Author: George Malik

As the Red Wings prepare for their 27-game stretch run schedule, the Free Press’s Helene St. James took note of the Red Wings’ emphasis on establishing “good habits” over the course of the team’s 4-day “mini camp”:

Todd McLellan gathered his players and ended practice with an expletive and a plea: Don’t let your habits slip.

It was a reminder to the Detroit Red Wings as they emerge from the 4 Nations Face-Off break that every game matters. Not that players who were around last season should need a reminder: They occupied the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot on Feb. 28, 2024, only to stumble through a seven-game losing streak and eventually miss the playoffs by a tiebreaker. This season’s team has banked 31 points since Christmas to sit in the second wild-card spot as they resume play Saturday against the Minnesota Wild, two weeks after losing at home to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the last game before the break.

“The value of two points is no different on any game day 82 times a year,” McLellan said Thursday. “And I don’t think players think like that all the time. They can give themselves permission, and then they regret it. I don’t like talking about last year, I wasn’t here — but I know what happened. And yeah — empty net, pull the goalie, not in. 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. They played poorly, and it cost them.

“Let’s hope that Tampa game the other night wasn’t our night. And we talk about that a little bit — this could be the night that it really matters.”

Coach McLellan also said that between the Red Wings’ condensed schedule and the NHLPA’s requirement that every team has four days off per month, he’s not certain whether the Wings will have a whole lot of practices left with which to rectify their errors:

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff profiled Red Wings assistant coach Trent Yawney this morning, noting that Yawney is an integral part of coach Todd McLellan’s staff:

A former NHL defenseman who logged 593 games along big-league bluelines, Yawney as a coach is credited with being a sensei for young defensemen. Already, there’s evidence of that in Detroit. Simon Edvinsson, 22, is playing his best hockey the season since McLellan and Yawney arrived in town. Rookie Albert Johansson, 24, is performing with the poise of a veteran since his insertion into the second pairing alongside Edvinsson.

“Obviously I wanted him here, I felt like I needed him here,” McLellan said of Yawney. “It just hasn’t been here, but the young defensemen in Edmonton and Anaheim and Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook (in Chicago) would tell you that.

“The development he’s done in the American League as well as all the other organizations in and around the NHL would give you the best answer to how important he is, but we’re lucky to have him.”

…

With Yawney, it’s not all hugs and positive reinforcement. He’ll swing a few brickbats, as well as delivering bouquets. But every defenseman he coaches knows when times are tough, Yawney has got their back.

“I think Yawns’ biggest strength is his support for the back end,” McLellan said. “It’s not always kumbaya and everything’s fine. He treats them like a father would and holds them accountable, but also has a lot of support for them. When we get into the coaches room and we start bitching about a defenseman, there is support there and I think the D feel that.”

Continued

From the Associated Press:

BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Wild visit the Detroit Red Wings after Matthew Boldy scored two goals in the Wild’s 6-3 win over the New York Islanders.

Detroit has a 28-22-5 record overall and a 15-12-2 record on its home ice. The Red Wings have gone 22-7-2 when scoring at least three goals.

Minnesota is 33-19-4 overall and 20-7-3 in road games. The Wild have a 30-3-2 record when scoring three or more goals.

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.

TOP PERFORMERS: Lucas Raymond has 21 goals and 38 assists for the Red Wings. Alex DeBrincat has five goals and four assists over the past 10 games.

