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 in the morning: Red Wings are preparing for a difficult post-Four Nations schedule

The Free Press’s Helene St. James weighs in on the Red Wings’ preparations for a daunting 27-game stretch run schedule this morning.

As St. James notes, the Red Wings will embark upon a set of back-to-back games against Minnesota and Anaheim on Saturday and Sunday, and then they head to Minnesota for a rematch on Tuesday the 25th…

Then the Wings host the Blue Jackets on Thursday the 27th, and the Stadium Series beckons on Saturday, March 1st, so Detroit has an incredibly busy schedule over the first week of post-Four Nations Face-Off play.

Andrew Copp told St. James that the Wings want to learn from their 6-3 loss to Tampa Bay on February 8th, and go from there:

“We were playing really good before the break, and in that one game [against Tampa Bay], I don’t think we played bad in totality. But we had some mental mistakes, game management mistakes,” Andrew Copp said. “We’re eager to get that bad feeling out of our system and get going again. Todd’s been barking and trying to make sure we’re paying attention to detail. We’re staying in shifts, kind of long, to make sure that not only are we physically ready but our minds are ready to be at tip-top for games that last three hours.”

The Wings (28-22-5) have climbed into the East’s second wild-card spot on the strength of going 15-5-1 since [Todd] McLellan was named coach Dec. 26. The team talked about identity Wednesday, about togetherness and resiliency and handling adversity.

“That has really improved since Christmas,” [Andrew] Copp said. “I feel like we are really jelling as a team in togetherness, and that will be really important to keep as we head down the stretch here with so many games.”

Continue reading HSJ in the morning: Red Wings are preparing for a difficult post-Four Nations schedule

Videos: Dylan Larkin speaks with DK Pittsburgh Sports, NHL.com about the Four Nations Face-Off final

DK Pittsburgh Sports posted a video of Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin speaking with the media at Boston’s TD Garden on Wednesday, ahead of tonight’s Four Nations Face-Off final between the U.S. and Canada (8 PM EST start on ESPN/Sportsnet/TVA Sports)…

And Larkin gave a 5:51 interview to NHL.com about the game and the U.S.-Canada rivalry as well. I can’t embed it, but here it is for your viewing pleasure in link form.

Evening news: Red Wings’ ‘mini camp’ prepares them for a daunting stretch run schedule

The Red Wings are happy to have gotten back to work at Little Caesars Arena ahead of a daunting stretch run schedule, as Andrew Copp told DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills…

“Ten days is a long time to be away from the rink no matter if you’re skating, working out or doing nothing,” Andrew Copp said. “You need these four days. It’s been pretty upbeat and energetic so far. I think guys are excited to get back.”

Detroit went into the 4 Nations Face-Off break with plenty of momentum, going 15-4-1 from Dec. 29 – Feb. 8. Now, according to Copp, it’s about improving and carrying that momentum over into the club’s final 27 games of the regular season.

“[Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan] has been trying to make sure we’re paying attention to the details,” Copp said. “We’re staying in shifts kind of long to make sure that we’re not only physically ready, but our minds are ready to be at tip-top [shape] for games that last three hours. You can replicate as much as you want in practice, but we’re only out there for an hour. It’s hard to have that mental stamina to stay in a game for 2.5 – 3 hours after two weeks off.”

The players know mentality matters, especially as the team continues forming its identity under McLellan.

“We talked a little bit about identity again today and all the parts of the actual hockey game, but something that we talked about at the end was our togetherness, resiliency and the team that we have, in terms of handling adversity, but sticking together,” Copp said. “That has really improved since Christmas. Obviously, winning helps with that but I feel like we’re really gelling as a team.”

But the Red Wings have an incredibly difficult schedule between this weekend and the end of the regular season, as MLive’s Ansar Khan noted:

Continue reading Evening news: Red Wings’ ‘mini camp’ prepares them for a daunting stretch run schedule

Tweets of note: Dylan Larkin on SportsCenter ahead of the Four Nations Final

From the Detroit Red Wings on Twitter:

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Seider, Copp dig their Stadium Series gear

MLive’s Ansar Khan asked several Red Wings to weigh in on their unique winged helmets and Stadium Series jerseys:

“Pretty cool,” Moritz Seider said. “I was fortunate enough to see the whole look already and looks really sweet. Had a chance trying it on firsthand and it feels pretty good. I think the excitement is starting to grow here.”

Andrew Copp, who went to Michigan and was a prolific high school quarterback at Ann Arbor Skyline High School, noted the similarity in colors to U-M’s bitter rival.

“There’s a little tribute, colors are opposite though, so can’t get too close or else we’ll look like Ohio State,” Copp said. “It’s pretty good, I guess. Took a little to get used to it, seeing it on the ice. Definitely different than seeing it on a picture. But the jerseys should look good.”

It will be the Red Wings’ fifth outdoor game and first since Jan. 1, 2017, against Toronto at BMO Field.

Seider is among the players who haven’t played an outdoor NHL game but has at a lower level.

“In juniors back home (in Germany) we played before the men’s team played,” Seider said. “Probably like 35, 40 (thousand fans), and they sold-out I think with 55 (thousand) for the men’s game. Pretty cool atmosphere. It’s really special being on the ice and everything is so far away.”

Continued

Tweet of note: Talbot and Lyon’s Stadium Series masks

From CBS Detroit’s Rachel Hopmayer:

Video: Copp, coach McLellan speak with the media after Wednesday’s practice

The Red Wings continued their “mini-camp” at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center on Wednesday morning, with Lucas Raymond (who should return tomorrow) and Dylan Larkin (who won’t return until Saturday’s game vs. Minnesota) still absent.

With only a week-and-a-half before the Stadium Series game against Columbus, the Red Wings have been breaking in their gloves, pants and helmets for that game…

But Detroit will have four games to be played before their Saturday, March 1st outside game against Columbus–including the front half of a home-and-home series with the Blue Jackets–as well as a back-to-back set of games (vs. Minnesota and Anaheim) this weekend.

Ultimately, the Red Wings will play 8 times in the 15 calendar days before the March 7th trade deadline, and that’s a fair amount of games to undertake.

After the Red Wings’ practice today, Andrew Copp and coach Todd McLellan spoke with the media: