Month: October 2021

As the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan notes, the Red Wings’ final game of the 2019-2020 season was supposed to take place in the nation’s capital city, so coach Jeff Blashill admitted that it felt a little weird to return to Washington, DC:

“I remember being pretty sure we weren’t going to play, but there was no official word,” [Wings coach Jeff Blashill] said. “Then there was an official word we weren’t going to skate and just the unknown (of it all). I had conversations with (general manager) Steve Yzerman at that point and potentially flying to Tampa, that was our next opponent. And to think about that now, there was no chance we were going to play another game after.”

The NHL had a shortened 2020-21 season beginning in January with severe restrictions upon staff and players. Flashing forward, the Wings appear to be in a much better place.

The team was going through a historically bad season when the pandemic shut things down. As they returned to Washington on Wednesday, with rookies Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond igniting things, the focus is on the future.

“(It was) as hard a year as I’ve been through professionally, and we were in a spot where we look back at it now, and think it was kind of rock bottom,” Blashill said. “(But) organizationally we started to trend in the right direction last year. We were better, and this year we have an opportunity to be better.

[Robby] Fabbri is appreciative of the return to some sense of normalcy.

“We have more freedom on the road (compared to last season),” he said. “We can go out to dinners and get out of the hotel and do things, which is nice. But you have to do your part to make sure you’re following the rules in different cities and do your part to keep yourself safe.”

Continued

It’s my least favorite time of the week, but financial pressures require me to do so, so:

This blog is generally free to use, and there are no commercial ads on this website. As I require money to operate it, however, I must raise funds from time to time.

Between helping my aunt pay her taxes and trying to save up for a new cell phone, I’m looking to raise about $1,350 over the next three months. So, if you’re able to lend a hand, any assistance in getting the taxes paid, or replacing my old S7 (which is currently dying) would be fantastic.

If you’re willing to lend a hand, you can use Paypal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com. And you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check.

You’ll see these posts intermittently over the next couple of weeks. They’re not scintillating, but they’re necessary so that I can keep a roof over my head.

The Grand Rapids Griffins posted a game-day preview video ahead of tonight’s game against the Chicago Wolves (7 PM EDT on AHLTV.com):

Via the Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa on Twitter comes this quip from coach Jeff Blashill, about three minutes’ worth of commentary, in fact, from the NHL on Sirius XM Radio:

#RedWings 2021-22

BLASHILL said

2020-21 set major priorities for young guys, especially: checking and defense. now, we are getting better at it.

need more offense: go to net!

even when raymond does not score, he has a positive impact (checking and defense).

3:14 radio clip: https://t.co/PDktfjABwG— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) October 27, 2021

#LGRW Head Coach Jeff Blashill joined @GordStellick and @LaughlinSXM to talk about the start of the season.
https://t.co/OzfVFv6fW6 via @SiriusXM— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) October 27, 2021

The Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals held morning skates ahead of tonight’s game between the two teams (7 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/NBC Sports Washington Plus/ESPN+/97.1 FM).

It appears that Thomas Greiss will start opposite Vitek Vanecek in goal this evening. The Capitals’ lineup may be in flux as well, and the Wings’ morning skate lines weren’t revealed until after the teams held their media availabilities:

Here were the Red Wings’ lines and D at their morning skate today:

Bertuzzi-Larkin-Raymond
Fabbri-Suter-Zadina
Namestnikov-Rasmussen-Erne
Gagner-Stephens-Rowney

DeKeyser-Seider
Leddy-Hronek
M. Staal-Stecher

Greiss
Nedeljkovic— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) October 27, 2021

The Capitals iced the following lines during their morning skate, but then Daniel Sprong skated with the Caps’ black aces:

#Caps a.m. skate lines ahead of tonight’s game vs. DET:

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Mantha-McMichael-Oshie
Hagelin-Eller-Hathaway
Sheary-Lapierre-Sprong

Fehervary-Carlson
Orlov-Jensen
TvR-Schultz

Vanecek
Samsonov

*Vanecek starts
*Dowd (LBI) looks to be out again— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) October 27, 2021

Here’s Washington Capitals coach Peter Laviolette’s morning skate commentary:

