Red Wings-Canadiens morning skate Tweets: Edvinsson absent, Talbot starting vs. Montembeault

The Detroit Red Wings host the Montreal Canadiens this evening (7 PM EST start on FanDuel Sportsnet Detroit/TSN2/RDS/97.1 FM) in the first half of a home-and-home series between teams that are separated by only 3 points in the Atlantic Division standings.

We all waited with bated breath regarding the status of one Simon Edvinsson, who suffered an “upper-body injury” during Wednesday’s win over Philadelphia, and the Wings hit the ice at Little Caesars Arena just before 10:30 AM. MLive’s Ansar Khan offered not-so-great news on the “is he taking part in the morning skate?” front:

The Habs are starting Samuel Montembeault tonight, so there’s that.

Anyway, The Athletic’s Max Bultman confirmed…

Khan posted the lines…

I don’t speak French, but this is a compliment toward Little Caesars Arena from TVA Sports’ Anthony Martineau…

Also of Red Wings-related note:

  1. The Canadiens’ website posted a game preview, and its picture of the Wings as a team is not flattering…

Consistency remains the Canadiens’ priority as they approach the holiday break. December has featured everything from less-than-convincing efforts leading to disappointing losses, solid performances that have fell short of earning points, and strong showings that have translated to wins. With three games remaining until the Christmas pause, the Habs look to stabilize their position in the standings by stringing together a series of victories, starting with two crucial divisional matchups Friday and Saturday.

Detroit’s rebuild is stuck in neutral. While they haven’t necessarily fallen backwards, they certainly haven’t moved forward with a 13-14-3 record. A year removed from missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker, the Wings once again find themselves just outside the postseason picture as the midway point of the 2024-25 season approaches.

This past summer, general manager Steve Yzerman made a splash by signing Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year deal. However, the Russian forward—a former 40-goal scorer—has yet to find his stride in Michigan, mirroring the team’s overall offensive inconsistency. Between the pipes, Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon have posted more than respectable numbers but as a team, the Wings are allowing on average the seventh-most goals per game, highlighting the need for a better effort inside their own blue line.

2. While Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen noted the following:

The Red Wings have won three of their last four, scoring 16 goals in those three victories. Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin continue to lead the way offensively: Raymond has 20 points in 17 games dating to Nov. 13 and Larkin boasts 21 points in his past 22 games. Raymond also has 12 goals in the past 17 games

3. And speaking of digs, The Athletic’s Sean Gentille and Dom Luszczyszyn get their shots in on the Wings while discussing each team’s best player in their latest set of power rankings:

23. Detroit Red Wings, 13-14-4

Last week: 27
Sean’s ranking: 23
Dom’s ranking: 25

Lucas Raymond
2024 stats: 76GP 33-44-77, +11 Net Rating

On one hand, Detroit indeed got shafted by the lottery gods back in 2020. On the other, they still walked away from that draft with Raymond, who just might be their best forward for a second straight season. Detroit’s roster is a mess overall, but they’re set at Raymond’s spot.

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George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!

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