Month: November 2021

The Detroit Red Wings emerged 4-2 victors in a mightily entertaining battle with the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night, and things will get no easier as the Washington Capitals will come to town on Thursday…

But this 7-5-and-2 Red Wings team is at literal .500 after 14 games, and this brutal stretch of 11 games to be played over the course of 17 nights won’t even be half over until after Thursday night…

But the Red Wings have won 3 straight games for the first time in two seasons, and there’s little doubt that they’re not going to be shivering in their skate boots when Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals come to town on Thursday.

It’s still bloody early in the season, but this year’s Red Wings team has a different definition of “competitive,” and we’re still at the point where it seems to shock the contenders that the Red Wings have given competitive efforts.

For our friends from Edmonton, however, this game turned upon a self-inflicted wound by Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, who fumbled the puck in his second NHL start, affording Dylan Larkin what appeared to be a 3-0, insurance goal at 14:29 of the 2nd period. The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson offered this take on Skinner, who stopped 35 of the 38 shots he faced:

Continue reading Red Wings-Oilers wrap-up: Detroit’s ‘intimidation factor’ near zero as they win 3rd straight game

Red Wings forward Sam Gagner hit the 900-game milestone tonight, and he posted the primary assist on Vladislav Namestnikov’s first goal in Detroit’s 4-2 win over Edmonton.

Sam Gagner recorded an assist while playing in his 900th career regular-season game. He and his father, Dave (946), are one of six father-son duos in NHL history to each hit the benchmark.#NHLStats: https://t.co/Gp5cahrPgA pic.twitter.com/UWn8AQY7Nu— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 10, 2021

Gagner spoke with the Edmonton Sun’s Robert Tychkowski about his milestone, and his time spent with the Edmonton Oilers, the team that drafted him:

“Edmonton holds a special place in my heart,” said the 32-year-old Detroit Red Wing, who hit the 900 milestone Tuesday against his old team. “I met my wife there. My daughter was born there. My wife’s family still lives there. I owe a lot to the Oilers organization for giving me a chance and developing me. It’s always special playing against these guys.”

With 542 of his 900 games coming in Edmonton, Gagner is 20th on the Oilers all time games played list. He says his time here taught him valuable lessons that he uses today on a Detroit team in a rebuilding mode of its own.

“It allowed me to gain some perspective and it’s helping me now in the situation I’m in here,” said Gagner, whose eight-point night against Chicago in 2012 still stands as the team’s all-time single-game record.

“It’s helping me to be a leader for some of the guys who are going through some of the same things early in their career. I’m thankful for my time in Edmonton. Early on in my career it was a great opportunity for me. I enjoyed everything about being an Oiler and playing there and living in the city. I have a lot of great memories from my time there. The second stint was a different stage of my life with a family and the Oilers were starting to turn the corner so it was fun to be a part of that, as well. Nothing but fond memories.”

Continued

The Detroit Red Wings, standing at 6-5-and-2 heading into tonight’s game, faced the 9-and-1 Edmonton Oilers in what was going to be a “learning experience” game no matter what against McDavid, Draisaitl and the Oilers’ elite scorers.

In what was a gigantic learning experience, no doubt, the Red Wings raced out to a 3-0 lead and held on for dear life, ultimately defeating the Edmonton Oilers 4-2.

Vladislav Namestnikov (2) and Dylan Larkin scored the Red Wings’ first three goals, and Jesse Puljujarvi and Connor McDavid made it incredibly close late in the 2nd and then in the early 3rd period, but Alex Nedeljkovic was tremendous, stopping 31 shots, and Moritz Seider’s empty-netter salted away a huge victory.

Continue reading Red Wings-Oilers quick take: Learn, grow, win.

On Bally Sports Detroit’s intermission show:

Ken Holland, current @EdmontonOilers GM and former @DetroitRedWings GM, joins John Keating and Chris Osgood. Holland reflects on taking Osgood in the draft, among other memories, and about his upcoming induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/RuELe77QAl— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) November 10, 2021

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan spoke with long-time Red Wings GM Ken Holland regarding his imminent induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame:

It’s been two years now, and his Edmonton Oilers are among the elite teams in the NHL. The connection to the Red Wings’ organization is growing more detached with each passing day.

But Ken Holland always will have a significant attachment to the Wings’ organization, for all he did constructing a roster that made the playoffs 25 consecutive years and won four Stanley Cups.

