Ottawa Senators @ Detroit Red Wings

A back-to-back shouldn't happen in the regular season, let alone in the preseason, but it's the situation both the Senators and Red Wings find themselves in tonight – just on opposing sides. The Senators are rested for the first half of back-to-back games, while the Red Wings are in the midst of a three-in-three game to close out their preseason – Toronto yesterday, Ottawa today and Toronto tomorrow.

After suffering from injury fears to some of their best players in their last game against Montreal, Travis Green and Co. are fielding an AHL-heavy lineup. We don't have any scheduled lineups, but here's who is expected to play:

After taking their NHL lineup (not counting JT Compher) to Toronto in a 2-0 loss yesterday, we'll have to see what Detroit will counter with as their morning skate is optional. Guess we'll just have to wait and see who's dressed when the game starts!

Game notes

• The battle for fourth-line center will likely be decided tonight, with all four of Ridly Greig, Jan Jeník, Zack Ostapchuk and Adam Gaudette in the lineup. I'm curious to see how the coaching staff will distribute offensive talent on the wing – would a player prefer to play with the skills of Crookshank and Halliday or with the “NHL-ready” Gregor and MacEwen?
• The same goes for the blueline, and it will be interesting to see how much ice time Calen Addison, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Carter Yakemchuk each get with Tyler Kleven.
• Another indicator of where the coaching staff sees each player is to see who is on which penalty kill unit. With the NHL power play in mind, the PK is the place where a player – forward or defenseman – can show value tonight.
• While researching for this article, I found that former Sens forward Alex Chiasson attended Detroit's camp as a PTO. He was released two days ago.
• Detroit's main roster battle appears to revolve around a forward, with prospects (and top picks) Marco Kasper, Carter Mazur and Nate Danielson vying for a roster spot. Former Sens Vladimir Tarasenko, Tyler Motte and Alex DeBrincat are all fairly promised roster spots.