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!

HSJ, Duff discuss the Wings’ status in the Atlantic Division

Both the Free Press’s Helene St. James and Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted afternoon articles which discuss the crucial nature of the Red Wings’ remaining “home stand” as the Wings attempt to gain ground in the very middling and muddled Atlantic Division.

St. James suggests that the Red Wings’ home games against Calgary tomorrow night, New Jersey on Friday afternoon and Vancouver on Sunday afternoon are all but must-wins if the Wings are to attempt to battle past their difficult start…

Monday’s victory was the third time in four games the Wings collected points (five) and gave them 20 points after 21 games, within three points (though chasing five teams) for the second wild card spot in the East. Patrick Kane missed the Islanders game because of an undisclosed injury, but he’s considered day-to-day.

The Wings seem to have righted themselves to an extent after that dismal trip to California – they haven’t engaged in a score-fest since, instead limiting opponents to two or less goals in the last three contests. There’s certainly still areas to address, including special teams: The power play has failed to deliver the last three games, going 0 for 10. And the penalty kill (68.4%) remains the worst in the NHL.

Establishing themelves at home would be a good step towards the Wings moving beyond the mediocrity that has defined the first quarter of their season. To their advantage, few teams have really pulled away in the East, so if the Wings can string together some wins at home, they’ll remain in the mix of things.

And Duff took note of Alex Lyon’s comments made last night while discussing the Wings’ status as in the lower part of a muddled Atlantic Division:

“I think that we’re in desperation mode for sure,” Lyon told the FanDuel Sports Network following Monday’s win. “We need to play desperate every night. I think that the best teams in this league play desperate every night.”

Fortunately for the Red Wings, mediocrity loves company. In this season’s NHL, the Eastern Conference is displaying an overabundance of bad squads.

If you don’t buy into the NHL’s loser point scenario and count overtime losses for what they are – defeats – then eight of the 16 clubs in the East are currently playing below-.500 hockey. That includes the 9-10-2 Red Wings.

All eight of these teams are displaying negative goal differentials. None have a winning road record. Only Boston (5-3-2) and Philadelphia (5-3-2) are showing a winning slate through the past 10 games.

This, as much as any reason, is keeping the Red Wings in the hunt while they seek to hunt down more consistency in their game.

Raymond’s getting his goal-scoring going

Among the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan’s Tuesday notes is this story about Lucas Raymond’s slow start in terms of goal-scoring, and his recent success at igniting his shooting game:

Through the first quarter of this season, Raymond was arguably the Wings’ best all-around forward. He was doing everything he could to keep the Wings afloat in the standings, leading the team in assists and playing in every situation.

But the goal-scoring, frustratingly, wasn’t there. After scoring 31 goals last season including so many important ones during the Wings’ frantic late-season playoff push, most people expected that torrid pace to carry over. Instead, Raymond scored two goals in his first 18 games. Not what was expected, to be sure.

Until scoring a goal in each of the last three games, including Monday’s game-winner on Long Island, in the Wings’ 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders. Goals in each of the last three games? That’s more like it.

“I mean, I think everyone wants to score goals, right?” Raymond said. “I’m no different.”

Coach Derek Lalonde, whenever asked about Raymond, would stress the versatility in Raymond’s game and the fact he was, and is, contributing offensively (Raymond leads the team with 15 assists and 20 points). But goal scorers like Raymond enjoy putting the puck in the net.

“He’s playing at a high level,” Lalonde said. “He’s sitting at a point a game, but it’s different for goal scorers when it hits the back of the net.”

Continued (paywall)

Tweet of note: Griffins’ ‘Tip-a-Griffin’ event to take place on December 3rd

Per the Grand Rapids Griffins:

Update: The Griffins have posted a webpage which breaks down their player and coach assignments.

