Month: December 2024

Red Wings-Blues morning skate Tweets: Edvinsson taking part in skate, Chiarot absent

The 13-16-and-4 Detroit Red Wings host the St. Louis Blues this evening at Little Caesars Arena (7 PM EST start on FanDuel Sportsnet Detroit/FanDuel Sportsnet Midwest/97.1 FM).

The Red Wings hope to bounce back from a pair of incredibly disappointing losses to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday and Saturday, while the 15-16-and-4 Blues have lost 3 straight games, most recently dropping a 2-1 overtime loss to Florida on Saturday.

The Red Wings lost the services of Simon Edvinsson (upper-body injury) during last Wednesday’s win vs. Philadelphia, and Ben Chiarot (upper-body injury) during Saturday’s loss to Montreal, so the Wings were quite concerned about the state of their blueline heading into tonight’s game.

At the Wings’ morning skate, MLive’s Ansar Khan was the first to report that Simon Edvinsson was at least skating…

Khan also reported that Cam Talbot was taking the morning skate “in the starter’s net,” and it’s rare that Talbot takes the skate at all…

But Ben Chiarot was absent:

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton also weighed in…

As did DetroitRedWings.com’s Daniella Bruce…

Continue reading Red Wings-Blues morning skate Tweets: Edvinsson taking part in skate, Chiarot absent

Red Wings-Blues previews

The 13-16-and-4 Detroit Red Wings face off against the 15-16-and-4 St. Louis Blues tonight at Little Caesars Arena (7 PM EST start on FanDuel Sportsnet Detroit/FanDuel Sportsnet Midwest/97.1 FM).

Detroit will complete their pre-Christmas schedule against a team that’s lost 3 straight games, including a 2-1 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday. St. Louis has lost 3 of their past 4 games and 5 of their last 7, so the Blues are facing a similarly desperate situation in terms of needing a quick turnaround to keep their playoff hopes alive.

MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a short preview of tonight’s game…

The Red Wings’ compete level was lacking Saturday in a 5-1 loss at the Bell Centre. Their goaltending hasn’t been as sharp as they’ve allowed 13 goals in the past four games. Cam Talbot likely will start tonight.

It remains to be seen whether top-four defensemen Simon Edvinsson and Ben Chiarot, both dealing with upper-body injuries, will be available. Edvinsson didn’t play the past two games. Chiarot was injured during the second period Saturday.

The power play, ranked in the top 10 most of the season, has struggled of late, going 2 for 25 (eight percent) in the past nine games.

The Blues are 6-4-3 since Jim Montgomery replaced Drew Bannister as coach on Nov. 25. The Bruins fired Montgomery six says prior.

Jordan Kyrou leads St. Louis with 14 goals and 28 points. Defenseman Cam Fowler has one assist in five games since being acquired from Anaheim. Jordan Binnington is 8-13-3 with a 3.00 goals-against average and .896 save percentage.

As did the Blues website’s Gabby Khodadad and Brett Barczewski:

Continue reading Red Wings-Blues previews

Wings’ beat writers discuss Detroit’s gloomy situation

Yesterday and overnight, the Red Wings’ beat writers dissected the Red Wings’ 5-1 loss to Montreal and back-to-back losses to the Habs as part of an incredibly disappointing first 33-game start for Detroit’s NHL team.

MLive’s Ansar Khan noted comments made by Moritz Seider after the Wings’ loss, and ahead of tonight’s clash with the St. Louis Blues (7 PM EST start on FanDuel Sportsnet Detroit/FanDuel Sportsnet Midwest/97.1 FM):

“We just got outcompeted, outworked and that’s a very frustrated feeling,” Moritz Seider told media at the game. “Just have to turn the page and regroup and find a way to win hockey games and especially find a good reason to get to the locker room in the next couple of days with a little bit of different energy.”

The Red Wings (13-16-4) are eight points out of the final playoff spot, which seems like a pipedream at this point, especially with six clubs between them and that position. They’d be in the Eastern Conference cellar had the Buffalo Sabres not apparently quit on the season, losers of 13 in a row (0-10-3).

…

Seider said intensity over 60 minutes is missing.

“It’s hard to win if you have little dips and lags in your game,” he said. “Obviously, you’re not going to be perfect every time, but we always have to aim for perfection. We’re just not good enough right now. I think we can all agree we’re not filling the expectations we’re all hoping for.”

