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!

Video: Chiarot, Seider and coach McLellan speak before Detroit faces Columbus

The Detroit Red Wings face the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at Nationwide Arena (7 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/FanDuel SportsNet Columbus/97.1 FM), and the Red Wings will start Cam Talbot opposite Elvis Merzlikins in goal tonight, with the Blue Jackets going with an 11-forwards-and-7-defensemen lineup.

After the Wings’ morning skate, defensemen Ben Chiarot and Moritz Seider, as well as coach Todd McLellan, spoke with the media:

A bit of praise for the Griffins

The Grand Rapids Griffins earn praise from SI’s Jacob Punturi today, with Punturi discussing the successes of the Griffins and the Calgary Wranglers:

Grand Rapids Griffins: The Griffins are another top team yet again in the AHL. The leader of the Central Division, they have a 19-9-3 record. It’s a well balanced group, filled with veteran AHL’ers as well as some of the top young players in the Red Wings organization.

The bedrock of the Griffins this season is goaltender Sebastian Cossa. The 2021 first-round pick has been plying his trade in Grand Rapids waiting for a full-time chance with Detroit. Coming off a 40-start season last year, he’s stepped up his game again in his second full professional season. He has a record of 10-5-3 with a 2.31 goals against average and a save percentage of .919%.

The top of their scoring leaders is riddled with veteran professional players like Austin Watson, Joe Snively, and Dominik Shine. It’s significantly helped players like Nate Danielson find their way in the AHL.

Danielson is a player the Red Wings have extremely high hopes for, and he’s working through his first professional season in Grand Rapids. Through 31 games, he has three goals, but also has 16 assists for 19 points. The 20-year-old center is leading the team’s rookies in scoring, and he’s improving every week as the season progresses.

Video: Red Wings entertain Tigers’ Jason Benetti and Dan Dickerson on the latest ‘The Conversation Line’

As part of the lead-up to the Jamie Daniels Foundation’s “Hot Stove Stories! Rounding the Bases with Mike Tirico” event:

Red Wings-Blue Jackets morning skate Tweets: Talbot vs. Merzlikins in goal; Blue Jackets to go 11-and-7

The Detroit Red Wings face the Columbus Blue Jackets this evening (7 PM EST on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/FanDuel SportsNet Columbus/97.1 FM), and the Blue Jackets kicked off their morning skate at 10 AM:

The Hockey News’s Jason Newland posted the Blue Jackets’ lines:

Continue reading Red Wings-Blue Jackets morning skate Tweets: Talbot vs. Merzlikins in goal; Blue Jackets to go 11-and-7

A bit about Joe Veleno, first line forward

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton wrote a brief article about Joe Veleno’s status as skating on the Red Wings’ top line alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond:

When asked after the Red Wings’ Sunday win over the Capitals what Veleno needs to provide offensively to remain on that line, McLellan said he would need more time to determine that, explaining, “I can’t fairly answer that question right now. I don’t know Joe well enough yet. I don’t know what’s in his toolbox. He seems to be a real honest player, he seems to have some pace to his game and some skill. His ability right now to go all over the lineup—down, up, penalty kill, hasn’t had any power play time—sometimes lines need balance too. And maybe he can provide that.”

When asked Monday about the same topic, Veleno himself spoke to the importance of keeping up his present form and habits.  “I think just continue what I’ve been doing: Using my speed, forechecking well, having good sticks on the forecheck, protect the puck down low, and obviously retrieve pucks for those guys,” the Quebecois forward said.  “They like to make plays, and they’re gonna find each other, but just try to be at the right spot, go to the net, use my speed, and try to complement those guys.”

He continued by saying that success for him would be “retrieving pucks, being hard on the forecheck, winning battles, and obviously I think plays will start to open up.  I think we’ve got a lot of speed on that line,…so could be dangerous.”

Tweet of note: It’s Quarterfinals day at the World Junior Championship

From TSN (and every game will air on the NHL Network in the U.S.):

Sandin Pellikka, Swedes not taking Latvians lightly

Team Sweden battles Latvia in the World Junior Championship quarterfinal today at 12 PM today (on the NHL Network and TSN), and Axel Sandin Pellikka told IIHF.com’s Lukas Aykroyd that the Swedes won’t take the Latvians lightly:

On paper, it’s impossible not to pick Sweden in this TD Place Arena matchup. The well-structured Juniorkronorna, who won last year’s silver medal, amassed a perfect group-stage record with an impressive 24-10 goal difference. They have the tournament’s best power play (7-for-20, 35 percent) and three of the tournament’s top 10 scorers. The list goes on.

That doesn’t mean coach Magnus Havelid’s boys will take the Latvians lightly, even though the small Baltic nation has never finished higher than seventh at a World Juniors (2022). Latvia’s 3-2 shootout upset over host Canada put everyone on notice.

“Of course, we’re going to be favourites, but still, we need to play our best at all times,” said Swedish captain Axel Sandin Pellikka, who leads the tournament scoring race (4+4=8). “They’re a really good team, so we’d better start preparing as soon as possible.”

The Latvians also managed to stay within one goal of the Americans in their 5-1 loss for more than 25 minutes, and they will look to do the same against the Swedes, trying to engender a sense of doubt. Power forward Eriks Mateiko has been clutch with a team-leading three goals so far.

Latvian captain Peteris Bulans said: “We need to play simple: send bodies to the net and pucks to the net and get the rebounds and deflections, simple hockey in the O-zone.”

Did the 2014 Winter Classic ‘set the standard?’

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski argues that the Red Wings-Maple Leafs Winter Classic in 2014 was the game which set the standard for every other outdoor game:

1. 2014: Michigan Stadium
Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Detroit Red Wings 2 (37 points)

Environment: 10
Hype: 10
Game: 8
Style: 9

This was a special kind of cold. The seat cushions handed to the 105,491 hockey fans at the Big House — an NHL record — could barely protect their posteriors from the numbing metal benches. The balls inside the linesmen’s whistles froze in place during the game. Snow fell, winds whipped. It was truly hockey vs. the elements that day in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

All of it helped create a legendary environment for the outdoor game. So did the split loyalties in the crowd, which was dotted with blue Maple Leafs jerseys and contrasting with Red Wings jerseys. On the ice, the teams’ throwback jerseys — both wore full-color uniforms — were among the best looking in the event’s history.

Impossible as it might seem, the game was actually good! Jonathan Bernier saw 43 Red Wings shots sail his way, and Detroit needed a late third-period goal to force overtime. Toronto won in a shootout on a Tyler Bozak tally, sending tens of thousands back over the border happy.

An entertaining game, in many ways, is the cherry on top for a Winter Classic. There are other aspects more central to the event’s success. Like having a compelling matchup, challenging winter conditions and a memorable venue with a personality of its own. But a great Winter Classic should also be a celebration of hockey: To that end, the Leafs and Wings played an alumni game doubleheader at Comerica Park in Detroit because they had so many darn great players who wanted in, and so many fans who wanted to watch them.

The Winter Classic at the Big House satisfied all these obligations. Which is why it’s the classic among Classics.

Continued

Tweet of note: Old man Augustine

Per Red Wings Prospects on Twitter: