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!

Prospect round-up: Finnie 1A, Moore 1G in Saturday night action

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.

Tweet of note: ‘The Forecheck’ for Wings-Canucks

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:

Griffins recap: Grand Rapids drops a Saturday decision to Chicago

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:

Tweet of note: Bobble bobble

Today is Dylan Larkin bobblehead day at Little Caesars Arena, so the Red Wings had the team examine a life-sized Larkin bobblehead after Saturday’s practice:

Scouting the Stadium Series

NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika did some advance scouting of the “Stadium Series” game between Detroit and Columbus on March 1st by taking in Saturday’s U of M-Ohio State game:

The Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry isn’t just a game. It is known as “The Game.” The emotion boiled over after the Wolverines upset the Buckeyes 13-10 in front of 106,005 at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, the teams scrapping at midfield. When a Michigan player paraded with his school flag, an Ohio State player ripped it down.

You could joke that a hockey game broke out.

Funny, because a hockey game will break out in that very spot when the Columbus Blue Jackets host the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series on March 1. This time, “The Team Up North” will be the Detroit Red Wings.

“It’ll be awesome,” said A.J. Hawk, the former Ohio State linebacker, whose brother-in-law is Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson, a Michigan product. “It’s always cool to watch [the Stadium Series on television], and the whole Ohio State-Michigan situation adds a whole other element to it. I know people in Ohio and people in Michigan kind of have deep feelings about it one way or another, so it’s going to be great.”

Even if you’re just a casual sports fan, your bucket list should include a Michigan-Ohio State football game and an NHL outdoor game. The Blue Jackets’ first outdoor game will combine the two. The NHL tries to make each event special by tailoring it to the venue, so expect the League to lean into Ohio State football tradition and “The Game.”

After all, people here sing a song called, “We Don’t Give a Damn for the Whole State of Michigan.” They cover the letter “M” with an “X” everywhere during Michigan week. Even the Blue Jackets did it this week on X, formerly known as Twitter. Will people do it to the letter “D” to diss Detroit for the Stadium Series?

Continued

Kind-of-sort-of praise for Cam Talbot’s fantasy hockey value

The Hockey News’s Michael Amato posted some kind-of-sort-of praise for Cam Talbot in Amato’s fantasy hockey notes:

Cam Talbot isn’t getting enough credit for what he’s done this season. At 37, Talbot is still very fantasy-relevant with a .916 save percentage and a winning record on a mediocre Detroit Red Wings squad. This is the second year in a row Talbot has started strong out of the gates, as he was an All-Star last season for the Los Angeles Kings. One thing to watch for with Talbot is he may hit a wall again at some point like he did in 2023-24, so make sure you have a contingency plan if the quality starts dry up.

Continued

Red Wings-Canucks game-day previews

The Detroit Red Wings face off against the Vancouver Canucks today at 12:30 PM EST (FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Sportsnet Pacific/Sportsnet One/97.1 FM), and the 10-11-and-2 Red Wings will have a difficult challenge in the 12-7-and-2 Canucks.

Vancouver is 9-and-2 on the road this season, and goaltender Kevin Lankinen, the presumptive starter, is 9-and-0 on the road.

As far as the Hockey News’s Adam Kierszenblat believes that the Canucks will set historical records today…

It will be an early start for the Vancouver Canucks (12-7-3) on Sunday as they take on the Detroit Red Wings (10-11-2) for the first time this season. In 2023-24, these two teams split the season series, with each picking up a win on home ice. With a win, Vancouver would improve to 10-2-0 on the road while picking up their fourth win on the current road trip. 

unday’s game could feature multiple historic moments. Not only is Quinn Hughes one assist away from becoming the franchise’s all-time leader for assists by a defenceman, but if he starts, Kevin Lankinen could become the first goaltender in NHL history to start a season 10-0-0 on the road. While it will require a full team effort, both records could easily be set against the Red Wings.

VancouverCanucks.com’s Chris Faber posted a game preview yesterday…

Continue reading Red Wings-Canucks game-day previews

Talking Trouba again

I guess we’re going to start talking about Jacob Trouba again. The Hockey News’s Michael DeRosa suggests that the Red Wings are the “best fit” should the New York Rangers decide to trade their captain:

The Detroit Red Wings were heavily linked to Trouba during this past off-season, so they are a clear team to watch in the sweepstakes. They have had a tough start to the season, as their 10-11-2 record demonstrates. They have also won only four out of their last ten games, so GM Steve Yzerman could look to make a move soon.

There’s no question that the Red Wings could use a defender like Trouba right now. The Rochester, Mich. native would provide them an upgrade for their second pairing and would instantly become a significant part of their penalty kill if acquired. 

If Trouba is more open to a move to the Red Wings this season, they could be the perfect landing spot for the veteran. 

Continued; there’s a “fit” here, but salary cap gymnastics would be needed, and compensation would be an issue–as would Trouba’s 15-team no-trade list.

HSJ in the morning: on Cam Talbot’s journey to Detroit

This morning, the Free Press’s Helene St. James discusses Cam Talbot reaching his 500th career game this past Friday vs. New Jersey, as well as Talbot’s value to the Wings’ team and locker room:

He wasn’t drafted (neither was Lyon) but instead signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers in 2010. From there began an NHL career that also had stopovers with the Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings. His inauspicious beginnings and well-traveled journey play into why it was so special to reach the milestone. (He’s the 82nd goaltender in NHL history to get there.)

“It’s remarkable, especially since his career started a little bit later in the NHL,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “He wasn’t playing in the league at 18, 19. It’s just impressive. I think it speaks volumes of him, his approach. He’s a true professional. He was not the most highly touted goalie coming out of college. The way he kind of built his career — the character along with the competitor and the talent, you can see why he got to this point, to this milestone in his career.”

Talbot’s .916 save percentage and 2.67 goals-against average this season rank in the top four among Canadian goaltenders with at least 10 games played, which should put Talbot on the radar for Team Canada in the 4 Nations Faceoff tournament in February (replacing the NHL All-Star Game), with the roster to be announced Wednesday. It would be another nod of recognition for a goaltender who has forged an impressive career.

“I just always try to come to the rink with a good attitude, good work ethic, and try to do whatever I can every day to try get better, and that’s what I’ve been doing my whole career,’ Talbot said. “Never let anything deter me from going out there and doing everything I possibly can. Being undrafted and taking the route I took makes it that much more special. I just humbly appreciate every day.”

Continued; St. James posted a video of Talbot and captain Dylan Larkin discussing Talbot’s tenure with the Wings thus far: