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. Thank you for reading!

Red Wings ready to embrace a difficult October schedule

As the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan notes this evening, the Detroit Red Wings’ schedule this month is a bit of a bear, and the Red Wings say that they’re ready to jump into the water, man-eating Lake Sturgeon* included:

After facing Pittsburgh in Thursday’s season opener, the Wings have two games each with Nashville and the New York Rangers in the span of a week. Then there are games at the New York Islanders and Buffalo, with home games against New Jersey, Edmonton and Winnipeg.

In all, it’s 10 games against some of the best teams in the NHL. Only Buffalo isn’t considered a sure-fire bet to make the playoffs, yet the Sabres possess enough young talent to make a serious run toward a postseason spot. And Pittsburgh, though aging and having missed the playoffs the last two seasons, definitely poses a significant challenge.

“Everyone has those types of stretches in their schedule” Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “We have it at the start.”

The Wings are hoping history repeats itself in some regard. They started 3-0-2 in Lalonde’s first year behind the bench and got off to a 5-1-0 start last season. Lalonde placed a heavy emphasis on difficult practices this past month in training camp and the preseason to get this Wings team ready for the start of the schedule.

“The last two years we got off to great starts,” captain Dylan Larkin said. “We’ve had great camps and it’s led into October. We’re excited to get back to Little Caesars Arena and play in front of our fans.”

Continued (paywall);

*for what it’s worth, my father liked to terrify me by insisting that there were “man-eating Lake Sturgeon” in North Manistique Lake, which is no deeper than 8 feet.

Tuesday-Wednesday catch-up post of doom

I apologize for the lack of content on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday: Aunt Annie and I both contracted a very bad flu bug, and both of us spent both days in bed due to nasty fatigue, body aches, fever and chills and the usual flu-related symptoms.

I’m still sick, honestly, but I can sit up, and Tylenol Cold helps me feel at least somewhat human, so here we are.

As a result of my illness, I was unable to cover the vast majority of the Red Wings season previews, and we have an extra hour before the Red Wings play tonight, so:

Detroit Red Wings: The Red Wings successfully waived and then sent Austin Watson to Grand Rapids for the present moment;

MLive: Ansar Khan wrote a season preview article which discussed the Red Wings’ desire to make the playoffs this season;

Khan discussed the Red Wings’ three-goaltender system;

Khan offered a take as to how the Red Wings can overcome both the goals-for they lost during free agency and the goals against which they suffered last season by committing to team defense;

Khan reported that the Red Wings’ power play is still being tweaked;

He confirmed that Austin Watson was sent to Grand Rapids, and that tonight’s game starts at 8 PM, not 7 PM;

And Tyler Kuehl wrote a Grand Rapids Griffins season preview;

Detroit Free Press: The Free Press’s Helene St. James discussed the Red Wings’ in-flux power play units;

Continue reading Tuesday-Wednesday catch-up post of doom

Prospect round-up: Buchelnikov scores, ASP 1G+1A in Sweden

Of Red Wings prospect-related note today:

In the KHL, Dmitri Buchelnikov scored a goal on 2 shots, finishing even with 2 hits in 15:44 played as Vityaz Moscow Region won 3-2 in overtime over HC Sochi, as illustrated by Red Wings Prospects on Twitter:

In the SHL, Noah Dower Nilsson didn’t play due to illness in Frolunda HC’s 5-4 win over Farjestads BK;

There’s no news as to why Anton Johansson sat out Leksands IF’s 3-2 victory over Brynas IF;

And Axel Sandin Pellikka registered a goal and an assist, finishing even with 1 shot in 22:22 played as Skelleftea AIK won 3-1 over Rogle BK. Both IceHockeyGifs and Red Wings Prospects caught the action:

Continue reading Prospect round-up: Buchelnikov scores, ASP 1G+1A in Sweden

Tweet of note: Cossa’s mask, ‘Seabass’ not included

Grand Rapids Griffins equipment manager Brad “Dogg” Thompson and Griffins goaltender Sebastian Cossa share the design of Cossa’s mask:

WTOL 11 has a story about Toledo Walleye goaltender Gage Alexander’s mask as well.

Hearing it for the ‘old guys’

Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon spotlights each NHL team’s “oldest player” in his latest set of power rankings:

17. Detroit Red Wings (0-0-0) Local boy Jeff Petry turns 38 in December and new goalie Cam Talbot is also 37 right now. Patrick Kane hits 37 in November and it will be fascinating to see how he fares in his first fully healthy season in a couple years.

Continued; “old” is a relative term when the Wings’ oldest players are 8-10 years younger than you are.

A bit of mutual respect

The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood posted a game-day notebook which includes the following passage:

Derek Lalonde spent four years under the tutelage of the NHL’s longest tenured coach, Jon Cooper, who is heading into his 13th season at the helm of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Behind the Penguins’ bench in Detroit Thursday night will stand the second-longest tenured, starting his 10th leading the Penguins.

The reality of coaching turnover is readily apparent to Lalonde, who is already tied for the sixth longest tenured coach in the NHL after being hired by Detroit three seasons ago. Whereas some might point to the star power that those long-tenured coaches get to work with — Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, for example — Lalonde sees evolution as the key to success.

Lalonde said Thursday that Sullivan and the group he joked as the “Boston Mafia” — including Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes and Pittsburgh assistant coach David Quinn — are a group he has learned a lot from as a coach.

“They work just as hard and maybe harder in the off season, staying at the top of this profession,” Lalonde said. “And even talking with Mike, he reads a ton, same with Coop. There’s a reason these guys at the top of our profession, they’ve stayed there for a while.”

Continued