Allen checks in on the Grand Rapids Griffins

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen checks in with the Grand Rapids Griffins today, writing a subscriber-only article about the Griffins’ superb start. Allen offers 10 reasons why the Griffins’ performances should matter to Red Wings fans:

2. Quality Goaltending

Under the category of long-term potential, Sebastian Cossa (2.08 GAA, .931 save percentage) continues to play like one of the league’s top NHL prospects. He’s been much sharper in the early going than Minnesota’s Jesper Wallstedt who, like Cossa, was taken in the first round in 2021. For the short term, veteran Ville Husso is also playing at a high level. Husso is 4-0 with a 1.58 GAA and .944

More importantly, Husso is staying healthy. Many Detroit fans have written off Husso, but the Red Wings haven’t forgotten him. Should Cam Talbot or Alex Lyon become injured or go into an extended slump, Husso could get another chance.

3.  Star on the Rise

The Red Wings’ appreciation for [Griffins coach Dan] Watson started when he was with the Toledo Walleye. And now the Red Wings really respect the job he’s doing in developing their prospects in Grand Rapids. Everyone seems to be improving. The danger here is that another NHL team might lure him away with a job in the show.

4. Danielson Sorting It Out

Much like Marco Kasper last season, Detroit 2023 first round pick Nate Danielson is playing better and better as they season progresses. He has two goals and nine points in 17 games. But he has five in his last five games. That includes a pair of multiple point games.

Continued (paywall)

We’re back, and so is fundraising

I’m working very hard to try and get the blog up and running on a full-time basis again, and I’m doing so in no small part because there are bills to pay, and not enough money with which to pay them.

As such, I’m going to be posting fundraising appeals on a daily basis, because not working for a month-and-a-half = Aunt Annie and I are in tough right now. Right now, we can’t even afford the pre-prepared heat-and-serve Thanksgiving dinner that we’ve ordered for tomorrow, but that’s how things work out sometimes.

In any case, if you can lend a hand in the spirit of paying it forward a bit, we would be grateful, so:

Continue reading We’re back, and so is fundraising

Tweet of note: Thousand-game man

From hockey historian Mike Commito:

Update: Also…

Press release: Griffins ‘on a roll’

The Grand Rapids Griffins play games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and ahead of a busy weekend, the Griffins have filed their weekly press release. Here are some highlights thereof:

Keep The Good Times Rolling: With a 12-4-1-0 record and 25 points through 17 games, the Griffins have tied the second-best start in franchise history, with their best coming in 2005-06 with 27 points and a 13-3-0-1 mark. The Griffins rank first in the Central Division, second in the Western Conference and tied for fourth in the AHL. In 29 seasons, this was the fourth Griffins team to win at least 10 of its first 14 games, and the first since 2009-10. The Griffins have won with defense, as they have allowed two goals or less in 11 of the 17 contests and have scored an average of 3.06 goals per game (T15th).

Let’s Show Some Love to the Defense: The Griffins rank first in the AHL with just 2.18 goals allowed per game, as the 37 goals surrendered rank second in the AHL. For comparison, Grand Rapids ceded 52 goals in the opening 17 games last year and 69 in 2022-23. Dating back to last season, Grand Rapids has allowed just 18 goals in its last 11 regular-season games at Van Andel Arena (1.64 GA per game). 

Busy Bodies: The Griffins will play back-to-back three games in three days during the next two weeks. Grand Rapids will start with Milwaukee, Chicago and Cleveland from Friday to Sunday this week. The Griffins went 3-0-0-0 in their first 3-in-3 from Oct. 25-27, defeating Springfield and Lehigh Valley (twice). This marked the first time since April 5-7, 2002 that Grand Rapids went undefeated while playing three games in three days. 

One, Two Punch: Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2021, is off to a strong start through the opening 12 games of his season, showing a 7-4-1 mark with one shutout, a 2.08 goals-against average, and a .931 save percentage. The 21-year-old ranks among the league leaders in minutes played (692:11, 3rd), shutouts (T5th), GAA (T6th), wins (T3rd), and save percentage (5th). Ville Husso has also gotten off to a fast start with the Griffins, as he has a 4-0-0 ledger with one shutout to go along with a 1.58 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage in five appearances. Through six career games with Grand Rapids, Husso has a 5-0-0 record with two shutouts, a 1.29 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage. Jack Campbell joined the goaltending room last week when he was assigned by the Red Wings. Campbell, the 11th overall pick by Dallas in 2010, has appeared in 438 games since 2011-12 and possesses a 229-141-47 ledger with 32 shutouts to go along with a 2.67 goals-against average. Last season, the 32-year-old showed an 18-13-1 record, a 2.63 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in 33 games with the Bakersfield Condors. 

Continued

A bit of praise for Simon Edvinsson’s development

It’s kind of difficult to share this one with you, but EP Rinkside’s David St-Louis has posted a “Film Room” article regarding one Simon Edvinsson, and here’s a bit of a preview:

“In a way, Edvinsson’s development plan is basically the inverse of Moritz Seider’s,” wrote Elite Prospects director of North American Scouting Mitch Brown in 2021. “For Seider, the Wings had to develop the puck skills, awareness of space and options, and the confidence to make plays. He had the rest. Edvinsson is the opposite. But the two towering defencemen also mirror each other. Seider improved through experimentation in a game setting, learning what worked and what didn’t. That process turned him into one of the best bets of recent drafts. Simon Edvinsson has yet to arrive. When he does, he could become a bonafide top-pairing defenceman for years to come.”

Three years later, Edvinsson has retained the same identity. Still willing to take offensive chances, he activates deep into the play and looks for passing lanes through opponents, but he has learned to tone down the risk in his decisions.

The positives of his game now far outweigh the negatives.

The only word that comes to mind when watching him evolve in the NHL is unfair. No one should possess this much skill and range.

Continued (paywall); EP Rinkside is an expensive option, but it’s worth the $ in my opinion.

A fair ‘C+’ for the Red Wings’ first quarter

ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton posted a set of “Quarter Mark” grades for each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams. You would assume correctly that the Red Wings earn a middling mark in the Insider-only article:

Detroit Red Wings

Preseason over/under: 90.5
Current points pace: 78.1

What’s gone right? The Red Wings have benefited from an (unexpected?) youth movement headlined by Marco Kasper, Simon Edvinsson and a (suddenly!) striking Jonatan Berggren. The 20-year-old Kasper has been so reliable as a physical force up front that coach Derek Lalonde recently promoted him to play on a line with Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. And the 21-year-old Edvinsson had been terrific patrolling Detroit’s blue line before suffering a lower-body injury. The Red Wings have also received solid goaltending from offseason signee Cam Talbot (.921 SV%, 2.62 GAA) and their power play is excellent, sitting just outside the top 5 at 28.1%. Detroit is good in one-goal games, too, posting a 4-1-2 record in those outings this season.

What’s gone wrong? Detroit has been so strong on the man advantage its nearly overshadowed how poor their 5-on-5 scoring is. The Red Wings are 31st in even-strength goals — only Nashville is worse. Detroit’s inability to generate offense has robbed them of too many wins already this season. The Red Wings’ penalty kill is a league-worst now (66.7%), which is another constant hurdle holding them back. And, as has been the case for several years, Detroit simply can’t deliver a full-team by-in on defense — they’re giving up the fourth-most shots on net (31.9 per game, fifth-most in the league), and allowing 3.15 goals against per game.

Grade: C+. Detroit is running out of excuses. The Red Wings have been maturing throughout this extended rebuild and yet the purported progress simply isn’t showing. And it feels like Lalonde is increasingly closer to paying the price with his job. The Red Wings are by all accounts a quiet group, and it could be the lack of vocal veteran leadership keeping them in a rut. Captain Dylan Larkin must be the change there, and veterans like Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko and J.T. Compher can help too (some added offense from those three wouldn’t hurt, either). The Red Wings have been shuffling the deck up front lately and maybe that’ll help jumpstart Detroit in the next quarter of this season.


Continued (paywall); A “C+” seems a little generous to me, but I wouldn’t give them a much lower grade despite the team’s systemic difficulties.

Aside from giving up fewer goals against and shot attempts against, I’d love to see the Wings crank up their secondary scoring, and Tarasenko at least is warming up (and it turned out that Patrick Kane’s slow-down was injury-related), but the Wings are far too regularly a one-(line)-and-done team…

And that concerns me as much as any of the other deficiencies the team must rectify in order to succeed over the course of the second 20 games of the season.