Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:
- The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan focuses on three areas in which the Red Wings have improved over the course of Todd McLellan’s tenure with the team, from the crease on out…
You got the sense during the losing streak heading to the coaching change that the goaltending was teetering a bit. Both Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon were returning from injuries, and they looked rusty. They were facing a high volume of shots nightly, and the defense in front of them was leaky.
It all added up to difficult assignments in keeping the Wings close in games.
But the Wings have been a better team defensively under McLellan, they’ve reduced the shot volume dramatically, and Lyon and Talbot are back to grinding victories. Lyon’s victory on Saturday, over Winnipeg star Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce Township), was Lyon’s sixth win in his last seven decisions.
“If you look at save percentage, one (shot) out of every 10 goes in,” McLellan said. “When you’re giving up 40 (shots) a night, you’re not giving yourselves a true opportunity to win. We’ve asked the players to check a little harder, to close quicker, block more shots and play more calm when they’re in a panic mode — and they’ve done a good job.
“Alex, he’s done a real good job of managing the games. Getting us a whistle when we needed to, and slowing it down when we needed to. That’s real important, too.”
2. And Detroit Hockey Now’s Max Smith praises the Wings’ revamped defensive corps in “Two Truths and a Lie“:
Truth: Blue Line Change for the Better
Detroit’s “Twin Towers”, as Mickey Redmond has affectionately named Seider and Simon Edvinsson were one of hockey’s best blue line pairings this season. As a result, they were taking on some of the hardest defensive minutes in hockey. Despite their success however, the second and third pairings have been struggling this season. Splitting the two up takes some of the pressure off the second pairing. Even if it puts more pressure on Seider.
For his part, Seider has proven time and time again throughout his career that he’s one of the best workhorse defensemen in the league. The former Calder Trophy winner signed a 7-year extension this last offseason, and he’s more than living up to it. The young blue-liner is top 5 on the team for points. And according to his new coach, he’s only going to be getting better. If this team ever makes the “A” a permanent patch, Seider’s more than earned it.
On the other hand, the massive Edvinsson has been more than pulling his weight. Edvinsson is proving to be one of the better players on the roster. Prior to this season, he had 25 total NHL games under his belt. He has 14 points (4 G, 10A) so far in his first full season in Detroit. Spreading out the top two defenseman on the team isn’t ideal, but it allows for a shutdown defender to be on ice for two of the three defensive pairings.