The Free Press’s Helene St. James also noted Seider’s remarks, as well as those of Joe Veleno and Patrick Kane, as context for the importance of winning tonight’s game vs. St. Louis:

Continue reading Wings’ beat writers discuss Detroit’s gloomy situation

Recap: Grand Rapids Griffins lose in OT to Texas

The Grand Rapids Griffins suffered a 3-2 overtime loss to the Texas Stars on Sunday, and the Griffins’ website posted a recap thereof:

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Despite earning a point, the Grand Rapids Griffins fell to the Texas Stars 3-2 in overtime on Sunday at Van Andel Arena courtesy of a power-play game-winner. 

Dominik Shine tallied his seventh goal of the year during the outing, good for his third point in the last four games (1-2—3). Elmer Soderblom earned his second goal of the campaign, while Brogan Rafferty and Shai Buium were credited with assists. Goaltender Sebastian Cossa turned away 27 shots, maintaining a .919 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average alongside a 10-5-3 record. 

Just 3:27 into the contest, Shine broke loose from the Texas defense and gave the Griffins an early lead with an unassisted goal. Grand Rapids quickly added to its lead when Soderblom sniped the puck home at 8:28. Soderblom skated into the Stars’ zone and went bar down past the netminder at the top of the right circle. Grand Rapids finished the first frame ahead 2-0, as The Griffins’ first two shots resulted in goals. 

The Stars earned their first tally of the outing with 3:34 left in the second period when Justin Hryckowian scored. Each team killed off a penalty in the frame, as the Griffins preserved a 2-1 lead entering the third.

Grand Rapids jumped out to an 8-3 shot advantage in the final period and held the lead, but with 1:24 remaining, Hryckowian tied the score at two with his second goal. A Griffins’ penalty left them short handed for the final 1:18 of regulation but they denied the Stars’ scoring efforts, extending the contest to overtime. 

Grand Rapids entered overtime short handed and turned away three shots, but Arttu Hyry snuck the puck past Cossa for the game-winning goal at 1:28, as the Griffins fell 3-2. 

The Griffins’ website posted a photo gallery, a highlight clip and an interview clip…

Continue reading Recap: Grand Rapids Griffins lose in OT to Texas

Proteau sees a ‘fit’ for John Klingberg with the Red Wings

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his Saturday Headlines that former NHL defenseman John Klingberg is still looking to play hockey this season.

As such, the Hockey News’s Adam Proteau believes that the Red Wings and two other teams may benefit from signing the offense-only defenseman:

Detroit Red Wings: The Red Wings haven’t been afraid to sign an older, former star player to come in and help them try to get into the post-season – see Patrick Kane for proof – and Klingberg might see Detroit as his best shot to play playoff hockey without being traded after he signs with a team.

The Wings are on the periphery of the playoff race at the moment. But if Klingberg is fully healthy, he might be able to produce enough offense – at a very low price that fits in with Detroit’s cap situation – to put the Red Wings over the top in their race for a post-season spot.

Finding an experienced hand on the back end isn’t easy, but if Klingberg chooses the Wings as the team he wants to play for on his redemption tour, Detroit could wind up benefiting in terms of a subsequent trade – or Klingberg may help them get a playoff spot.

Continued; with the signing of Erik Gustafsson not working out, the Red Wings could use some offense from their blueline, and while Klingberg is not very good at actually defending, I could see the Wings finding a fit here.

A Wings-Habs post-mortem from Kulfan

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan discusses the Red Wings’ 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens this morning, offering something of a “post-mortem” of last night’s loss:

“We just got out-competed and out-worked,” defenseman Moritz Seider told reporters after Saturday’s loss. “That’s a very frustrating feeling. Coming in here, obviously we had a gameplan but couldn’t really emphasize on that. Now, we just have to turn the page and regroup. Find a way to win hockey games, especially find a good reason to get to the locker room the next couple of days with a little bit different energy.”

Brief lulls in the Wings’ overall game cost them dearly in both losses to the Canadiens. And when their game dipped, it erased any chance of a victory. What’s missing in the Wings’ game right now?

“The intensity over 60 minutes,” Seider said. “It’s hard to win when you have little dips and lags in your game. Obviously you’re not going to be perfect every time, but we always have to aim for perfection. We’re just not good enough right now.”

It’s deep enough in the NHL season where it’s fine to talk about jockeying for playoff spots. Being eight points away from a potential playoff spot with six teams to pass is hardly a good position, no matter how relatively close the standings look.

“It definitely hurts us standings-wise,” forward Joe Veleno told reporters of the defeats. “Bigger picture, obviously it’s a long year. But we got to realize how crucial these division points are and how you can really get a leap on teams by winning in your division. It’s a four-point weekend that we just let slip away.”

