Author: George Malik

I posted a Red Wings-Wild game preview overnight, but there are more game previews from other sources ahead of today’s game (12:30 PM EST start on ABC/ESPN+/97.1 FM), so let’s read them:

1. DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills notes that today’s game begins a back-to-back slate of games, with the Red Wings hosting the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, before the Red Wings will head to Minnesota on Tuesday to wrap up the home-and-home series. Overall, the Wings will play 3 games in 4 nights–and 5 in 7, including the Stadium Series–so that’s a difficult schedule ahead:

“A 12:30 p.m. game [on Saturday] and a 6 p.m. game [on Sunday], so there’s definitely enough time to recover,” Joe Veleno said. “Especially both [games] at home, I think that’s pretty advantageous. Guys are eager to get going again.”

The Red Wings last played on Feb. 8, when they had both their seven-game winning streak and eight-game point streak end with a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Todd McLellan said he believes Detroit has done a good job overall of rising to challenges since he became head coach on Dec. 26. However, McLellan acknowledged the club fell short of doing that against Tampa Bay and, as a result, he’s expecting more out of his players come Saturday afternoon.

“We got scored on four times [in the first period], should have been six or seven with some of the chances [the Lightning] missed,” McLellan said. “I was disappointed because I don’t think we accepted that challenge. I think we gave ourselves permission to get to the break four hours early. We can’t afford that, and it’s unacceptable. We did take them back to that [on Tuesday]. Not with video, just with a conversation.”

The Red Wings enter Saturday holding the Eastern Conference’s second Wild-Card spot with 27 regular-season games remaining. Like many of his teammates, Lucas Raymond said this upcoming stretch run really excites him.

“[The 4 Nations Face-Off] was an unreal experience, but at the same time, it’s really nice to be back with the guys again and putting on the Winged Wheel,” said Raymond, who recorded three assists in three games with Sweden at the international event. “I think I’m even more excited for what’s to come now, so just excited to get back, get ready for [Saturday] and take it from there.”

Mills continues…

2. If you want a blast from the past, MinnesotaWild.com’s Zoe Fielder offers this retrospective on the Wings-Wild series from a year ago:

The NHL offers a cute animation of the countdown to next Saturday’s Stadium Series game between the Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets (6 PM EST start on ESPN/TVA Sports/97.1 FM):

With just seven days until the @BlueJacketsNHL host the @DetroitRedWings in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL #StadiumSeries, here are seven #NHLStats before the teams march into Ohio Stadium. 🥁🎺

Tune in on March 1 (6 p.m. ET on ESPN, TVAS-D, FX-CA). pic.twitter.com/sisdvWauNx

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 22, 2025

The Red Wings will face the Minnesota Wild on ABC today (12:30 PM EST start), and Ken Kal and Kara Wolfbauer preview today’s affair on the latest episode of “The Forecheck”:

.@DetroitRedWings hockey is back & @KenKalDRW & @karawolfbauer are holding down the fort in Detroit this weekend. 27 game sprint starts now 👀💪🏻 #LGRW pic.twitter.com/emXzkP3wTL

— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) February 22, 2025

MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with Red Wings coach Todd McLellan and forward J.T. Compher regarding the team’s hopes regarding playing more consistent hockey during this season’s 27-game stretch run.

As Khan notes, the Red Wings’ inconsistent play down the stretch last season cost them a playoff spot, and coach McLellan knows it:

“The value of two points is no different on any game day 82 times a year,” McLellan said. “I don’t like talking about last year because I wasn’t here but I know what happened – empty net, pull the goalie (Flyers vs. Capitals) and not in (on the final day of the season). But that wasn’t what prevented them from getting in the playoffs. There was a game during the year where they gave themselves permission – ‘You know what, it’s not that important tonight,’ and they played poorly and it cost them. Let’s hope that Tampa game (6-3 loss Feb. 8) wasn’t our night. It’s hard to play at an extremely high level all the time. The other team gets credit for what they put into it. All 82 games are equally as important.”

