Month: December 2024

On Larkin and Raymond’s Four Nations Face-Off selections

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills filed an article which discusses Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond’s being selected to play in the Four Nations Face-Off for the U.S. team and Swedish teams, respectively:

“Very happy for [Larkin and Raymond], very well-earned,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said after Thursday’s morning skate at Canadian Tire Centre. “I think both are going to play significant roles for their federations, but [I] also have a little empathy for the guys that didn’t make it. We have a handful of guys in that room that would be right on that bubble, so it’s a good moment for those guys, for sure.”

Larkin said he’s extremely humbled to wear the red, white and blue at 4 Nations Face-Off.

“It’s a great honor,” Larkin said. “To see the list of players and be part of that is a great accomplishment. It’s something I’m very proud of. I thank my wife, my family and my teammates. It’s been a pretty cool honor.”

Raymond expressed similar feelings of pride and gratitude.

“Obviously excited,” Raymond said. “Any time you get the chance to represent your country and play in a tournament like that, it’s always a lot of fun.”

Continued

Allen: Wings’ offense is missing

The Red Wings are amidst an 0-2-and-2 streak as they prepare to play the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night, and it feels like last night’s 2-1 loss to Ottawa will be an inflection point somewhere down the line.

As Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen notes, a good chunk of you were watching the Lions-Packers game last night, so Allen gets us up to speed regarding some pertinent Red Wings-related stats this morning:

If you want the abridged version of what’s happening to the Red Wings, it goes like this: Detroit was ninth in the NHL scoring last season at 3.35 goals per game. The team is 27th this season at 2.54.

When you are scoring two or fewer goals in 53.8% of your games, you aren’t to win enough games to qualify for the playoffs. That’s true, even if your defensive play and goaltending are improved.

The hard truth: Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond are playing well. But on the nights they don’t score, winning becomes far less probable. Larkin has one goal in his past seven games and Detroit is 0-2-2 in the last four.

Continued; my “elephant in the room” is the Wings’ lack of secondary scoring.

We know that the penalty-kill is awful, that goaltending has been spotty when Cam Talbot hasn’t been in net, that the PP hasn’t been spectacular, and that the team seems to collapse when bad things happen, but the inability to receive secondary scoring just stings like hell right now.

Vlad Tarasenko has started slowly, as has Patrick Kane (though Kane was injured at least), Erik Gustafsson’s being scratched for Albert Johansson and Justin Holl’s sake, and Marco Kasper may not be putting up points, but he’s been driving play and making offensive players around him better.

The Wings miss David Perron and Shayne Gostisbehere about as much as I thought they would miss them.

Trouba watch 2.0

Updated repeatedly at 12:20 PM: Per the New York Post’s Larry Brooks and TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie…

Nobody’s going to pick up Trouba and his $8 million salary off waivers, and he’s still got a 15-team no-trade list, but this indicates that the Rangers’ captain will be traded. The Rangers will have to take back salary, and/or a 3rd team may have to facilitate a trade via taking on cap space for a draft pick and/or assets going that 3rd team’s way.

At this point, it’s just impossible to rule the Red Wings out of the situation given their performance issues and status as rumor mill rumblers last summer.

Via Red Wings Prospects on Twitter:

Also:

Continue reading Trouba watch 2.0

Morning news: Power rankings, an ASP update, trade talk, Griffiti and a Wings-Avs preview

Of Red Wings and Grand Rapids Griffins-related note this morning:

  1. ESPN’s Power Rankings reflect the status of the Red Wings among the NHL media this morning, while discussing the Wings’ “Four Nations” participants:

26. Detroit Red Wings

Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 46.15%

Dylan Larkin was reportedly always in the plans for Team USA, and he’ll spot familiar face Lucas Raymond skating for Sweden in this event.

Next seven days: vs. COL (Dec. 7), @ BUF (Dec. 9), @ PHI (Dec. 12)

2. In prospect-related news, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff reports that Axel Sandin-Pellikka scored his 8th goal of the SHL season (and added an assist) during Skelleftea AIK’s 5-4 win over MoDo Hockey on Thursday:

3. I think that SI’s Jacob Punturi might be a little misinformed when it comes to discussing potential trade acquisitions to bolster the Florida Panthers’ blueline…

Continue reading Morning news: Power rankings, an ASP update, trade talk, Griffiti and a Wings-Avs preview

Press release: Flint Firebirds to host ‘Flint Generals vs. Joe Kocur Foundation/Red Wings Alumni’ game on December 14th

Per a press release from the OHL’s Flint Firebirds:

The Flint Firebirds announced on Wednesday that the team will be hosting a game to take place between Flint Generals Alumni and the Joe Kocur Foundation, featuring Detroit Red Wings Alumni, prior to the team’s Flint Generals Night on Saturday, December 14.

The alumni game will take place at 3:30 p.m. with doors set to open at 3 p.m. Fans must have a ticket to that evening’s Firebirds game against in order to attend. Flint will take on the Owen Sound Attack at 7 p.m. and will be wearing specialty Flint Generals jerseys that will be auctioned live postgame, with proceeds benefitting the Old Newsboys of Flint.

The Flint Generals originally played in Flint as members of the International Hockey League (IHL) from 1969-1985 and won the IHL’s Turner Cup as league champions in 1984. The Generals returned to Flint in 1993 as members of the Colonial Hockey League, which later became the United Hockey League, and operated until 2010, winning two championships (1996, 2000).

The Generals roster, which is subject to change, will be coached by Robbie Nichols, Rob Valicevic and Stephane Brochu. It will feature Jim Duhart, Dale Greenwood, Lorne Knauft, John Heasty, Chad Grills, Brent Currie, John DiPace, Trevor Bremner, Lee Jelenic, Gary Roach, Derek Knorr and Rob Laurie

The Red Wings Alumni roster, playing through the Joe Kocur Foundation and also subject to change, will feature Joe Kocur, Darren McCarty, Kevin Miller, Drew Miller, Ryan Barnes, Dean Kolstad, Corey Potter, Ethan Graham and Jim Slater.

Flint hosts the Owen Sound Attack on Flint Generals Night, which is also the Old Newsboys Toy Drive, and is sponsored by Dort Financial Credit Union. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. and fans can get a free ticket to the games by donating a toy with a recommended minimum value of $10, as part of the Old Newsboys Toy Drive. The toy drive begins on Wednesday, December 4 and will run up to the date of the game, Saturday, December 14, at the Dort Financial Center box office.

Red Wings-Senators wrap-up: ‘no one is coming in to save the day’…or the season.

The Detroit Red Wings lost a 2-1 decision to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, and the fact that the Red Wings surrendered the lead with only 42.8 seconds left…

It sucked.

Detroit’s now 0-2-and-2 in their last 4 games, and the mighty Avalanche come to town for a rare home game on Saturday night (7 PM EST on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Altitude; the Avs lost a 5-3 decision to Carolina in Raleigh on Thursday, so they’re not going to be in a good mood).

This team just doesn’t seem to know how to get out of its own way right now, and at 10-12-and-4, it’s losing ground rapidly in the tightly-packed Atlantic Division.

I’m a little lost as to where I think that the Red Wings are going right now. I’ve tried to remain as positive as possible, believing that this team at least has the talent and wherewithal to extricate itself from its incredibly mediocre start, but if it keeps stumbling over its own collective skates, I don’t know what’s next, other than a coaching change and some personnel moves to attempt to stabilize a ship that’s listing badly.

Thankfully, at a moment where The Fourth Period reports that the Wings are open for trading business, and John Buccigross says that the Red Wings need no less than 4 more good forwards, 3 defensemen, and a star goaltender to turn things around, the Red Wings’ captain is speaking logically:

Whatever this 10-12-and-4 team is becoming, I’m not expecting a savior or multiple saviors to come out of the woodwork to turn the ship around. Whatever happens, until and unless a coach is fired, and until and unless trades are made, it’s up to the coaching staff and players who are here right now to light a fire under the players’ asses and it’s up to each and every one of the Red Wings’ players to be better on a shift-by-shift basis to get the hell out of this mire and muck that is being in the middle of the middle of nowhere.

If you missed this one watching the Lions beat the Packers on “Thursday Night Football,” the Canadian Press offers a bare-bones recap…

Continue reading Red Wings-Senators wrap-up: ‘no one is coming in to save the day’…or the season.

Red Wings-Senators quick take: gut punch

The 10-11-and-4 Detroit Red Wings played something of a “barometer game” against a team with a similar record in the 10-12-and-2 Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

The Senators are usually a team whose size, strength and after-the-whistle shenanigans tend to vex the Red Wings, so the game promised some potential fireworks for interested viewers–and a reunion of the “Pizza Line” of Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza for Sens fans.

On Thursday night, Detroit was able to keep the Sens to a zero on 5 power play opportunities, Detroit scored a power play goal of its own, and the Wings rallied from a Josh Norris goal in the 1st with a mid-3rd-period PPG from DeBrincat…

But Norris scored again on an easy rush with 42.8 seconds left in regulation time, and Detroit lost 2-1 to Ottawa, which has now tied the Red Wings in points.

Detroit can’t seem to win in Ottawa, and this one was just crushing in terms of the nature in which the Sens won a “walk-off” late.

Continue reading Red Wings-Senators quick take: gut punch

Videos: Larkin, Raymond and Lalonde speak with the media; ‘The Forecheck’ previews Wings-Sens

Ahead of tonight’s game between Detroit and Ottawa…

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, forward Lucas Raymond and coach Derek Lalonde spoke with the media this early afternoon…

And DetroitRedWings.com’s Daniella Bruce and Wings radio play-by-play man Ken Kal updated the Red Wings’ situation in a new episode of “The Forecheck”:

Getting my health-related stuff together

I feel that it’s necessary to post a health update:

I’m still having anxiety issues–and Aunt Annie had an anxiety attack on Tuesday, so we were quite the pair–but in my case, things are getting slowly better, though having a lengthy anxiety attack is exhausting and numbing.

I am seeing my therapist today, and that should help sort the situation out…

Aunt Annie has an echocardiogram scheduled for Thursday at 11:00 AM to determine whether she needs a pacemaker installed, so I’m going to miss Thursday’s Wings-Sens morning skates, but my hope is to return on Thursday afternoon/evening.

Having an anxiety disorder and depression can be debilitating, but those of us who battle through these illnesses do our best to make sure that they do not disrupt our daily lives. When that happens, we do what we are able to do to rectify the situation as quickly as possible, and that’s where I’m at right now.