The Detroit Red Wings lost a difficult 5-4 overtime decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday afternoon, and the 10-11-and-3 Red Wings will now embark upon a stretch in which they play 4 of 5 games away from Little Caesars Arena, including games at Boston (Tuesday), at Ottawa (Thursday), at home vs. Colorado (next Saturday), then at Buffalo (next Monday) and Philadelphia (next Thursday).

In the the middle of the road trip, the Wings play a home game against the high-flying Avalanche, so the next 5 games aren’t going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination.

On Sunday, the usual chinks in the armor surfaced: the Red Wings’ penalty-kill wasn’t good enough, the fact that the Red Wings are penalty-prone hurt the cause, and while the Red Wings were resilient, rallying from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits to take a 4-3 lead, Detroit could not keep their lead late in the 3rd period, and when overtime took place, a missed “man-on-man” exchange yielded the game-winning, hat trick goal for Jake DeBrusk.

The fact that the Wings lost Cam Talbot early in the 2nd period to a lower-body injury didn’t help the Wings’ cause, but the team still looks incredibly fragile, they aren’t quite physical enough, and their tendencies to make catastrophic mistakes are all concerning.

For the Canucks, Sunday’s win was an exultant moment, as they told VancouverCanucks.com’s Lindsey Horsting…

The Fourth Period reports that the “Red Wings GM [is] looking at making changes,” and this news should surprise no one:

Like several teams out there, such as the Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames, the Red Wings are believed to be in the market for a young, second-line centre, in addition to a top-six scoring winger and upgrades on the blueline.

It is unclear whom the Red Wings are targeting, as management keeps information tight to the vest, but it seems clear Yzerman is exploring his options to improve his team’s position.

…

Detroit also ranks last in the NHL on the penalty kill, an area captain Dylan Larkin told reporters on Saturday is a major concern and their inability to manage their PK minutes and shifts has penalized them further.

“We don’t do that well enough, and it costs us,” Larkin admitted. “When you’re tired, you’re giving the other team’s best players looks.”

Another unsuccessful campaign may also result in a coaching change, as rumours over Head Coach Derek Lalonde’s future have recently popped up.

Lalonde, who is in the final year of his contract, was named the 28th head coach in franchise history on June 30, 2022 after spending four seasons as an assistant coach with the Lightning.

Though Joel Quenneville has been linked as a possible candidate to replace Lalonde, multiple league sources have suggested to TFP that the Wings could pursue former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft as an option if the Wings make a change behind the bench.

Wings Associate Coach Bob Boughner, who joined Detroit after serving as Head Coach of the San Jose Sharks, could be instilled as Interim Head Coach if a change occurs mid-season, though some chatter suggests Boughner may also be a casualty if Detroit reshapes its coaching staff.

No surprises here.

The Detroit Red Wings’ color commentator more or less summarized my take on the month to come for the Red Wings: Mickey Redmond suggested that “the window is closing” to turn things around, and there’s a simple reason for that.

Detroit plays the next 4 of 5 on the road, and those games include away games against Boston, Ottawa and Buffalo, all divisional rivals, before a game in Philly, and a home game vs. Toronto…

Detroit plays the Flyers, Maple Leafs and Canadiens twice this month, and the Capitals and Penguins once, and all of those Eastern Conference games are opportunities with which to earn points to catch up with the 10-11-and-3 Red Wings’ divisional and Wild Card rivals.

But if they do not succeed in terms of their 7 divisional games and 11 of 13 Eastern Conference-foe games, the window may very well shut upon their playoff chances.

The path toward success is narrow, especially with the current roster, but if the Red Wings are able to battle through their penalty-killing struggles, and if they get some luck in the health department (with all due respect to Alex Lyon and Ville Husso, Cam Talbot’s been spectacularly consistent), they still have the opportunity to succeed and get back into the playoff mix at least with the current coach and players behind the bench and on the ice, respectively.

If the Wings do not embrace their opportunities, then changes will be needed, and needed urgently. And the longer that the team struggles, the greater the magnitude of the necessary changes will be.

Ultimately, if the Red Wings’ management team chooses not to act until their hands are forced, GM SY and the pro scouting department have a couple of weeks with which to tell the coaches and team to impress the management–or else changes will be inevitable.

For now, there is still hope. But the window will indeed close at the end of this month, and if nothing is done to rectify a struggling team’s situation, we will know that this team is simply not destined to satisfy the expectations thrust upon them.

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to cut into the Vancouver Canucks’ 9-and-2 road record, and stop goaltender Kevin Lankinen’s 9-and-0 road record, over the course of Sunday’s game between the two teams.

The 10-11-and-2 Red Wings were facing a 12-7-and-3 Canucks team for whom the good times kept rolling, and the Wings were still on their “back foot” after Friday’s 5-4 loss to New Jersey.

On Sunday afternoon, the Red Wings lost Cam Talbot, they gave up 2 power play goals against, they went 1-for-4 on their own power plays, and Detroit just seemed to be half-a-step slower than Vancouver as Ville Husso gave up 3 goals on 18 shots in relief and Jake DeBrusk scored a hat trick en route to a 5-4 OT win.

Detroit is still giving up too many power play goals, too many goals, period, and they went 2-1-and-1 on their 4-of-5-game home stand. At least they earned an OT point, but the team remains vexing and perplexing as it prepares to play 4 of the next 5 on the road, starting with Boston on Tuesday.

