DetroitRedWings.com’s Ethan Sears filed his morning notebook article today, discussing both Lucas Raymond making the Red Wings’ roster and the shape of the Wings’ power play:
The Red Wings practiced special teams at the end of Tuesday’s practice, giving a glimpse at what the power play units could look like on Thursday. There was a fair amount of rotating, with Blashill saying 13 guys are competing for 10 spots – a competition that may not be over by Opening Night.
“It doesn’t have to be to 10 in Game 1,” Blashill said. “Ultimately we’d like to get to where there’s chemistry built. I also think competition’s important, and we’ll (see) which guys get it done.”
On the first unit, Tyler Bertuzzi played net-front with Nick Leddy quarterbacking the group. Dylan Larkin and Raymond were on either side, with Adam Erne and Sam Gagner rotating in the middle slot.
On the second unit, Seider was up top with Filip Hronek, Robby Fabbri and Filip Zadina on the flanks and in the bumper spot. Pius Suter mostly played the net-front role, with Michael Rasmussen getting a couple of reps.
Due to injuries and roster rotation in the preseason, the Red Wings have only had limited chances to play their preferred groups together. But the power play looked much improved in the preseason compared to last year, when Detroit ranked 30th in conversion rate on the man advantage.
“I think when we’ve been successful, we’ve moved the puck crisply, we’ve moved it quickly and we haven’t forced plays,” Blashill said. “And when we’ve struggled, we’ve become too nonchalant with the puck or careless and forced plays. I thought it’s got a chance to be good power play units, but we’ve gotta move it quickly and make sure we don’t force plays.”