Head Coach Laviolette meets with the media ahead of #CapsWings tonight.#ALLCAPS | @Socios pic.twitter.com/rWKW03bAfP— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 27, 2021

Anthony Mantha also spoke with the media today…

Tonight, Anthony Mantha will be playing his former team (DET) for the first time since getting traded. He got dinner with some of his former teammates last night (Larkin, Fabbri, Rasmussen).— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) October 27, 2021

Mantha, who faces his former team tonight, said he had dinner last night with Larkin, Fabbri and Rasmussen. “It’s going to be fun; I’m excited. It’s going to be an experience, that’s for sure.” #Caps— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) October 27, 2021

And here are his remarks:

Anthony Mantha talks playing his former team for the first time since being traded to Washington. #ALLCAPS | @MedStarHealth pic.twitter.com/Ce7Iewwsns— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 27, 2021

Also:

Coach Blashill in D.C., recalling the last time the team was there in 2020 when the season was called off due to Covid-19. He ate at the same spot he was going to eat at last March, that was boarded up then.— Carley Johnston (@carleykjohnston) October 27, 2021

Robby Fabbri on the team— “We’re a fiery and competitive group. We have shown a lot, but we still have a long ways to go.” #LGRW @DetroitRedWings— Carley Johnston (@carleykjohnston) October 27, 2021

Coach Blashill on trusting a young Moritz Seider— saying he’s played in professional leagues, has experience and has earned coach’s trust #LGRW @DetroitRedWings— Carley Johnston (@carleykjohnston) October 27, 2021

Catching up on todays media availability, Coach Blashill remembered the last time he was in WSH on the day the sports world stopped. He said he looks forward to putting years behind us where we recall it, but its been a while. #LGRW @DetroitRedWings— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) October 27, 2021

Here’s Robby Fabbri’s media availability…

And here’s coach Blashill’s:

Update: Here’s the YouTube version of Blashill’s remarks:

Update #2: Fabbri, YouTube version:

Updated 2x at 11:58 AM: Greiss starts for Detroit + comments from Mantha

The 3-2-and-1 Detroit Red Wings battle the unbeaten 4-0-and-2 Washington Capitals this evening (7 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/NBC Sports Washington Plus/97.1 the Ticket).

The Capitals’ public relations team posted the following summary of tonight’s affair:

The Capitals host the Detroit Red Wings tonight at Capital One Arena. This marks Washington’s first game against Detroit since Nov. 30, 2019 – a 5-2 win at Little Caesars Arena – and the first time the Red Wings have visited Capital One Arena since Dec. 11, 2018.

The Capitals enter tonight’s game earning a point in 12 straight games against the Red Wings (10-0-2), dating back to Nov. 18, 2015. During that span, Alex Ovechkin leads the team with 10 goals in 12 games, while both Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov are tied for the team lead with 11 assists. The Capitals have three former Red Wings on their roster in Anthony Mantha, Nick Jensen and Dennis Cholowski. Mantha, who has recorded four points (2g, 2a) in six games this season, is scheduled to play in his first career game against Detroit. In each of his last five seasons, Mantha has scored at a pace of at least 20 goals each season, setting a career high of 25 goals in 2018-19 in just 67 games, a 30-goal pace.

The Red Wings website’s Brett McWethy also posted a game preview:

The Caps have yet to suffer a regulation loss and head into the game with a 4-0-2 record, tied atop the Metropolitan Division with 10 points on the season. Alex Ovechkin (7 goals, 5 assists) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (4 goals, 5 assists) both currently rank among the top 10 in the National Hockey League in points, while former Red Wing Anthony Mantha has tallied four points with two goals and a pair of assists. Much like Detroit, the Capitals’ Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov have operated as a goalie tandem, combining for 149 saves.

Detroit and Washington will meet for the first time in nearly two years. The last scheduled game between the clubs was March 12, 2020, the same day the NHL suspended the 2019-20 season due to the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Red Wings are 3-2-1 overall (7 points), and tied for third in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division alongside the Tampa Bay Lightning. Detroit earned its first road win of the season Sunday night at Chicago.

Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill sees his team getting better. He feels like the second line featuring Pius Suter, Robby Fabbri and Filip Zadina hasn’t necessarily received the puck luck it may deserve. And he pointed out on Tuesday that both the penalty kill, and the power play still have plenty of room for improvement.

Of particular note, Blashill – a former goalie himself – feels comfortable with Detroit’s tandem of Alex Nedeljkovic and Thomas Greiss, a duo he believes gives his team a chance to win games every night.

“I think that both of them have the opportunity to be good for us. I think they have an opportunity as a tandem to be real good for us,” Blashill said. “They’ve both shown moments where they’ve been on top of their game. I thought the one game we’ve been loose defensively for the entire game was the Montreal game where we gave up more chances, 5-on-5, than we have, probably if you combine multiple games. But I did think that game, when Ned went in, that he looked good. I thought the third period the other night (at Chicago) he looked real good. And Greisser’s had moments he looked real good. Again, the thing about this league is that you gotta show it every night. We got a chance to show it, whichever guy starts tomorrow night.”

As for the teams’ respective morning skates, the Capitals hit the ice at the Capital One Center around 10:20 AM, with injured center Nic Dowd skating early, per NBCS Washington’s J.J. Regan, and the AP’s Stephen Whyno:

Nic Dowd is on the ice a few minutes early for the morning skate. Looks like he’s testing a few things out.— JJ Regan (@JJReganNBCS) October 27, 2021

Nic Dowd is day to day (aren’t we all?) with a lower-body injury. Capitals host Red Wings tonight. https://t.co/zy8ncKsqns— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) October 27, 2021

The Athletic’s Tarik El Bashir posted the Caps’ morning skate lines…

#Caps a.m. skate lines ahead of tonight’s game vs. DET:

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Mantha-McMichael-Oshie
Hagelin-Eller-Hathaway
Sheary-Lapierre-Sprong

Fehervary-Carlson
Orlov-Jensen
TvR-Schultz

Vanecek
Samsonov

*Vanecek starts
*Dowd (LBI) looks to be out again— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) October 27, 2021

As did Regan…

#Caps lines:
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Mantha-McMichael-Oshie
Hagelin-Eller-Hathaway
Sheary-Lapierre-Sprong
Fehervary-Carlson
Orlov-Jensen
TVR-Schultz

Vanecek expected to start— JJ Regan (@JJReganNBCS) October 27, 2021

And the Washington Post’s Samantha J. Pell:

Capitals lines at AM skate ahead of game vs DET:

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Mantha-McMichael-Oshie
Hagelin-Eller-Hathaway
Sheary-Lapierre-Sprong

Fehervary-Carlson
Orlov-Jensen
TvR-Schultz

*Vanecek expected to start in net
*Dowd (lower body, day to day) is skating but looks out— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) October 27, 2021

97.1 the Ticket’s Ken Kal also said, “Hello”…

Back at it again. Red Wings in Washington to face off against Ovechkin and the Caps.
Hear the game tonight 6:45pm ⁦@971theticketxyt⁩ pic.twitter.com/ooxnk9dXvP— Ken Kal (@KenKalDRW) October 27, 2021

Pell profiled Nick Jensen…

Sooo this Nick Jensen guy has been playing pretty well?

“That’s my main focus right now: Go as hard as I can each shift.” https://t.co/zqc2mcQJPF— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) October 27, 2021

Of note from Pell’s Washington Post article:

To start this season, Jensen has flashed his strengths. He had a rating of plus-2 in Monday’s back-and-forth affair [vs. Ottawa], and he is averaging 20:04 of ice time, up from 17:36 over the previous two seasons.

“In my mind, it doesn’t really feel like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m doing the same as I was at the end of the season.’ It was more just a mentality of making sure I’m coming into the season and having the highest amount of effort I possibly could each game,” Jensen said last week. “That’s my main focus right now: Go as hard as I can each shift.”

Jensen’s new running mate on defense is Dmitry Orlov. They have combined for seven points in six games; Jensen has those two goals and an assist, and Orlov scored at New Jersey on Thursday and has three assists.

