonton) and Daniel Sprong could all slot in anywhere from the second to the fourth line.
After tonight’s game, the Wings return home for a games on back-to-back nights at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday will bring another date with the Caps, while Sunday brings a visit from the Chicago Blackhawks, who feature this summer’s No. 1 overall pick, generational talent Connor Bedard.
Live updates
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Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com. Follow him on X (which used to be Twitter, y’know?) @theford.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings preseason score vs. Washington Capitals: Time, TV
