Detroit Red WingsDetroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh PenguinsPittsburgh Penguins Pick Center

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Time: 07:00 P.M. EST Venue: PPG Paints Arena PITTSBURGH -- As the Detroit Red Wings begin a three-game road trip Saturday against Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena, it almost seems as if for every player in the traveling party, there's one who remains behind because of injury. The latest to get hurt is power forward Justin Abdelkader, who left Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to Florida. Friday, the Detroit Free Press reported that he will be out at least two weeks because of a sprained medial collateral knee ligament. Detroit has at least one point in five games in a row but has lost three straight as the injuries that are piling up are taking a toll." The guys who come in do a good job, but we're mixing and changing the lines," Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "We had a good thing going here. We stuck together with the lines for a bit, had some chemistry in a lot of lines, but it's hard when guys go down and you have to move around a little bit." Abdelkader, who had four points in six games before he got hurt, had been playing with Frans Nielsen and Luke Glendening. Already out with injuries before he got hurt were goalie Jimmy Howard, forwards Andreas Athanasiou, Darren Helm and Tyler Bertuzzi, and defensemen Alexey Marchenko and Brendan Smith. It's likely all will miss the road trip. The Red Wings also have hurt themselves with penalties, 20 minutes worth over their past two games -- and Abdelkader is one of the team's prime penalty killers." It's going to be long nights if we keep doing that," Niklas Kronwall said. "We have to play a lot more disciplined and a lot more mature all over the ice, really." It would likely especially help to avoid putting Pittsburgh on the power play. The Penguins are on the opposite path in terms of injuries -- winger Chris Kunitz and defenseman Derrick Pouliot appear close to returning from lower-body injuries -- and the recent return of winger Patrik Hornqvist provides a missing dimension on the power play. Hornqvist scored Pittsburgh's first five-on-three goal of the season Thursday in a 6-2 win against Dallas after the Penguins went 0-for-16 on the power play over their previous five games. Pittsburgh missed Hornqvist's feisty net-front presence while he was out recently for six games because of a concussion." He draws attention there and he competes hard," linemate Sidney Crosby said. Much to the annoyance of opponents. Kunitz plays a similar role, so getting at least one of them back helps." I think it's just essential to have that guy that's willing to go there and take a crosscheck and get in the goalie's eyes," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "It makes it really hard on our opponent's goaltender. Sometimes they may make a positional save but they can't control the rebound, and sometimes opportunity presents itself. (Hornqvist is) one of the best. I think he takes pride in it and creates opportunities for other guys around him." Regardless of who is available for either team, Sullivan sees a similarity in scheme." It's another team that likes to play a speed game," he said of the Red Wings. "I expect it to be a fast game at both ends of the rink. Obviously, teams that play a speed game play a pretty good transition game, and Detroit's one of those teams." So we're going to have to take care of the puck, make sure we make good decisions coming through the neutral zone, force them to have to defend and expend energy having to defend."

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