The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton has filed his morning-after-the-game notebook, and I’d like to focus on his discussion of the strong play of Marco Kasper and Albert “seven shots blocked” Johansson in last night’s 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning:
Kasper scored the game-winner for the Red Wings, doing so on a deft twirling deflection off a JT Compher feed to the net front. McLellan praised the “heavier” and “direct” game Kasper has played since being promoted to the top line next to Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, and, even if the goal came with a mixed line following a penalty kill, those traits were on display.
“You look at the goal he got tonight, I know he wasn’t on the ice with Larkin in that case, but he got in on the forecheck, we kept a puck alive, he got himself free…he went to the net,” McLellan pointed out, while also stressing that Kasper wasn’t just benefiting from his line mates, those line mates are also benefiting from him and his work rate. Kasper himself earned a reward for taking a hard route to the net.
Meanwhile, Johansson played a career high 20:49. He started shifts in the defensive zone against Nikita Kucherov, something that would’ve been unthinkable under Detroit’s previous coaching staff, and he looked very much at home. In the third period, after Tampa forward Jake Guentzel took an extra whack at Talbot following a wrap-around attempt, it was Johansson who intervened immediately. In keeping with the evening’s theme, he had to absorb a bit of pain for doing so in the form of jabs from Guentzel, but he also showed off the “fierceness” McLellan lauded in him after the win over the Habs Thursday,
Per Natural Stat Trick, Johansson played 18:25 at five-on-five, and in those minutes, he earned a 66.25% share of on-ice expected goals, plus Detroit outscored the Lightning 1–0. He also led the Red Wings with seven shot blocks. Based on his present form, it’s awfully hard to imagine Johansson coming out of the lineup when indeed Jeff Petry does get back to full health.
Continued; I’ve gotten used to Kasper’s, “Everybody said that his production will come over time, and now ‘over time’ is here” strong play, but Johansson is still something of a revelation to me.
He’s been fantastic despite standing at 6′ tall and a team-listed 168 pounds, displaying the kind of savvy and poise you might expect from a 24-year-old who’s spent two years in the AHL and three full seasons in the SHL. Johansson knows how to leverage his stick and body to make up for his lack of size, and his positioning and skating are impeccable.
We all already know that Kasper is something of a fleet-footed bulldog out there on the ice; I didn’t expect Johansson to be so damned dependable, but it’s a fantastic surprise to see.
