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NHL on NBCSN: Red Wings begin Eastern Conference life against Sabres

Detroit Red Wings v Pittsburgh Penguins

PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 16: Pavel Datsyuk # 13 of the Detroit Red Wings looks to teammates during the second period of a preseason game on September 16, 2013 at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Vincent Pugliese/ Getty Images)

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It’s Rivalry Night on NBCSN and the Detroit Red Wings will spark new battles in the Eastern Conference and will start tonight at home against the Buffalo Sabres at 8 p.m. ET. In addition to NBCSN, you can also watch the game online.

The Detroit Red Wings have been wanting to be part of the Eastern Conference for some time and tonight they’ll begin finding out if it was worth the trouble finding out if the grass truly is greener on the other side of the fence. Dealing with the Buffalo Sabres provides a curious first test.

Buffalo enters the game with many fans and prognosticators not giving them much of a chance this season. They’ll also start the year as one of the youngest teams in the league. 2013 first-round pick Rasmus Ristolainen made the team and will get the job of trying to find a way to wrangle Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg in his first game. Good luck, kid.

Detroit’s cast of characters is almost exactly the same group as it was last year. One big difference is the addition of Daniel Alfredsson. While he’s sure to spark some heat when they play Ottawa, Alfie has killed the Sabres in his career scoring 42 of his 426 career goals against them, the most against any one team. Don’t think Sabres fans aren’t fully aware of that.

Related: Pro Hockey Talk’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $4,000 Fantasy Hockey league tonight (Wednesday). It’s just $2 to join and first prize is $600. Starts at 7:30pm ET. Here’s the link.

Where things get most interesting is the battle in goal. Detroit’s Jimmy Howard showed last season he’s capable of being the kind of goalie the Red Wings need to be successful. His play against Anaheim and Chicago in the playoffs helped reassure fans things are just fine between the pipes.

Buffalo’s Ryan Miller has a bit of a different look at things this season. While he’s still the “man” for the Sabres, his future with the team is going to be a source of speculation all year as he’s in the final year of his contract and will be focus of rumors all season. He can help keep that talk going by playing out of his mind starting tonight against the high-powered Wings.

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