Marco Rossi has 19 goals and 28 assists for the Wild. Jonas Brodin has five assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Red Wings: 7-2-1, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.6 assists, 1.8 penalties and 4.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

Wild: 6-4-0, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.4 assists, 3.5 penalties and 7.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

NHL.com’s Derek Van Diest was tasked with listing the top storylines for the NHL’s 2024-2025 season’s stretch run, and this topic already increased my anxiety level…

Playoff races heat up

The Detroit Red Wings (28-22-5) are in position to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2015-16, currently the second wild card from the Eastern Conference with 61 points. The Ottawa Senators (63 points) hold the first wild card from the Eastern Conference and are looking to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17. Detroit and Ottawa will try to fend off the Columbus Blue Jackets (60 points), Boston Bruins (60), New York Rangers (58) and New York Islanders (57), Montreal Canadiens (55), Pittsburgh Penguins (55) and Philadelphia Flyers (55). In the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks (63 points) and Calgary Flames (60) are set up for an epic race for the second wild card, with the St. Louis Blues (55), Anaheim Ducks (54) and Seattle Kraken (52) having work to do to get back in the running.

While we’re only 8 days away from this one:

Heading back outdoors

The final outdoor game of the season will take place March 1 when the Red Wings face the Blue Jackets at Ohio Stadium as part of the NHL Stadium Series. It is the first time Columbus will play an outdoor game and the fifth time for Detroit. It will be the 43rd outdoor game in League history and second this season. The Blues won 6-2 against the Blackhawks in the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 31.

Continued; let’s hope things go well…

Via Paul Kukla of Abel to Yzerman comes this great quote from Dylan Larkin, discussing whether the U.S. national team needs to see more participation from its top players:

Red Wings captain and Team USA forward Dylan Larkin was passionate about how he hopes the 4 Nations makes Americans who have skipped the World Championships reconsider.

“That’s where it starts. Pride for your country. Pride for your flag. Putting that crest on.” pic.twitter.com/qK8ykIHzAn

— Ryan S. Clark (@ryan_s_clark) February 21, 2025

Also:

Larkin on the Olympics: "There is something to look forward to with this group, which is great. That's the big one. And I know that it's a little bit of a different tournament, different rules, but we really feel like we can play any kind of game on any kind of surface and…

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 21, 2025

Here’s a wee bit more from Larkin from ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark at 3:35 AM:

Larkin, who has represented the U.S. at five men’s worlds, said USA Hockey has “had a tough time” getting players to participate at the tournament. He said his hope is that Team USA’s 4 Nations run will make more Americans want to play.

“I think guys are at home watching this and I hope they are wanting a piece of this,” Larkin said. “They got to go to the world championships and prove themselves and play for their country. We got to start winning that tournament. I think that’s where Canada, those guys go and they play. That’s where it starts. Pride for your country. Pride for your flag. Putting that crest on and going out for games is an unbelievable feeling.”

Team Canada won the Four Nations Face-Off 3-2 in overtime, earning the Four Nations Face-Off trophy, medals, and a cash prize.

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin started on the Americans’ 3rd line, with J.T. Miller and Matt Boldy, but he was promoted to the Americans’ first line with Auston Matthews and Brady Tkachuk after Matthew Tkachuk aggravated his groin injury.

Proud of you, Cap. pic.twitter.com/TnToGfhjZZ

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 21, 2025

Larkin ended up playing 20:20, finishing at +1 over the course of 33 shifts. He took 3 shots and had 5 total shot attempts, he registered 4 hits, 2 giveaways, and a 4-and-3 (57%) faceoff rating.

Larkin started the play that resulted in Jake Sanderson’s 2-1 goal, despite not registering an assist…

The Toronto Star’s Kevin McGran discusses Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin’s complicated family history, which began in Ireland and made stops in Scarborough, Ontario and the University of Southern Indiana before coming to Metro Detroit:

Dylan’s father, Kevin, is from Scarborough, but moved to the States to play soccer at the University of Southern Indiana, eventually settling in Michigan where Dylan was born.

His grandmother still lives in the east Toronto neighbourhood. She was converted to a Detroit Red Wings fan after a lifetime of cheering for the Maple Leafs.

His uncle Jimmy represented Canada internationally in soccer as a goalie.

“My uncle Jimmy wanted to play for Ireland, because my grandfather was from Ireland,” said Larkin. “But my (grandfather, also named Jim) told him: No, you’re playing in the country you were born in. And that’s how it was for us. My dad was stern on that. I’m so happy that was the case.”