That was the message he was trying to impart this week.

“It’s just to take every game as a chance to get two points and don’t waste any of them,” J.T. Compher said. “We obviously learned that the hard way last year, and it’s on us to treat every game with the intensity and the focus that we need to give ourselves the best chance to make the playoffs.”

So the Red Wings’ players were told to not let their “effing habits slip” by McLellan on Thursday, and McLellan hopes that his charges are listening as the team’s four-day mini-camp comes to a close:

“Our practice habits have been fairly good,” McLellan said. “(On Thursday), we had to stop a couple of times and say, ‘Let’s go back to doing it right.’ and they responded right away. But unless we do that, they’re not going to fix it on their own. So those practice habits are important.

“And then there’s a lot of challenges that we’ve thrown at them in a month-and-a-half, and they’ve been willing to accept the challenge and try to meet it. Those are habits we want to continue, whether it’s the starts, whether it’s fix the penalty kill. Those are habits and they have to remain high.”

Continued

The 28-22-and-5 Detroit Red Wings face off against the 33-19-and-4 Minnesota Wild today at Little Caesars Arena (12:30 PM EST start on ABC/ESPN+/97.1 FM).

This is the start of what’s close to a back-to-back slate between Detroit and Minnesota, with a Sunday game vs. the Ducks squeezed into Detroit’s schedule. The Wild get both Sunday and Monday off.

The Red Wings come into the game having had a 7-game winning streak snapped by the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 8th, but possessing a 15-5-and-1 record under coach Todd McLellan; the Wild sit in 3rd place in the NHL’s Central Division, and Minnesota comes into the post-Four Nations schedule on a 2-game winning streak, and having won 5 of their past 7 games.

As you probably know by now, Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin will be back in Metro Detroit in time to participate in today’s game, but he didn’t practice on Friday, with Lucas Raymond returning to the Wings’ mini-camp before reflecting upon his Four Nations Face-Off experiences with the Wings’ media corps. We didn’t find out which goaltender will start today, however, so that part of the Wings’ lineup will be determined over the course of the pregame warmups.

The Wild had forward Joel Eriksson Ek, defenseman Jonas Brodin and goaltender Filip Gustavsson in the fold for Friday’s practice (per the Star Tribune’s Sarah McLellan), but coach John Hynes served as an assistant for Team USA, and forward Matt Boldy and defenseman Brock Faber were still en route from Boston on Friday, so assistant coach Jack Capuano ran Friday’s practice.

The Pioneer Press’s John Shipley framed the shape of the Wild’s roster thusly:

Ahead of Kids’ Day at Little Caesars Arena…

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan spoke with Lucas Raymond about both his experiences during the Four Nations Face-Off and his hopes to participate in the Winter Olympics in 2026:

“It makes you want [the Olympics] more,” Raymond said. “We got a small taste of it here, and just the intensity of the short tournament like this, with four games, and you take the Olympics and the same players will be there, it’ll be an unreal tournament. Everyone knows what’s at stake.”

Raymond, 22, felt he grew as a player while participating in the tournament.

“Not only the games, but just being around the guys,” Raymond said. “It feels like there’s 23 leaders in every locker room, so it’s fun to see everyone manage their games and guys speaking up.”

Raymond was excited for his linemate, Larkin, who evolved from a fourth-line player in the USA opening game, to being a top-six forward in the championship game, scoring the eventual game-winning goal against Canada in the round-robin. Larkin was expected to arrive back in Detroit Friday and will play Saturday as the Wings host Minnesota (12:30 p.m./ABC/97.1).

“Seeing how he played, it’s unreal to watch,” Raymond said. “He played great, but it’s nothing surprising. I see Dylan every day and I play with him, but to see him on the big stage, he was probably one of the best players in the tournament and definitely on his team. I’m happy for him.”

Raymond’s level of play at 4 Nations didn’t surprise coach Todd McLellan.

