The Free Press’s Helene St. James has posted an article regarding the Red vs. White Game, which Team Red won 6-4 over Team White, shootout goals included. As St. James notes, Wings coach Derek Lalonde felt that the scrimmage, which included 1 period of 5-on-5 hockey, 1 period of power plays and penalty-killing, 5 minutes of 4-on-4, 5 minutes of 3-on-3, and a 10-man shootout, was “productive:
Lalonde went with a different format in the scrimmage, using the first period for five-on-five play, the second period for special teams, and the third for situational play (three-on-three, four-on-four). Team Red dominated the first period, carrying play in their offensive end and banking goals from newcomer Daniel Sprong (from Joe Veleno and Elmer Söderblom) and minor-league Tim Gettinger (from tryout candidate Artem Anisimov).
The second period was divided up into four, one-minute power plays per team, done twice. Moritz Seider ran one unit with Larkin, DeBrincat, Perron and Shayne Gostisbehere, while the other red unit featured Jake Walman with Sprong, Jonatan Berggren, Veleno and Söderblom. Team white’s power plays had Jeff Petry with Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, Robby Fabbri and Sprong; and Simon Edvinsson with Michael Rasmussen, Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper and Austin Czarnik. Those units, of course, will change during exhibition season.
“There were a lot of chances, which I liked,” Lalonde said. “The power play went 0-for, probably a little credit to some penalty kill, credit to some good goaltending. But all the power plays got a ton of looks and chances. If we went through a dry stretch like that during the regular season, we’d be happy knowing as long as you’re getting those looks on the power play, it’s going to go in. Guys looked comfortable in their spots.”
