The Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings are two of the oldest teams in the league and they are playing the outdoor game for the Winter Classic after the game was cancelled last season and the game will be at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor and the matchup will be streaming online from NBA and the game will be on TV at 1 pm and the teams come in looking to break a tie in the division and the game could set a record for attendance in the Big House.
The Detroit Red Wings have had a solid season for their first year in the east and the team is coming into the matchup after losing to the Nashville Predators on the road and they now will be playing against the Dallas Stars next on the road after hosting the Maple Leafs and both teams come into the matchup with 45 points and Detroit has 18 wins on the season and the Leafs have 20. Toronto is looking to get back into the playoffs after getting in last season to break their streak and the team has the Boston Bruins to thank for eliminating them after the team had a lead in the third period of game seven and now they will try and get back to that point.
The Red Wings come into the game 17th in the league in goals per game and the team is allowing nearly three goals per game and the team is ranked 11th in power play percentage and eighth in penalty kill percentage and the two teams are evenly matched for the game and it could be very cold and in the past the players have been very energized playing outdoors. The Red Wings have the chance to turn things around and they have been scoring well and the team now has the biggest outdoor game ever and it is getting big treatment, as there will be no All-Star game this season and this is the marquee matchup of the 2014 season.
The Maple Leafs come into the game with a 5-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes and the team now plays against the Red Wings before the New York Rangers and that game will be on Saturday and it a big divisional matchup. The team comes in with three goals scored per game and they are ranked 17th in goals against and the team has been excellent against the attacking defense the Red Wings like to play and they have been impressive on power play percentage and are ranked fifth in the NHL and the team is ranked 27th in the league in penalty kill percentage. Phil Kessel is leading the team in scoring with points and goals with 20 scores on the season and 17 assists.
