In the AHL, Matthew Ford and Matt Lorito scored goals and Tom McCollum stopped 22 of 23 shots as the Grand Rapids Griffins won 2-1 over the Iowa Wild.
The Griffins’ website posted a recap:
Author: 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.
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Red Wings-Hurricanes wrap-up: nice one, Z
The Detroit Red Wings out-battled the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night, winning 3-1, and after snapping a 3-game losing streak, the Wings will try to keep the good times rolling against the New York Rangers on Sunday night (7:30 PM on FSD/MSG/NHL Network U.S./97.1 FM)
On Saturday night, the Red Wings played a tremendously solid final 40 minutes against the Hurricanes, with the Wings generating offense and withstanding a tremendous number of Hurricanes shot attempts–to the tune of a staggering 31 shots blocked (Danny DeKeyser blocked 7 shots alone).
Henrik Zetterberg also hit a milestone marker on Saturday:
Career goal No. 335 for Henrik Zetterberg tying Ted Lindsay for 5th all time in @DetroitRedWings history. #CARvsDETpic.twitter.com/AbAKEEvMoP
— NHL (@NHL) February 25, 2018
Our friends from Carolina were disappointed that their superb start didn’t result in any offensive output, as they told CarolinaHurricanes.com’s Michael Smith:
Griffins celebrate ‘Toy Night’ with LEGO stop-motion videos
The Grand Rapids Griffins celebrated “toy night” with a set of LEGO stop-motion videos, and they’re really cool:
Aaron Ward: teams interested in Tatar
From NHL analyst Aaron Ward comes a late-night trade rumor:
Hearing that the Detroit Red Wings are now getting significant interest from a good number of teams around the league in Tomas Tatar. #TFP
— Aaron Ward (@NHL_AaronWard) February 25, 2018
Two Things: Mike Green to travel with Wings for NYR game; Holland briefly addresses the deadline
Of trade deadline-related note:
1. The Free Press’s Helene St. James confirmed that Mike Green (sore neck) will travel with the team as the Wings play the New York Rangers on Sunday…
Mike Green is traveling with Red Wings tonight to New York. Wings play Rangers Sunday night.
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) February 25, 2018
2. And I was really surprised to find this in a recap, but the Associated Press’s Larry Lage spoke with Ken Holland regarding the deadline:
With a slim shot to make the playoffs for the second straight year, the franchise is trying to trade players for draft picks. Detroit defenseman Mike Green, a top candidate to be dealt in part because his contract is expiring, missed his fifth straight game with an upper-body injury.
“This time of the year, this is the free agent rental market for the most part,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “We’re going to entertain anything that we think that will help us be better in the future.”
Red Wings-Hurricanes quick take: Wings out-work and out-block the Canes
The Detroit Red Wings attempted to snap a 3-game losing streak while hosting the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night. The Red Wings trailed the Hurricanes by 6 points in the Wild Card standings, and Detroit needed to make up some ground.
The Wings’ first period wasn’t pretty, but Detroit played a tremendous final 2 periods’ worth of hockey, out-working, out-hustling, out-grinding and especially out-blocking the Carolina Hurricanes, winning 3-1.
Detroit blocked 31 Carolina Hurricanes attempts, with Danny DeKeyser blocking 7 shots alone, and 6 players blocking 3 shots apiece…
When shots got through to Jimmy Howard, Howard was excellent, stopping 28 of 29 shots, and at the other end of the ice, DeKeyser, Zetterberg and Daley scored goals on Scott Darling.
Continue reading Red Wings-Hurricanes quick take: Wings out-work and out-block the Canes
Pre-game Blash, pre-game Peters and a Game Day Preview
Of pre-game related note from the Red Wings and Carolina Hurricanes (game begins at 7:00 PM EST on FSD/FS Carolinas/97.1 FM):
#RedWings Blashill on Green: “I don’t know if it’s a setback, he just isn’t ready. He’s coming back, it’s a day-to-day thing and he’s not ready right now. We’ll see if he’s ready for tomorrow.”
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) February 24, 2018
#RedWings Blashill on if Howard will play b2b: “We need a win tonight, we’re trying to track this team down that’s in front of us so we need a win tonight. I’ll make my decision for tomorrow after the game and see how it goes. But certainly, anything’s on the table right now.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) February 24, 2018
Update:
Red Wings D Mike Green not playing tonight. Ken Holland tells Free Press it is not precautionary – Green bothered by sore neck. 5th game out tonight.
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) February 24, 2018
While we’re at it, here’s the Red Wings’ Game Day Preview video:
Continue reading Pre-game Blash, pre-game Peters and a Game Day Preview
Griffins go LEGO for Game Day Preview
Ahead of tonight’s “Toy Night” in Grand Rapids, the Griffins posted a LEGO stop-motion Game Day Preview video:
Here’s tonight’s @MilkMeansMore projected lines! #IAvsGR #GoGRG pic.twitter.com/JcNvbm6fWj
— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) February 24, 2018
Khan: Wings need to get Green in a game
MLive’s Ansar Khan believes that the Red Wings need to get Mike Green healthy enough to skate so that his trade value isn’t negatively affected by his neck injury:
It is not considered serious. Green has participated in two full practices since then, including Friday.
But it could give pause to potential suitors, including the Lightning. Green, in the final year of his contract at $6 million, has agreed to waive his no-trade clause if a deal with Tampa Bay is agreed upon by Monday’s 3 p.m. deadline. Detroit’s final game before the deadline is Sunday at the New York Rangers.
Before Green is moved, other dominoes likely must fall, most notably Erik Karlsson, the superstar defenseman the Ottawa Senators are looking to move. He likely is the Lightning’s top target.
Ryan McDonagh of the Rangers also is in play. The Toronto Maple Leafs, another possible suitor for Green, reportedly are interested in McDonagh.
The Red Wings are hoping to get a late first-round pick for Green. They might settle for a combination of a second-round pick and prospects or multiple high picks that don’t include a first.
HSJ’s mailbag: on Ken Holland and more
From the Free Press’s Helene St. James’ mailbag:
General manager Ken Holland is in the last year of his contract, and there has been no talks with owner Chris Ilitch about an extension, but Holland goes back two decades with the family, so that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s on the way out. Maybe he slides into an advisory role with the Wings, as Jimmy Devellano did.
Holland has been focused on rebuilding the team for the past few years, hanging onto first-round picks since 2013 and keeping spots open for prospects (Svechnikov and Tyler Bertuzzi both were penciled in to start this season in Detroit, but were waylaid by injuries). I know Holland wants to keep working, either in Detroit or elsewhere. For those hoping to see Steve Yzerman take the GM reins, he is under contract with Tampa Bay through next season, and why leave a team he has built into a contender for years to come?