“His game that we see here on a regular basis transferred to that type of environment, and any time that happens, that’s a real good thing,” McLellan said. “Sometimes players go and try to do too much, or they’re afraid of the stage and they don’t want to make mistakes, so they shrivel up. That wasn’t him at all.”

Continued

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills reports that the Red Wings and a corporate partner held a hockey clinic for Special Olympics athletes on the concourse at Little Caesars Arena today:

Thanks to the Detroit Red Wings and Gallagher, 100 local Special Olympics Michigan poly hockey athletes participated in a hockey skills clinic led by Alex DeBrincat, J.T. Compher, Albert Johansson, Justin Holl, Tyler Motte, Erik Gustafsson, Marco Kasper and goalie Cam Talbot.

“It’s a lot of fun,” DeBrincat said. “You come out here, see everyone having fun and playing hockey. You’re getting back to the basics of shooting, passing and all that stuff so it’s great to be around these guys.”

Special Olympics Michigan has been part of the Special Olympics movement since its start in 1968. Guided by an important mission to provide year-round sports training and related programming for individuals with disabilities, Special Olympics Michigan helps athletes achieve their dreams with the support of volunteers, coaches, family members and staff.

“Sports play such a prominent role in our lives and obviously our careers,” Motte said. “Hockey means a lot to us, so just to be able to give back in a way that we know how. This group really enjoyed their time playing hockey today, and just a cool experience for us to be on a different side of things by looking at a different perspective. Just give some happiness, hope and a little bit of fun.”

For Michigan natives DeBrincat (Farmington Hills) and Motte (St. Clair), taking time out of their afternoons to assist the state-based non-profit organization was truly meaningful.

“It’s important to get out in the community,” DeBrincat said. “Very special. At my station, [the poly hockey players] were trying to score goals. They were ripping pucks.”

Continued; WXYZ posted a video of the event:

Scott Burnside posted an article for NHLPA.com in which he surveyed Four Nations Face-Off participants regarding their impressions of their experiences at the tournament, and you won’t be surprised to find that Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin praised the event:

“I knew it was going to be intense, but it definitely has exceeded my expectations. I think for everyone it has,” said American forward Dylan Larkin. “It’s just been from start to finish, from practice, to hanging out with the guys, to the games, it’s just been so much fun being around the rink and so much excitement for our sport, I just think it’s been a home run for the league and for hockey in general.”

No longer will fans and players have to wonder when they will get another chance.

For the U.S., whose motto throughout 4 Nations had been “This is our time”, they won’t have to ruminate too long over the stinging championship loss. Indeed, players are already counting down the days to Italy.

Continued; here’s hoping that we see another Four Nations Face-Off in a couple of years, and in the interim…

I hope that Larkin can bring some of that excitement back with him to the team he captains on a daily basis.

I’m not a fancy fashionable person. At 47, I buy most of my t-shirts from Teefury, and I actually don’t own many Red Wings items these days. But you might want to know about this press release from the Red Wings about their partnership with two local fashion brands during Saturday and Sunday’s games against the Minnesota Wild and Anaheim Ducks, respectively.

This is basically free advertising, but what the hell, it’s for local companies.

Red Wings Collaborate with SANA Detroit and Kiloh + Co. in Return of Local Designer Series

Following a successful partnership with SANA Detroit and Kiloh + Co. during the 2023-24 season, the Detroit Red Wings are excited to work with both local companies again in the return of the Red Wings’ local designer series. The collaborations include a special ticket package and exclusive merchandise line for fans

When the Red Wings host the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, Feb. 23, fans can purchase a special SANA ticket package which will include a game ticket, a limited-edition SANA/Red Wings T-shirt and early access to Little Caesars Arena for the exclusive SANA pop-up that night.

Following the 3:30 p.m. early access window for SANA ticket package purchasers, all fans who enter the arena that night will have access to the pop-up once doors open to the public at 4:30 p.m. Puck drop is slated for 6 p.m.