The NHL Winter Classic is back after having a year off after the lockout and now the Original Six matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs will go down on NBC starting up at 1 PM and the game will be at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor for the next outdoor game in the annual event and after it was postponed it could set a record for the most in attendance at an NHL game and will be the first of six outdoor games this season.
The game hasn't been played in over 700 days and now two of the oldest teams in the league will be facing off in one of the biggest venues to ever hold a hockey game and it comes a few weeks after the Michigan Wolverines finished their season and both teams will be looking for wins, as they have gone 3-5 over the past 10 games with two OL each and the game will be streaming online from the NBC Sports Live Extra and on CBC for the game at 1 pm and Phil Kessel comes in with the lead in points and goals for the Leafs. The Red Wings come into the game fourth in the Atlantic division with an 18-14-9 record and after playing the Leafs on Wednesday, the team will play on the road against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Arena.
The team comes into the game after a loss against the Predators and the team is ranked eighth in the NHL in penalty kill percentage and 15th in goals against behind Jimmy Howard and the team also is scoring over two goals per game. The Red Wings would love to snap back into focus with this game in front of their home fans and in the past NHL teams have been energized playing the outdoor games at home. Henrik Zetterberg is leading the team in points, while Pavel Datsyuk is leading in goal and those two players will be the main focus for the defense on Wednesday.
The Maple Leafs come into the game playing well and they are fourth in the Atlantic division and are 20-16-5 this season with 45 points and they have the chance to get back to the playoffs after snapping their streak last season. The team comes into the game after winning over the Carolina Hurricanes and the team next plays against the New York Rangers on Saturday and that is a big game in the division as well. The Leafs come into the game ranked 14th in the league in scoring with nearly three goals per game and the team is ranked fifth in power play percentage and the team is slacking in penalty kill percentage and are 27th in the league.