Larkin started with the U.S. national development program in 2012, first representing his country in an under-17 tournament.

The Red Wings captain has emerged as a difference maker for an American side that should be the favourite over Canada in the final on Thursday night at TD Garden.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve won something,” said Larkin. “There’s some guys in here that are in the same boat. Especially after how Saturday unfolded, there’s a lot on the line, and I expect it to be a great hockey game.”

Continued; good luck tonight, captain Larkin…

As the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan notes, the Red Wings have essentially played a “split season,” underwhelming under coach Derek Lalonde, and going on a 15-5-and-1 streak under coach Todd McLellan.

With the Four Nations Face-Off break ending on Saturday, and a daunting stretch run schedule looming, even the Red Wings’ players are curious to see which team they have become–though they are optimistic about their chances of making a real run for a playoff spot:

As the regular season resumes Saturday, and with only 27 games left on the schedule, which is the truer Wings’ team? Players are confident it’s the latest example, the Wings team from Dec. 26 to the present, that has impressed in so many ways.

“We’ve just been playing real good hockey all the way around, doing a lot of things well,” forward Joe Veleno said. “Competing, and our attention to details have been sharp. When Todd came in here, he introduced us a to a lot of new systems and the way we’d like to play. We feel good about our chances and our game. We definitely want to be that team to push to the very end and learn from those mistakes last year that didn’t get us in the playoffs.”

What gives the Wings optimism is that this hot streak they’ve been on under McLellan hasn’t just lasted a week, or two, or a bit more. It’s been almost two months, encompassing 20 games, and has shown no sign of disappearing.

It might be more than just a fluke.

“You’re seeing it not for just a short amount of time,” defenseman Ben Chiarot said. “It’s been a while now. We’ve been playing a certain style of hockey and we’ve been getting the most out of the guys in the room. Guys who maybe didn’t have as big of roles have broken out into important roles. I’m looking forward to seeing (the rest of the season) as well.”

Continued (paywall)

MLive’s Ansar Khan reported that Red Wings coach Todd McLellan had to tell his charges to “Don’t let your [bleeping] habits slip!” at the end of Thursday’s practice, and McLellan explained why his mini-camp commentary got a little snippy:

McLellan didn’t feel Thursday’s practice was quite as energetic as the previous two workouts.

“First two practices were better,” McLellan said. “That happens. The schedule in the NHL is so compact, you never get three practices in a row. There’s usually a day off in there. I anticipated it (less energy) a bit. We shortened it up a bit. I had to bark a few times, but we didn’t skate near as much as we did the last few days and that was planned.”

McLellan also offered this take on tonight’s Four Nations Face-Off final:

McLellan felt Thursday’s USA-Canada 4-Nations championship game brought all hockey fans into the tournament emotionally.

“We’re going to see a hell of a game and we’re all going to be watching, and that’s a good thing, too,” McLellan said.

According to Kulfan, Lucas Raymond will practice with the Red Wings tomorrow, but Dylan Larkin won’t rejoin the team until Saturday’s matinee against Minnesota (12:30 PM EST start on ABC/97.1 FM).

Sometimes you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do, so in order to pay the monthly hockey bills and regular bills, I’m continuing to attempt to raise funds for the website:

The Malik Report needs your support to function. You receive quite a bit of information “for free,” but providing that information is not done for free. As such, we would like to ask that you kindly contribute to our monthly expenses.

If you’re willing to lend a hand, we have a PayPal option at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport; there’s Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2; if you’re into the, “I don’t want to use any of those pages” option, here’s always the Giftly option by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com…

And in the banking options, you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check, or “Zelle” me via my email, rtxg@yahoo.com.

It’s my pleasure to provide you with as much information as I can give, but this is also a job, and it requires money, time, energy and effort (a.k.a. work). If you are willing or able to support this endeavor, it is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time.