Something tells me I’d better get used to this late-night translating Swedish business.
Lucas Raymond’s phone number is in the hands of the Swedish press, and he’s gracious enough to answer when they call, so, after being named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month, and scoring a goal in the Wings’ 4-3 shootout win over Seattle, Raymond spoke with Expressen’s Gunnar Nordstrom and Aftonbladet’s Per Bjurman.
Here’s a rough translation of his conversation with Gunnar Nordstrom, minus the last two paragraphs (which are kind of redundant)…
The success continues for Lucas Raymond
Los Angeles. The day began with him being named “Rookie of the Month” for the NHL for November. It ended with Lucas Raymond scoring his 10th goal, and being voted the #1 star when Detroit beat Seattle 4-3 after penalty shots.
It was the Red Wings’ fourth straight win.
“Yes, it’s a very nice victory and good to get started with a streak. It feels good on the team, which makes it easier to play,” says Lucas Raymond to SportExpressen.
His goal in tonight’s game came after 6:30 of the 3rd period and was a show-stopper. Raymond got the puck in the middle of the slot, and turned away two opponents before sending off a hard wrist shot, which flew past Seattle goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
The full goal gave Detroit a 3-2 lead and was Raymond’s 22nd point in 24 games as a rookie in the NHL. He continues to lead the rookie points league, five points ahead of Toronto’s Michael Bunting. Lucas has scored 4 points, 3 goals and 1 assist, in the last 5 games.
“Not our best game”
With the help of the 19-year-old Swede, Detroit is joining the fight for the playoffs in the NHL’s Eastern Conference.
“Today may not have been our best game, but we found a way to win, which is strong,” says Lucas.
And here’s a rough translation of his conversation with Afonbladet’s Bjurman:
Olympic Runner-Up Raymond with his 10th goal for Detroit in the NHL
New York. The rookie sensation that the Tre Kronor management forgot to name to the Olympic list struck again last night.
Lucas Raymond scored his 10th goal of the season and could very well be described as the hottest Swede in the NHL.
“I’m an offensive forward and I try to take responsibility as such,” he says after the 4-3 win over Seattle.
As Sportbladet’s Hans Abrahamsson and Tomas Ros recently revealed, Johan Garpenlov and his staff failed to include Raymond on the 55-man roster that was put together this summer, and if ongoing attempts to correct the mistake fail, he won’t be able to go with the Tre Kronor to China in February.
How unfortunate it would be was obvious again with all the desired clarity when Detroit hosted the Seattle Kraken last night, because he, like only one other Swede, scored his 10th goal of this season.
It was nice, too. He was standing with his back to Seattle’s bench when he, 6:30 into the 3rd period, got the puck, but he ended up on a five-pointer, and whipped away a shot that Philipp Grubauer was not at all prepared for.
“It was nice to get the 10th goal, of course, I’m an offensive forward and I try to take my responsibilities as such. Although I don’t think so much, I only play as well as I can,” says the 19-year-old from Gothenburg.
The victory was the Red Wings’ 4th straight, and thanks to that record, they have, to general surprise, made the playoff cut.
“We’ve found our way back to our game,” Lucas continues. “The victory tonight wasn’t the most beautiful, but we got the job done and it was big.”
