Wings-Hawks post-morning skate Tweets and articles: Kane on Toews’ comeback; Caputo on Larkin; Gustafsson not underestimating his former team

The Detroit Red Wings host the Chicago Blackhawks this evening (7 PM EST on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/CHSN/NHL Network/Sportsnet East/Sportsnet West/Sportsnet Ontario/97.1 FM), and MLive’s Ansar Khan reported nothing unusual during the Wings’ morning skate today.

After Detroit’s morning skate, and as the Blackhawks skated on Little Caesars Arena’s ice surface, the Wings’ players and coach spoke with the media, and Patrick Kane was asked about a former teammate’s comeback attempt:

Meanwhile, in the fantasy hockey department, NHL.com is suggesting that poolies pick up the Red Wings’ captain for tonight’s game:

Player to watch for a point and/or SOG: Dylan Larkin, F, DET (vs. CHI)

The Detroit Red Wings center has 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists) in 40 games and nine points (five goals, four assists) over a six-game point streak. Larkin has at least one point in all six games since coach Todd McLellan took over and is tied for the team-lead in points (nine) and power-play points (six) over that span (Dec. 26). Larkin leads Detroit with 29 shots (4.8 per game) and is first among forwards in ice-time (19:56) under McLellan. He has at least two points and four SOG in three straight games. The Chicago Blackhawks have allowed the sixth-most goals per game (3.37) and the most (3.92) since Dec. 10. Per NHL EDGE stats, Larkin ranks among the leaders in speed bursts over 20 mph (131; 97th percentile), high-danger goals (11; 95th percentile) and midrange shots (37; 91st percentile). — Chris Meaney

Also in the fantasy hockey department, per The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman:

Simon Edvinsson, D, DET | 4% Yahoo

If you’re looking for some offense from Detroit, someone on that top power-play unit should be on your radar. PP1 consists of Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, Moritz Seider, and Patrick Kane — the latter being the most attainable. But if you want a defender to shore up some of the secondary categories, then Edvinsson could be for you.

Along with Seider at even strength, Edvinsson is tasked with matching up to opponents’ best offensive talents. That means there will be a lot of shot-blocking opportunities, especially when Detroit matches up with some playoff-caliber teams like the Panthers, Lightning and Stars next week. 

Speaking of Larkin, 97.1 the Ticket’s Pat Caputo proclaims that it’s “Time for Dylan Larkin to start defining [his] legacy“…

More than any other Detroit player, this has to be Dylan Larkin’s time. He is 28. He was named captain four years ago.

Hockey is unique. The “C” on the sweater is more than symbolic, especially in Hockeytown. The best coaches establish the parameters. It’s the captain that imposes the will so they are observed.

Larkin is now longer a kid. He is an $8 million-plus, 10-year veteran in his prime with nearly 700 NHL games under his belt.

These are the seasons that will define his legacy, and it won’t necessarily be determined by goals and points as much as leadership and wins.

It will be ushering immensely talented youngsters Lucas Raymond  and Moritz Seider to greatness, and making sure the malaise which infected the Red Wings before the coaching change doesn’t happen again.

Being Red Wings’ captain isn’t just an honor, it’s a responsibility. It’s Dylan Larkin’s time.

And DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills posted a Wings-Hawks game preview:

“The vibes are really good in the locker room right now,” Marco Kasper said. “Practices are really good. I think we’re practicing with a really good purpose. We’re just trying to get the structure in, play a structured game, play a solid 60 for minutes and go for the next win.”

The Red Wings are red-hot heading into the second contest of their current four-game homestand, most recently pushing past the Ottawa Senators, 3-2, in overtime on Tuesday.

“Systems-wise, everybody knows what they’re doing out there,” Erik Gustafsson said about Detroit’s play during its winning streak. “Trusting each other, and obviously we’ve won five games in a row here. We believe we are a great team in here. We just got to keep it going.”

Gustafsson said generating more scoring chances is also playing a critical role in the Red Wings’ current success.

“Ever since Todd [McLellan] came in, he’s wanted us to shoot it a little more,” Gustafsson said. “Get the puck to the net and bodies in front. It’s always hard when the other team is shooting. You don’t know where the puck is going…If we shoot more pucks, the puck is going to go in.”

Gustafsson isn’t suggesting that the Hawks are a middling team, either:

“We know that, obviously looking at the standings, they’re a great team,” Gustafsson said about the Blackhawks. “They have top players on their team too. We got to be ready from the start. If we play a full 60 minutes, I think we can come out on top.”

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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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