Sportsnet’s Mike Amato praises Lucas Raymond in his “Friday Four”:
Lucas Raymond, Sweden
One of the main reasons Sweden was able to push Canada to the limit in the opening game of the 4 Nations Face-Off was the play of Lucas Raymond.
The Detroit Red Wings forward sparked the Swedish offence with a pair of assists, including one on the game-tying goal in the third period that sent the game to overtime. His helpers weren’t exactly highlight-reel passes, but both showcased Raymond’s effort and compete level. Each goal was created from a puck battle Raymond won. On the first goal by Jonas Brodin, Raymond outmuscles Drew Doughty behind the net and creates a turnover to start the play.
Then on the second from Joel Eriksson Ek, Raymond gets the party started off the faceoff where he helps out with a winger win. It was a scrambled draw where Raymond came away with the puck as multiple players were fighting for it.
When a player with Raymond’s talents and skillset is making those type of effort plays, they’re almost impossible to stop. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised by Raymond’s abilities considering he had a breakout season in 2023-24 and he’s been one of the hottest players in the NHL over the past couple of months. Since Todd McLellan took over behind the Red Wings bench, Raymond has tallied 26 points in his past 21 games, as he and Dylan Larkin have developed into one of the more dynamic duos in hockey.
Not only has Raymond been filling up the scoresheet of late, but he’s been the catalyst for the Wings winning seven of their past eight games and propelling themselves back into a playoff spot in the crowded Eastern Conference. Raymond is now on pace for close to 90 points and gives Detroit and Sweden a dynamic scoring threat that makes everyone else around him better.
In just about every major international tournament there ends up being a player that really announces themselves to the hockey world. Someone who perhaps doesn’t get as much attention as they deserve or maybe aren’t appreciated enough for what they bring to the table. Raymond is making an early case at the 4 Nations Face-Off to be that player.
Continued; it’s just one game for Raymond at the Four Nations Face-Off, but no Red Wings fan is surprised by his strong performance…