Returning to Detroit always was going to be special, and Tuesday was no different, on a road trip that’ll include a trip to Toronto this weekend where Holland will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“I was with the Red Wings for 36 years and I lived in Detroit for 25 years,” said Holland, the president and general manager of the Oilers, who spent 22 of those years as general manager. “Obviously Little Caesars Arena is a little bit different than the Joe (Louis Arena). I never stayed at the Western Book Cadillac before (before this week). But, certainly, I have a lot of great memories from my time in Detroit.”

Continued

From Edmonton’s TSN 1260: The Athletic’s Max Bultman spoke with “Lowdown With Lowetide” this afternoon, and I can only provide the link to the interview, but it’s a good one…

As is Sam Gagner’s 15-minute interview with Jason Gregor…

MLive’s Ansar Khan notes that Red Wings forward Sam Gagner will hit the 900-game milestone this evening:

Gagner will play his 900th game tonight. That is just 46 fewer than his father, Dave, played in the NHL from 1985-1999.

“Certainly, there’s some ups and downs, but I’ve enjoyed the journey,” Gagner said. “It’s a nice milestone. For our family, it’s pretty cool. At the same time, I want to keep playing as long as I can, so I’ll just keep pushing forward.”

He could pass his father in games played later this season.

“I’m not really in competition with him,” Gagner said. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m adding to his total, with what he’s done for me and how much he means to me, what he taught me about the game and life.”

Sam Gagner was drafted sixth overall by Edmonton in 2007. Three brief stints in the minors, most recently in 2019-20, put his career at a crossroads, but the trade to the Red Wings revitalized him.

“He’s 32 and he’s already got to 900 games,” Blashill said. “It’s been awesome to watch him continue to grow his game. He came in the league as a highly touted offensive player who was very good offensively and I think now he’s really rounded his game out, took a lot of pride in his defensive play, has become a real reliable player for us, kills penalties, out there five-on-six, has been on lines I’ve used against the other team’s best because he does it the right way. He’s smart and I can trust him. He’s a great example to our young players on how to be accountable to yourself.”

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted the second part of a 2-part interview in which Ken Holland speaks with Vancouver Hockey Now‘s Rob Simpson regarding his decision to leave the Red Wings:

“It was time for change,” Holland said.

It was actually Holland who went to the Ilitch family and recommended that they pursue Yzerman as GM after he had chosen to step down as GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“I went to the ownership and I said, ‘This is a great opportunity for the organization,’” Holland said “I hold Steve in the highest regard, not only as a player, not only as a person, but he’d been in Tampa Bay for nine years and he’d built Tampa Bay into one of the elite franchises in the NHL.

“I felt it was time for me to step aside and bring Steve home.”

Both Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen and MLive’s Ansar Khan posted notebook articles regarding the Red Wings’ hope of containing Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Jesse Puljujarvi this evening. Allen noted McDavid’s accomplishments…

The Red Wings will be looking to play keep-away against Connor McDavid and Draisaitl tonight when they face off at Little Caesars Arena at 7:30 p.m. (Bally Sports).  Few teams have been successful against the twosome this season. Draisaitl has 23 points and McDavid 22 in the Oilers’ 9-1 start.

“They continue to get better and you can see it with the record Edmonton has,” Blashill said.

Draisaitl registered 10 points in his past three games, while McDavid has a point in every game the Oilers have played. In those 10 games, he has registered one point twice, two points four times, and three points four times. Recently, he went through four New York Rangers to score a spectacular goal that was the talk of the hockey world.

“It’s having the awareness to see the gap there,” Detroit’s Sam Gagner said about the goal. “He waits for guys to get onside and then he sees the opening. It’s one thing to see the opening. It’s another thing to be able to take two crossovers and be through it.”

And Khan noted that the Wings may start the Bertuzzi-Larkin-Raymond line opposite McDavid:

Continue reading Allen, Khan: Red Wings wary of McDavid, Draisaitl and Puljujarvi

The Grand Rapids Griffins have posted their weekly press release:

Manitoba Comes To Town

November 9, 2021

This Week’s Games

GRIFFINS vs. Manitoba Moose // Fri., Nov. 12 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
GRIFFINS vs. Manitoba Moose // Sat., Nov. 13 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. on Friday, 96.1 The Game at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday

Watch: AHLTV

Season Series: 0-1-0-1 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Home. Third and fourth of eight meetings overall, first and second of four at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 65-34-1-1-8 Overall, 35-14-1-1-5 Home

NHL Affiliation: Winnipeg Jets

Noteworthy: Since the Moose rejoined the AHL in 2015-16, Grand Rapids is 21-10-0-1 against them, including 12-4 at Van Andel Arena, and has outscored Manitoba 100-73. The Griffins are winless in their opening two games against the Moose for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Continue reading Press release: Griffins to host Manitoba for home-and-home series this week