DETROIT -- Tonight the NHL's two teams most impacted by injuries and illness this season will face off.
The Red Wings lead the league in individual man-games lost with 116 in 30 games. That figure does not include Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen, who are still under contract with the Red Wings but have retired.
The Red Wings are currently battling through injuries to:
Danny DeKeyser – Lower-body (22 games missed since Oct. 23)
Trevor Daley – Lower-body (18 games missed since Nov. 4)
Justin Abdelkader – Upper-body (14 games missed since Nov. 12)
Anthony Mantha – Lower-body (5 games missed since Nov. 24)
Jimmy Howard – Mid-body (3 games missed since Nov. 29)
Throughout the season the Red Wings have also at times been without Luke Glendening (11 games), Jonathan Ericsson (8), Mike Green (8), Adam Erne (8), Patrik Nemeth (6), Frans Nielsen (4), Givani Smith (3), Andreas Athanasiou (2), Filip Hronek (2), Dennis Cholowski (1), and Darren Helm (1).
The Penguins aren't far behind with 111 man games lost to injury in 29 games. The players currently still out are:
Sidney Crosby -- Core muscle surgery (12 games missed since Nov. 10)
Nick Bjugstad -- Core muscle surgery (10 games missed since Nov. 16)
Brian Dumoulin -- Ankle surgery (2 games missed since Dec. 1)
Patric Hornqvist -- Lower-body (2 games missed since Dec. 1)
The Penguins have also lost Bryan Rust (14 games), Evgeni Malkin (11), Alex Galchenyuk (9), Kris Letang (8), Justin Schultz (7), Jared McCann (2), and Jack Johnson (1) at different points throughout the season.
The Red Wings currently sit at the bottom of the league's standings with a 7-20-3 record and 17 points, while the Penguins rank ninth with a 16-9-4 record and 36 points.
Depth has been the difference. The Penguins lead the league this season in unique goal scorers, with the number growing to 23 after Stefan Noesen scored in his Penguins debut against the Blues. That's two more unique goal scorers than any other team, as the Blues, Maple Leafs, and Canucks are all tied with 21 different goal scorers.
The Red Wings, on the other hand, have gotten goals from 15 different players this season. Of those 15 players to have scored for Detroit this season, only three -- Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Dylan Larkin -- have scored more than five goals. Seven different players -- Jake Guentzel, McCann, Letang, Dominik Kahun, Malkin, and Hornqvist -- have scored more than five times for the Penguins this season.
Offense aside, the Penguins have also been the tightest team defensively in the league this season, averaging 48.99 shot attempts against per 60 minutes of game time. The Red Wings are in the middle of the pack in that regard, averaging 55.53 attempts against. That's something Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill is preparing for.
"I watched their game last night," Blashill said after the Red Wings' morning skate. "They're definitely playing good defensively. Obviously, when Malkin's line is on the ice, they're super dynamic. Those three players are really, really good players. Then the rest of them are buying into a team game up front. They're not giving a whole bunch up."
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• The Penguins didn't skate this morning. Mike Sullivan will speak to the media at 5 p.m.
• The Red Wings will go with Jonathan Bernier in net.
• The Red Wings used the following lines/pairings:
Tyler Bertuzzi -- Dylan Larkin -- Robby Fabbri
Luke Glendening -- Valtteri Filppula -- Andreas Athanasiou
Filip Zadina -- Frans Nielsen -- Darren Helm
Brendan Perlini -- Christoffer Ehn -- Adam Erne
Patrik Nemeth -- Filip Hronek
Mike Green -- Dennis Cholowski
Dylan McIlrath -- Alex Biega
• It's Grateful Dead Night at Little Caesars Arena.