Jensen pointed out that [Zdeno] Chara’s and Orlov’s playing styles are vastly different, but the latter’s ability to get the puck in the corner and use his strong skating to get it out of the defensive zone is one of his best assets. Both are physical, which often means the Capitals spend less time in the defensive zone and have more opportunities on the other end.

Continued;

Regan also posted an article explaining the Capitals’ sticky cap situation as it applies to Nicklas Backstrom’s eventual return:

In Nicklas Backstrom’s absence, the Capitals have a center conundrum https://t.co/qWCHg2oGV9— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) October 27, 2021

The Red Wings took to the ice at the Capital One Center a little early for their morning skate, around 11:15 AM:

Red Wings are on the ice for their morning skate in DC. pic.twitter.com/57tZlciy1r— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) October 27, 2021

Morning skate in DC pic.twitter.com/Xb3X8DkX7r— Ken Kal (@KenKalDRW) October 27, 2021

Tyler Bertuzzi is Detroit’s leading scorer with 9 points in 6 games. pic.twitter.com/auVlZcUmgL— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) October 27, 2021

The Wings’ beat writers said, “Hello”…

Red Wings on for morning skate at Capital One Arena. Play Capitals tonight. pic.twitter.com/EVIs42ATuH— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) October 27, 2021

Morning skate begins in DC pic.twitter.com/ae2Ty30RoL— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) October 27, 2021

Kal dropped some knowledge…

Stat: Former Red Wing Nick Jensen is one of 3 players to lead the league with a plus 9 rating.— Ken Kal (@KenKalDRW) October 27, 2021

And if you missed it…

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin admits it ‘will be strange’ to face former teammate Anthony Mantha for the first time. pic.twitter.com/QSQcdFBBzJ— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) October 27, 2021

The Caps’ beat writers added an update…

UPDATE: Sprong is skating with the scratches. So…#Caps https://t.co/ul4oxDqQbT— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) October 27, 2021

Sprong is skating with the extras so not sure what that means for tonight https://t.co/jCxQg9OeTS— JJ Regan (@JJReganNBCS) October 27, 2021

If Sprong is out, Dowd would have to be in. No other forwards. Perhaps Dowd had a better skate than anticipated this morning.— JJ Regan (@JJReganNBCS) October 27, 2021

The Red Wings checked in…

Prep for the Caps.#LGRW pic.twitter.com/gqgr5SCIuj— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 27, 2021

So much for line rushes…

And we got some quips and quotes from the Red Wings’ coach…

Coach Blashill in D.C., recalling the last time the team was there in 2020 when the season was called off due to Covid-19. He ate at the same spot he was going to eat at last March, that was boarded up then.— Carley Johnston (@carleykjohnston) October 27, 2021

While we’re doing multimedia…

Raymond and Seider are not the only reasons to be excited about the Red Wings’ future. @patcaputo98 https://t.co/iERmN2e9FK— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) October 27, 2021

Update:

Thomas Greiss starts in goal for Red Wings at Capitals, coach Jeff Blashill said. Filip Hronek in on defense and looked like Carter Rowney for Givani Smith at forward.— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) October 27, 2021

Thomas Greiss will start in net for the Red Wings tonight vs. the Capitals, coach Jeff Blashill confirms— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) October 27, 2021

Stupid Stat of the Day: The Red Wings are 43-48-6 all-time in games played in a national capital. pic.twitter.com/VbZkzJorno— DetroitHockey.Net (@detroithockey96) October 27, 2021

Mantha, who faces his former team tonight, said he had dinner last night with Larkin, Fabbri and Rasmussen. “It’s going to be fun; I’m excited. It’s going to be an experience, that’s for sure.” #Caps— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) October 27, 2021

Tonight, Anthony Mantha will be playing his former team (DET) for the first time since getting traded. He got dinner with some of his former teammates last night (Larkin, Fabbri, Rasmussen).— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) October 27, 2021

Team huddle after a morning skate in DC.#LGRW | @DetroitRedWings pic.twitter.com/vbLzd76lq7— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) October 27, 2021

Robby Fabbri on the team— “We’re a fiery and competitive group. We have shown a lot, but we still have a long ways to go.” #LGRW @DetroitRedWings— Carley Johnston (@carleykjohnston) October 27, 2021

