Of Red Wings-related note this morning:
- The Free Press’s Helene St. James wrote an article which discusses the state of the Wings after the team earned a “bonus day off” on Thursday:
With the Wings having just played Wednesday, beating the Philadelphia Flyers, 6-4, that adds up to four games in six days — and Wednesday was especially taxing for several players.
When defenseman Simon Edvinsson left in the first period with an upper-body injury — no update was available Thursday — it forced the coaching staff to deploy the five defensemen who were left onto the ice more often than normal. Ben Chiarot led the workhorse brigade with 29:14 of ice time — that’s just short of having played half the game, and roughly eight minutes more than Chiarot usually averages.. Moritz Seider logged around 28 minutes, about three above his average. Justin Holl and Jeff Petry also saw more shifts than usual; the only defenseman who didn’t was Erik Gustafsson, who was a minus-2 in in 15:30 of ice time.
The day off also reflects that the Wings (13-14-4) have put together some winning hockey of late, taking six points from their last four games. Now they have an opportunity to keep that going against the Canadiens, who share the Atlantic Division with Detroit and sit below them in the standings. This is the first time since around Thanksgiving that the Wings seem to be building a bit of traction, and banking more points is crucial to their attempts at climbing into the playoff picture.
Continued; we’ll find out about Edvinsson at the Wings’ morning skate;
2. Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted the gist of a Russian article in which Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello praises Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod coach and Red Wings alumnus Igor Larionov:
Speaking with the Russian website Sport-Express, New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello was touching on a number of subjects, including one which might be of interest to Detroit Red Wings fans.
Lamoriello thinks there’s a former Red Wings icon currently in Russia who’s ready to be an NHL head coach. And no, it isn’t Sergei Fedorov.
The Islanders GM is certain that were he to pursue it, Igor Larionov would be the NHL’s first Russian-born and trained NHL head coach.
“I think he could become a head coach in the NHL right now if he wanted to and was interested in it,” Lamoriello told Sport-Express columnist Igor Rabiner. “There is a reason why they call him the Professor.
“Larionov is extremely smart, his hockey sense is off the charts. He knows and sees the game, he loves working with young hockey players. And with those who are older.”
