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!

Kulfan’s notebook: Kasper’s earned his spot on a desperate-to-win team

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed an afternoon article which further the narrative begun by the Hockey News’s Sam Stockton and the Free Press’s Helene St. James regarding Marco Kasper’s emergency recall ahead of tomorrow afternoon’s game vs. Nashville:

“He was the one that earned it most, the one that made most sense from (training camp),” Lalonde said. “He was a step ahead of some of the other guys down there and played two real good games (for Grand Rapids). It just makes sense right now.”

Andrew Copp (ill) and Tyler Motte (upper-body injury) both missed practice Friday. Lalonde is confident Copp will be ready for Saturday’s game in Nashville (2 p.m./BSD/97.1). Motte is being re-evaluated, said Lalonde.

“It’s a significant role, we see him (Kasper) in our top-nine (forwards), both special teams,” Lalonde said. “He’s a person that can help us. On the cut-down day (to the regular season), we only took 12 forwards and, in reality, we could have easily, if we had the roster space of 14 or 15 forwards, we had in our vision that he could help us early on.”

Kasper centered a line with Michael Rasmussen and Jonatan Berggren during Friday’s practice. Kasper was eating breakfast Friday in Grand Rapids when he was told about driving to Detroit and joining the Wings.

“I packed up and grabbed my bag and just got here,” said Kasper, who had already played one NHL game, two seasons ago. “It’s real fun, for sure, to get going and get in here for practice. We were preparing for a game tonight (in Grand Rapids), so I was just getting ready for that. They called and it’s good to come here. I’m just really excited to get the call and get to play here and I’m looking forward to it and just doing my best.”

Take this for what you will:

Saturday’s game in Nashville is a crucial early-season game for both teams. The Wings are 1-3-0 and Nashville 0-4-0, heading into a game where both teams need a victory to end a season-opening slide.

“I’m sure they are desperate, but we’re desperate too,” Lalonde said. “This does not feel good. It’s frustrating we are where we are with our results. It’s two teams that will be playing a desperate, important game early on.”

Kasper to participate in a ‘significant role’ during emergency recall

The Detroit Red Wings practiced on Friday at Little Caesars Arena ahead of a consequential game against the Nashville Predators tomorrow (2 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit), and they did so with roster emergency recall Marco Kasper, but without Tyler Motte or Andrew Copp.

After practice, coach Derek Lalonde told the media that Jeff Petry will return to the lineup tomorrow, that Alex Lyon will start opposite Juuse Saros, and that the team may go with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen depending on the health of Motte and Copp.

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton kicks off our survey of the Red Wings beat writers’ notebooks from today’s practice:

After Christian Fischer went down with an injury earlier this week, Lalonde noted that they likely wouldn’t call up a player like Kasper as a short-term fill-in because it would come at the cost of significant minutes in Grand Rapids.  What’s different now?  Per Lalonde, the difference is that a “significant role” is on offer for Kasper to step into.  “I think we’ll see him in our top nine, and we’ll see him on both special teams,” he said of what that role could look like.

As for what he’s looking for from Kasper, Lalonde said, “I still need him to play within himself.  I think early last year, this was new for him.  He tried to do too much.  You saw there just wasn’t time and space.  Probably what we ask of the other guys: manage your game, don’t turn pucks over, play with energy, get above, be on top.  I think a little help with some forecheck, just some pop in his skating, some energy.  We’ll be cautious with how we judge him.  This is his second NHL game.”

And in lieu of a practice report, the Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a 2:21 video of Marco Kasper speaking with the media:

Update: Here’s more in written form from St. James:

Continue reading Kasper to participate in a ‘significant role’ during emergency recall

Videos: Lalonde, Lyon, Larkin, Kasper speak with the media after Friday’s Red Wings practice

The 1-and-3 Detroit Red Wings practiced at Little Caesars Arena before embarking upon a 2-game road trip which begins tomorrow in Nashville against the 0-and-4 Predators (2 PM EDT start on Bally Sports Detroit), and concludes on Tuesday on Long Island, where the Red Wings will battle Patrick Roy’s New York Islanders (7:45 PM on what will then be FanDuel Sports Detroit).

The Red Wings were still stinging from Thursday’s 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers, who swept the teams’ home-and-home series, and the Wings were shorthanded up front as well:

Andrew Copp (flu) and Tyler Motte (being assessed for an upper-body injury) missed Friday’s practice, so the Red Wings brought up Marco Kasper from the Grand Rapids Griffins on an emergency basis, and Kasper, Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson and coach Derek Lalonde all spoke with the media ahead of the plane ride to Nashville.

According to coach Lalonde, Jeff Petry will play on the Wings’ defense on Saturday, and Alex Lyon will start opposite Juuse Saros.

Anyway, here’s coach Lalonde’s press conference…

And here are Alex Lyon, Dylan Larkin and Marco Kasper speaking with the media:

Also, here’s a bonus Tweet of note:

Post-Friday practice Tweets: Kasper’s got ‘grit’; Motte has UBI; Copp has the flu; Petry, Lyon to play vs. NSH

The Detroit Red Wings practiced without Andrew Copp or Tyler Motte on Friday afternoon, having recalled Marco Kasper for emergency reasons ahead of tomorrow’s matinee game against the 0-and-4 Nashville Predators (2 PM EDT start on Bally Sports Detroit).

The Red Wings shook up their lines and defensive pairings as a result of Copp and Motte’s absences–the power play, too–and it appears that the team will go with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen if Copp or Motte can’t go tomorrow.

The 1-and-3 Red Wings were still stinging from last night’s 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers when they spoke with the press after practice. You can guess who the star of the day happened to be:

Continue reading Post-Friday practice Tweets: Kasper’s got ‘grit’; Motte has UBI; Copp has the flu; Petry, Lyon to play vs. NSH

Tweets from Friday’s practice: Kasper arrives, Copp and Motte absent

The Detroit Red Wings will attempt to rebound from Thursday’s 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers when the Wings head to Nashville to battle the 0-and-4 Predators tomorrow afternoon (2 PM EDT start on Bally Sports Detroit).

The Red Wings will then head to Long Island to play Patrick Roy’s Islanders on Tuesday before coming home to play the Devils next Thursday, and heading to Buffalo to battle the Sabres next Saturday(and then host the Oilers in a back-to-back weekend), all before ending October with a home game against the Jets.

As far as the Predators are concerned, Nashville’s most recent loss came at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, who defeated the Preds 4-2 on Thursday evening in Nashville. Nashville is 0-and-3 at home this season, and they host the Bruins after Detroit comes to town.

While Ville Husso warmed up for tonight’s Griffins-Moose game (to be streamed on FloHockey.tv) in Grand Rapids…

And while Marco Kasper was recalled under emergency conditions (which means that the Red Wings can’t dress 12 forwards), you may take this for what you will:

The Red Wings hit the ice at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center just before noon EDT, and the Wings did so short a couple of forwards:

Continue reading Tweets from Friday’s practice: Kasper arrives, Copp and Motte absent

Marco Kasper recalled under emergency conditions

From the Red Wings on Twitter:

Emergency conditions = the team can’t dress a full roster. Must be the flu bug going through the locker room.

Mini catch-up post of doom

Aunt Annie and I have been battling a flu bug for the last two weeks, and it persists, so Wednesday’s “maintenance day” ended up yielding a full day-and-a-half’s worth of missed time.

As such, here’s a round-up of the articles I missed during my absence:

MLive: On Wednesday, MLive’s Ansar Khan reported that the Red Wings tinkered with their power play units, hoping to bring some life into the stagnant power play;

Khan also discussed the Red Wings’ rough opening 5-game schedule with coach Lalonde, and he noted that Erik Gustafsson was well aware of the fact that he hasn’t played up to par as of yet;

Free Press: Helene St. James spoke with Patrick Kane and Lalonde regarding the power play, and she spoke with Erik Gustafsson and Lalonde about #56’s play thus far;

St. James also posted videos of Kane and Lalonde and Gustafsson speaking with her:

Detroit News: Ted Kulfan discussed the Wings’ power play struggles, and yesterday, Kulfan talked about the brutal October schedule;

The Detroit News’s Tony Paul reports that Bally Sports networks are going to be purchased by FanDuel Sports;

Detroit Hockey Now: Bob Duff discussed Axel Sandin Pellikka chasing a Swedish scoring record;

Continue reading Mini catch-up post of doom