Detroit — Brendan Smith was in the lineup again Friday, as he’d been for the last seven consecutive games.
Smith was paired with Alexey Marchenko, who has been in the lineup since arriving Oct. 24 from Grand Rapids.
The Smith and Marchenko pairing has earned the trust of coach Jeff Blashill, provided a good blend of offense and defense, and all the while, kept Jakub Kindl out of the lineup.
Kindl has been a healthy scratch in 12 of the last 13 games, including Friday's matchup with the Canucks. The only game Kindl has played in was the Wings' 2-1 overtime loss to the Panthers Nov.