Red Wings are in DC for first time since March 12, 2020 — the day the NHL paused the season. Coach Jeff Blashill said he tried to go to the same restaurant he ate dinner at on March 11, 2020 and it was all boarded up. pic.twitter.com/SlB5Q5YHob— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) October 27, 2021

Via the Grand Rapids Griffins on Twitter, The AHL’s website has recruited the fantastic AHL scribe Patrick Williams to write features for TheAHL.com, and, this morning, Williams has profiled Joe Veleno and Jonatan Berggren:

Taken three picks apart by the @DetroitRedWings in the 2018 draft, @jveleno91 and @Jberggren48 are getting down to work with @griffinshockey.

?: @pwilliamsAHL | https://t.co/RlNH1mlMn9 pic.twitter.com/WKiIRMGBBW— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) October 27, 2021

[Joe] Veleno had made his NHL debut in April, but he found himself back in Grand Rapids as he began his third pro season.

“I mean, it’s definitely disappointing, for sure,” Veleno said of not making the Detroit roster out of training camp. “I thought I had a pretty good camp and pretty good preseason. [But] I knew before going to the camp that I had to be great. The staff and management had said if a younger guy wants to come in and compete for a job, you’ve got to be great. You can’t just be as good as someone else. I think it’s more on me that I think I wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t that much of a standout when I was there. I’ve got to show that I could dominate this league and hopefully be back up there in no time.”

So exactly what does Veleno need to do in Grand Rapids?

“I think it’s just to take charge. I mean, I’ve got a big role here, playing in all situations. I think that I’m one of the guys that drives the bus on the offense, and I think that this team is going to rely on me, I guess, to be a leader on the ice and to have a good work ethic, a good attitude, and obviously help the team win. I have big expectations for myself right now, and I think we have a good group to support it. I’m going to make the most out of it and play my best while I’m down here to hopefully be called back up soon.”

Continued; this story is worth your time…

The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn doesn’t dole out praise for the denizens of Detroit very often, but he mentions the team’s top rookie (for the present moment) in his “16 Stats” column:

Detroit has had some bad lottery luck during its rebuild, but the Red Wings may have found a real gem in Lucas Raymond. The 2020 fourth pick has four goals and seven points in six games and has helped propel the team’s top line to an electric start. Both Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi are playing point-per-game hockey and together the trio has earned a 73 percent expected goals rate while outscoring opponents 6-0 in just 32 minutes of hockey. No other line has scored more goals-per-60 than Detroit’s top group at 11.4. 

There are obviously still some pieces of the puzzle missing, but the team’s start has been promising in seeing a path forward back to the playoffs. Detroit is top five in expected goals percentage this season at 57 percent and its top line is a big part of it. Moritz Seider having a strong start to his career on the back end has also been very helpful. He and Raymond look like real foundational pieces early on.

Continued (paywall); Wings fans are hoping that Raymond and Seider are indeed the “real deal.”

Per NHL History Girl on Twitter:

On this date in 1995, #RedWings debuted five former Soviet Union players: Sergei Fedorov, Viachslav Fetisov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Igor Larionov, and Vyacheslav Kozlov— Jen (@NHLhistorygirl) October 27, 2021

Also:

On this date in 1963, #RedWings Gordie Howe scored his 544th career #NHL goal, tying #Habs Maurice Richard for all-time leading #NHL scorer.— Jen (@NHLhistorygirl) October 27, 2021

ESPN’s Kristen Shilton posted a set of power rankings this morning, and the Red Wings’ status is summarized accurately:

22. Detroit Red Wings

Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: .583
Upcoming schedule: @ WSH (Oct. 27), vs. FLA (Oct. 29), @ TOR (Oct. 30), @ MTL (Nov. 2)

After five years of missing playoffs, the Red Wings’ youth movement is helping them turn a corner. Tyler Bertuzzi‘s scoring at a goal-per-game pace already, and Detroit’s got a pair of rookies — Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider — who are top five in rookie scoring. Add in a solid start from captain Dylan Larkin and it’s a little less surprising to see Detroit humming early.

Continued; credit’s due to Dylan Larkin’s scintillating start as well.