Continued; things are tough all over right now.

At least Patrick Kane’s got ‘er going

Sportsnet’s Luke Fox accentuates the positive with the following Wings-related story among his “Quick Shifts“:

Following last Thursday’s ugly 4-1 loss to the rebuilding Flyers, Patrick Kane sat in his stall and called for a momentum-shifting homestand in Detroit.

“Whether it’s being hard on each other, keeping each other accountable, looking yourself in the mirror, make sure you’re playing better yourself — all those things come into account when the team is struggling,” Kane said.

The future Hall of Famer insists his health is in good shape following hip surgery, but he isn’t happy with his own performance since re-signing with the Red Wings as a free agent for $4 million.

At the time of his honest, hard self-evaluation, Kane ranked ninth among Wings in points (10) and eighth in goals (three). He was a minus-8. A reporter asked the 36-year-old where the “pop” in his game had gone.

“It’s definitely been missing, right?” Kane conceded. “I gotta be more demanding with the puck. I gotta find ways to get it on my stick and do what I can when I get it. But I don’t think I’ve had the puck enough this year. That’s on me to demand it, to get it back.”

I was struck by Kane’s candour and his resolve fielding some pointed questions. He didn’t duck the criticism, yet he stressed a belief that he could get his game back on the rails.

“The production hasn’t been there, so it’s been disappointing and probably a big reason for where we are as a team,” Kane said. “At this point, it’s like maybe you’re hoping for things to happen. It’s not a good thing. When things are going like that, you gotta go make it happen. So, let’s make tomorrow the night to do that.”

Continued; the better Kane goes, the better the Wings go.

Unlikely to repeat

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a mailbag feature this morning. Here’s what she has to say about the Wings’ disappointing 2024-2025 season:

It’s interesting that entering Saturday, the Wings had played 32 games, and were 13-15-4, good for 30 points and sixth place in the Atlantic Division. Last year on Dec. 20, they likewise had played 32 games – and were 15-13-4, good for 34 points and fifth place in the division. That’s not much of a disparity. It wasn’t until the new year that last season’s squad took off and turned the conversation from draft lottery positioning to possibly ending the playoff drought.

It’s hard to picture this season’s team performing a similar resurrection. Last season’s squad could score: At the date referenced above, the 2023-24 Wings averaged 3.50 goals-per-game and 3.25 against, with a plus-8 overall goal differential. This season’s squad’s average is 2.69 for, 3.15 against, and a minus-15 differential. When the 2024-25 Wings have defended well, they’ve struggled to score. When they find their offense, it seems to come at the cost of their team defense.

The list of players from whom much more was expected offensively coming into the season is lengthy: Vladimir Tarasenko, who makes $4.75 million and 31 games in had four goals among 12 points. J.T. Compher, ($5.1 million); with 16 points after 31 games. Michael Rasmussen ($3.2 million); 12 points in 31 games. Joe Veleno ($2.28 million), five points in 28 games. Those are just some of the forwards. On defense, whatever the Wings expected when they signed Erik Gustafsson for two years, $4 million, it wasn’t for him to struggle so much he’d end up a healthy scratch. What an indictment on him that in the game against the Philadelphia Flyers, when Simon Edvinsson got hurt in the first period, Gustafsson was the only defenseman who played less than his average.

The fact is, the Wings are closing in on the midpoint of their season, and there’s been no indication so far that they can gain any traction. They had such a great opportunity this past week with beating the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Flyers and then hosting the Canadiens at home. And what happened Friday? The Wings didn’t give it their best, and they handed their opponent the two points. It was the same the previous week in Philadelphia, it was the same in November in California.

Continued; I want to believe that this year’s Red Wings team has a 2023-2024-like second half of the season in them, but it’s hard to do so right now.

Red Wings-Canadiens wrap-up, take 2: Lalonde answers questions about his job security after deflating loss to Montreal

Detroit struggled in its two games against the Canadiens, and they’re 1 point down vs. Montreal in the Atlantic Division standings as a result.

Detroit lost 4-3 on Friday and 5-1 on Saturday, and the Wings host the Blues on Monday to close out their pre-Christmas season, having won 3 of their past 11 games.

Things are gloomy and getting desperate for the Red Wings, who also lost defenseman Ben Chiarot in the 3rd period to an “upper-body injury,” so we’re going to cut to the chase here: the Free Press’s Helene St. James asked coach Derek Lalonde if he’s worried about his job security after the game, and here’s what he had to say:

Continue reading Red Wings-Canadiens wrap-up, take 2: Lalonde answers questions about his job security after deflating loss to Montreal