Author: George Malik

NHL.com’s Mike G. Morreale posted a column in which he discusses the Atlantic Division’s best rookies, and he names Marco Kasper the Wings’ best first-year player:

Marco Kasper, F, Detroit Red Wings: Kasper has been getting fourth-line duty of late, centering left wing Joe Veleno and Jonatan Berggren. The 20-year-old (6-1, 183), chosen No. 8 by the Red Wings in the 2022 draft, has sevem points (two goals, five assists), two power-play goals and averages 14:44 of ice time in 20 games. He also ranks tied for fourth on the Red Wings in takeaways (seven), is sixth in hits (32), and has blocked 12 shots.

“He’s got a good toolset,” Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said. “He’s a good skater. The thing I like the most is how competitive [he is]. He uses his body really well. He’s a worker and it’s impressive to see.”

Continued; Kasper may not be posting a ton of points, but he drives play, which is essential, he has a tremendous work ethic, and he makes those around him better.

Of Red Wings prospect-related note:

In the QMJHL, Rudy Guimond spent his first game in the Moncton Wildcats’ lineup, but he backed up Jacob Steinman on Sunday as Moncton won a 3-2 decision over the Cape Breton Eagles;

And in NCAA Hockey, Trey Augustine was the back-up in the Michigan State University Spartans’ 2-0 win over Lindenwood on Sunday. Captain Red Savage finished even with 1 shot and a 1-for-2 faceoff record for Michigan State.

The Grand Rapids Griffins’ relatively consistent run continues, with the Griffins winning a 6-4 decision over the Cleveland Monsters on Sunday evening:

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 6 vs. Cleveland Monsters 4

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Griffins tallied a season-high six goals in their 6-4 win against the Cleveland Monsters on Sunday at Van Andel Arena. 

The Griffins’ victory snapped the Monsters’ franchise-record 10-game winning streak. Joe Snively (2-1—3) and Dominik Shine (1-2—3) both secured three-point campaigns while Nate Danielson (1-1—2) and William Wallinder (0-2—2) tallied two-point outings. Danielson increased his point streak to four (1-4—5). Tory Dello and Antti Tuomisto both earned their first goals of the year and goaltender Sebastian Cossa saved 29 shots to maintain a .925 save percentage and a 2.21 goals-against average. This is the first time the Griffins have been atop the Central Division in December or later since the 2018-19 season. 

Dello gave the Griffins the early lead with his first goal as a Griffin at 7:12 in the first frame. Tim Gettinger fired a pass to Dello at the blue line and he sniped it past Zach Sawchenko. However, the Monsters scored a goal of their own from Denton Mateychuk just 13 seconds later. Grand Rapids took its lead back at 11:30 when Shine found the back of the net.Danielsondished the puck to Shine in the slot who buried the chance. Cleveland evened the score at two with 6:22 to play in the first courtesy of Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm, but with three seconds remaining in the frame, Snively found paydirt on a power-play goal to give the Griffins a 3-2 lead entering the second.

The Monsters kicked off the second period with a tally from Trey Fix-Wolansky at 2:10 to make it 3-3. The Griffins quickly jumped back on top 4-3 at 4:42 with Snively’s second goal when he sent the puck past the pads of Sawchenko. Grand Rapids earned its first two-goal lead when Tuomisto buried a slapshot from the top of the right circle at 6:35. The scoring run continued as Danielson secured the Griffins’ sixth goal of the contest with 4:24 left in the second. 

Grand Rapids maintained its 6-3 lead until Cleveland pulled Jet Greaves and Luca Del Bel Belluz scored with 3:16 remaining. The Monsters kept the extra attacker on, but the Griffins’ defense held strong as they skated off with a 6-4 win.

Continued; the Griffins also posted a photo gallery, a highlight clip and a post-game interview clip:

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

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