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!

Red Wings activate Patrick Kane, place J.T. Compher on Injured Reserve

Per the Red Wings on Twitter:

Update: Per NHL.com’s Aaron Vickers:

Patrick Kane could return to the lineup when the Red Wings visit the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.

Kane was activated off injured reserve earlier in the day after missing the past four games because of an upper-body injury.

“Kaner’s getting close, yes,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said Saturday. “There’s a chance he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow, but this skate’s important for his progress.”

The forward, who last played in a 2-1 overtime loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 21, has 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 42 games this season.

“He’s obviously one of our most skilled guys, controls the play a lot, really sets up our offense and our power play,” Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat said. “When he’s in the lineup he takes some load off other guys and when he has been out other guys have stepped up. The power play is still ticking a little bit. But he’s definitely a bit piece of our team. We prefer him to be in the lineup for sure.”

Detroit will remain without forward J.T. Compher for the foreseeable future. Compher has missed two games because of an upper-body injury.

One more Red Wings-Canucks game preview

The Associated Press, Field Level Media and the Canucks’ website all posted previews of tonight’s game between the Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks (8 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Sportsnet Pacific/TVA Sports/97.1 FM), and the Canucks’ morning skate revealed that all of the Canucks’ new acquisitions will make their debuts with the team this evening, with Kevin Lankinen starting in goal.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills has also posted a game preview from the Red Wings’ perspective, noting that the Red Wings are aiming to earn their 6th straight win:

Puck drop for the season series finale between the Red Wings (26-21-5; 57 points) and Canucks (23-18-10; 56 points) is set for 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The last time these clubs faced off was on Dec. 1, when Detroit earned a point in a 5-4 overtime loss at Little Caesars Arena.

“We need to get off to a good start,” Dominik Shine said after the Red Wings’ 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday night. “If we can get off to a good start, we have a good chance.”

Shine collected his first career NHL point on Saturday, getting the secondary assist on captain Dylan Larkin’s game-opening goal in the first period. Larkin now has four points (two goals, two assists) during a three-game point streak and 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in his last 18 games.

And with one more point this season, Larkin (23-26-49) can become the first Red Wings player to notch four straight 50-point campaigns since Henrik Zetterberg did from 2014-18.

“The leadership of [Larkin], he just kind of pulls everyone along with him,” said goalie Cam Talbot, who made 33 saves against the Flames. “You see [Lucas] Raymond elevate his game, a couple of other guys too. You put Marco Kasper in that category as well, he’s been hot since we put him on that wing. [Larkin’s] just been dragging everyone into the fight, and everyone’s been following.”

As good as some individual offensive performances have been for Detroit, head coach Todd McLellan said the netminder tandem of Talbot and Alex Lyon has also been a key part of the club’s success this season.

“In my opinion, you need to have two [goalies] in the NHL to win,” McLellan said. “You just can’t ride or run one guy anymore. The game’s too intense. There’s volume shooting, so the numbers are going up in the 30s and 40s. The travel, as you can see what we’re going through, is too hard on a single goaltender. To have both playing the way that they are is a real good sign, but often that’s a reflection of the group around them doing some of the things that they need to do.”

Continued

Morning skate Tweets: Vancouver to incorporate acquisitions, start Kevin Lankinen in goal

It’s a circus in Vancouver at the best of times. The Vancouver Canucks are covered with a media frenzy only exceeded by Toronto and Montreal.

Ahead of tonight’s game between the Red Wings and Canucks (8 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Sportsnet Pacific/TVA Sports/97.1 FM), the Canucks held an optional morning skate, and after having made two dramatic trades on Friday, coach Rick Tocchet told the media that Vancouver will incorporate its new additions into the team’s lineup this evening:

Canucks captain Quinn Hughes is a “game-time decision,” however, with an undisclosed lower-body issue:

As the Red Wings headed to Vancouver after last night’s 3-1 win over Calgary, they’re not holding a morning skate today–after all, today’s game starts at 5 PM local time–so we may not know who’s starting in the Red Wings’ goal, or whether there were any casualties over the course of last night’s game against the Flames, until pregame warmups.

Khan on the Wings’ statistical turnaround

MLive’s Ansar Khan examines the Red Wings’ statistical categories with and without coach Todd McLellan behind Detroit’s bench. You will not be surprised to hear that the good stuff’s skyrocketed, and the bad stuff’s gotten “less bad”:

The Red Wings are 13-4-1 since McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde on Dec. 26. Their 27 points during that span is tied for first in the NHL with Dallas (13-4-1) and Washington (11-2-5).

After Cam Talbot made 33 saves Saturday in a 3-1 victory at Calgary, stretching the team’s win streak to five, the goaltender was asked on Hockey Night in Canada about the reversal.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Talbot said. “I think just the system that we play and obviously he’s a great coach. I’ve loved playing behind him every step of the way (including stops in Edmonton and Los Angeles). He comes in, he’s a great communicator, great teacher. The results speak for themselves with our group here. Can’t say enough good things about him and what he’s brought to our team.”

Statistics show the stark difference before and after McLellan:

Red Wings under McLellan

13-4-1, 27 points (tied for first)

3.39 goals per game (fourth)

2.67 goals against per game

Power play: 35.7 percent (first)

Penalty kill: 73.7 percent

Shots differential: Plus-23

Continued (paywall) with the ugly numbers under coach Lalonde…

Climbing across the red line

The Detroit Red Wings will battle the Vancouver Canucks this evening (8 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Sportsnet Pacific/TVA Sports/97.1 FM), with the Wings hoping to extend their winning streak to 6 games after defeating the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Saturday night.

I try to not look too closely at the Eastern Conference standings, but Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen reports that the Wings might climb into the playoff picture if they should win tonight:

The Red Wings were eight points out of a playoff spot when Todd McLellan took command of the Red Wings on Dec. 2

Tonight, Detroit can move into the Eastern Conference’s last wildcard spot by winning in Vancouver. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins are both idle today.

Tampa Bay currently holds the last Eastern Conference wildcard spot, sitting one point ahead of Detroit and Boston. The Red Wings are 5-0-1 in their last six games, and 2-0 on this road trip.

Did anyone see this coming when GM Steve Yzerman fired Derek Lalonde and hired McLellan? The team is 13-4-1 since McLellan took over.

Also of Red Wings-Canucks-related note from Allen:

Detroit goes into tonight’s road games against the Vancouver Canucks (8 p.m., ET, FanDuel Sports Network) 5-0-1 in its last six games. In those six games, Detroit has given up just nine goals and haven’t up more than two goals in any of those games. The Red Wings are 11-for-13 (84.6%) on the penalty kill in those six games. Captain Dylan Larkin boasts three goals, seven points, 38 shots on goal and is plus-seven in those six games.

I didn’t expect the Wings to have such an excellent record under coach McLellan, but I did expect them to become playoff-relevant.

I’d argue that staying in the playoff-relevant mix for the remainder of this year’s regular season is more important than actually making the playoffs, given that McLellan was given a salvage job…

And while players like Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider are leading the way, I can’t say enough about players like Albert Johansson, Jonatan Berggren, the Wings’ goalies and the rest of the worker bees who are making the Wings’ turnaround happen.

Update: Here are tonight’s game notes:

Continue reading Climbing across the red line

Recalling the Red Wings’ trip to Marquette’s…prison…

WOOD TV’s Matt Jaworowski “looks back” at the Red Wings’ trip to Marquette Prison back in 1954:

After a 5-1 win over the Blackhawks, the Red Wings took to the skies and headed north. They checked into a hotel and had lunch before being escorted to the prison for the afternoon scrimmage.

Any concerns the players had about entering the prison grounds were quickly put to rest. They were welcomed as heroes and celebrated for being willing to make the trip north and appease some hardened hockey fans.

Despite temperatures hovering around 20 degrees, virtually the entire prison turned out to watch the game. According to the Marquette Mining Journal, outside of a few stragglers, the only prisoners who did not attend the game were those stuck in solitary confinement.

Even during the game, which proved to be lopsided, the mood was “cheerful” on both sides. A ragtag group of inmates were no match for the Detroit Red Wings, a team that featured eight future Hall of Famers and would go on to win the Stanley Cup a few months later.

Depending on the source, the score of the scrimmage was never close. One source said the Red Wings won 18-0. Another said 9-0, and a third said 8-2. The Associated Press, possibly to save the inmates from embarrassment or deciding to stop the count early, said the Wings won 5-2.

Continued

HSJ in the morning: Praise for the Wings’ Youth Movement

The Free Press’s Helene St. James discusses the play of five young Red Wings players this morning, praising the Wings’ youth movement for delivering results:

Marco Kasper

Kasper, 20, showed he was NHL ready in training camp, but was sent to the minors because of a roster crunch. That error was amended within a week and all Kasper (No. 6, 2022 draft) has done since is reinforce he’s where he belongs. Since coach Todd McLellan’s arrival on Dec. 26, Kasper isn’t just displaying his gritty and defensive side, he’s coming into his own offensively, with 12 points (seven goals) in 17 games entering Saturday. Over the past week, he recorded his first two-goal game, Monday against the Los Angeles Kings, and then set up the game-tying goal against the Oilers in Edmonton on Thursday. He’s holding his own playing left wing on the top line (just like Dylan Larkin did in his rookie season) and showing signs he may emerge as a second-line center down the road.

Albert Johansson

Johansson, 24, was in an unusual position to start the season: Guaranteed to be on the roster, because the 60th pick from the 2019 draft was no longer waiver-exempt, but not guaranteed to be in the lineup. And he wasn’t, appearing in just 17 games through Christmas. But on Jan. 2, veteran defenseman Jeff Petry went down with an injury (he still hasn’t returned), creating an opening for Johansson. He has responded by fitting onto the second pairing, opposite Edvinsson, and recording four points and a plus-four rating through 13 games. Last week, McLellan indicated Johansson isn’t going back to watching from the sidelines should the Wings be at full health on defense. “Albert hasn’t done anything to give any of his game back,” McLellan said. “Good for him.”

Elmer Söderblom

He joined the team Jan. 21, called up after consecutive losses sparked a desire to shake things up among the forward group. Söderblom, 23, appeared in 21 games with the Wings in 2022-23, and then dropped from the radar. But the 6-8 Swede grabbed in the 2019 draft (No. 159 overall) has good hand-to-eye coordination and moves well for a player his size; he, too, has found a way to stay in the lineup, displacing more veteran options. He used his long reach to score his first goal, Monday against the Kings, and followed up with an assist the next game, both times helping the Wings rally to victory from 2-0 deficits. He, Kasper, Edvinsson, Berggren and Johansson are a big part of why there’s hope the Wings will finally make it back to the playoffs.

Continued (paywall)

Early Red Wings-Canucks previews

It’s the middle of the night on Sunday morning, but the Associated Press has already posted a preview of the Red Wings’ Sunday night tilt against the Vancouver Canucks (8 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Sportsnet Pacific/TVA Sports/97.1 FM):

BOTTOM LINE: The Detroit Red Wings will attempt to keep their five-game win streak going when they visit the Vancouver Canucks.

Vancouver is 23-18-10 overall and 9-10-6 in home games. The Canucks are fifth in league play serving 9.8 penalty minutes per game.

Detroit is 11-10-3 in road games and 26-21-5 overall. The Red Wings have gone 5-6-3 when they commit more penalties than their opponent.

The teams square off Sunday for the second time this season. The Canucks won the previous matchup 5-4 in overtime. Jake DeBrusk scored three goals in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Quinn Hughes has scored 14 goals with 45 assists for the Canucks. Brock Boeser has two goals and five assists over the last 10 games.

Dylan Larkin has 23 goals and 26 assists for the Red Wings. Lucas Raymond has three goals and seven assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Canucks: 5-5-0, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.3 assists, 4.3 penalties and 11.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.

Red Wings: 6-3-1, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.7 assists, 2.5 penalties and five penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

The Canucks website’s Chris Faber also posted a game preview from Vancouver’s perspective:

Continue reading Early Red Wings-Canucks previews

Red Wings-Flames wrap-up: Wings sweep Alberta via 5th win in a row

The Detroit Red Wings swept Alberta via a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night, and the 4-games-in-6-nights swing gets no easier as the Red Wings head to Vancouver to play the reinforced Canucks on Sunday night (8 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Sportsnet Pacific/TVA Sports/97.1 FM).

But the Red Wings have something to play for. They’ve won 5 straight games, they sit 1 point behind the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning, and 2 behind the Columbus Blue Jackets, who own the Eastern Conference’s first Wild Card spot.

The problem, of course, is that the Senators, Blue Jackets, Bruins, Lightning, Islanders and Canadiens all keep winning, too, so the Red Wings need to do the best they can to mine points out of this ugly 4-in-6 trip in order to return home at the Four Nations break within sight of a playoff spot.

But if the road leads uphill, you climb it, and that’s where the Red Wings are at this morning–climbing uphill.

As far as the Calgary Flames were concerned, starting the first half of their own back-to-back set of games (they play the Kraken in Seattle this evening) and debuting trade acquisitions Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost, they were, well…Entitled to a certain storyline, as they told the Calgary Sun’s Wes Gilbertson:

Continue reading Red Wings-Flames wrap-up: Wings sweep Alberta via 5th win in a row