The Red Wings got bad news as Cam Talbot had to leave the Red Wings-Canucks game during the second period thereof:

UPDATE: Cam Talbot (lower-body injury) will not return to today's game.

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 1, 2024

Sportsnet posted a report about Talbot:

Cam Talbot exited the team’s game against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday after suffering an apparent injury.

Ville Husso replaced Talbot in net.

The starter made a save, then skated to the bench after the ensuing whistle and headed straight to the dressing room from there.

In 14 appearances with the Red Wings before Sunday, Talbot owns a 6-5-2 record with a .916 save percentage and 2.67 goals-against average.

The NHL veteran had also emerged as a candidate for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off with his strong play early in the season.

Rosters are due Monday and set to be revealed on Wednesday.

The Red Wings are back in action Tuesday against the Bruins in Boston.

FanDuel SportsNet Detroit did an interesting feature on Lucas Raymond’s equipment today, discussing his particular preferences for tacky palms on his gloves:

Like many players, Lucas Raymond wants his gloves to be just so.#LGRW | @ThinkFordFirst pic.twitter.com/pYXgc54HGB

— FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (@FanDuelSN_DET) December 1, 2024

I don’t like posting this, but it’s part of the job. After having a bad anxiety attack last night, I got up at 8 AM to make sure I caught up with today’s news, and I did it mostly because I want the blog to be useful for you, but I can’t do it completely out of love of the game.

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Of Red Wings prospect-related note in North America on Saturday night:

In the ECHL, Jan Bednar stopped 22 of 23 shots as the Toledo Walleye won 5-1 over the Kalamazoo K-Wings;

In the OHL, Landon Miller stopped 24 of 27 shots in the Soo Greyhounds’ 3-2 loss to North Bay;

In the WHL, Emmitt Finnie had an assist, finishing at -1 with 3 shots and an 11-for-20 faceoff record as the Kamloops Blazers lost 7-1 to Everett;

In the USHL, Austin Baker finished at -1 with 5 shots in the Sioux Falls Stampede’s 4-1 win over Omaha;

And in NCAA Hockey, Kyle Aucoin finished at +2 with 3 shots in 14:59 played as the Harvard Crimson won 4-2 over Merrimack;

Brennan Ali had an assist, finishing even with 1 shot in 17:42 played as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost 4-3 to Boston University;

John Whipple played 10:55 in the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers won 5-2 over Alaska Anchorage;

Dylan James finished even with 1 shot in 19:30 played as the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks’ 3-3 tie with Bemidji State;

Kienan Draper finished at -1 in 14:36 played, with a 5-for-6 faceoff record, as the University of Michigan Wolverines won 2-1 over Western Michigan;

Owen Mehlenbacher finished even with 1 shot in 6:21 played, and Jack Phelan finished even with 2 shots in 8:07 played as the University of Wisconsin Badgers’ 1-1 tie with Alaska-Anchorage;

And Cooper Moore scored a goal, finishing at +1 with 1 shot in the Quinnipiac Bobcats’ 1-1 tie with Cornell.

Ahead of today’s game between the Red Wings and Canucks (12:30 PM on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Sportsnet Pacific/Sportsnet One/97.1 FM), Daniella Bruce and Ken Kal preview the game:

.@KenKalDRW break down the matinee matchup with the Vancouver Canucks!
– Kane & Lyon still out
– Talbot starting in net @DetroitRedWings #LGRW pic.twitter.com/x10nGuWEBc

— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) December 1, 2024

The Grand Rapids Griffins dropped a 5-2 decision to the Chicago Wolves on Saturday night. Here’s the Griffins website’s recap:

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 2 at Chicago Wolves 5

ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Grand Rapids Griffins fell 5-2 to the Chicago Wolves behind a hat trick from Scott Morrow on Saturday at Allstate Arena. 

Sheldon Dries scored his seventh goal of the year and earned two points in the game (1-1—2). Dominik Shine cashed in the Griffins’ third power-play goal in the last three outings and goaltender Carter Gylander made his second start of the season, saving 33 shots. 

The Wolves tallied their first goal when Justin Robidas scored at 8:10 in the first period. Grand Rapids evened the score when Dries found the back of the net on a breakaway with 5:29 left in the frame. A pass off the boards from Joe Snively found Dries in the left circle and he snapped the puck past the pads of Dustin Tokarski. This was the Griffins’ first and only shot attempt of the period compared to Chicago’s 17. The tie was short-lived as Morrow regained the lead for the Wolves with one second remaining in the first. 

Chicago increased its lead to two at 9:01 in the second frame when Austin Wagner cashed in. Amadeus Lombardi attempted to bring the Griffins within striking distance as he glided through Chicago defenders for a wide-open look at 5:04, but his shot deflected off Tokarski. 

The Wolves scored their fourth goal just 1:47 into the final period as Morrow tallied his second of the outing. However, Shine pulled Grand Rapids within two thanks to a power-play goal at 17:32. The Griffins pulled Gylander at 18:38 but Morrow scored an empty-net goal to complete his hat trick with 57 seconds remaining. Grand Rapids couldn’t find the back of the net and fell 5-2. 

Continued with a photo gallery and Chicago Wolves highlights: