Author: George Malik

The Detroit Red Wings struggled for the second consecutive road game, dropping a 3-0 lead en route to a 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday evening.

Perhaps just as worrisome, Dylan Larkin, who scored a goal in the 2nd period, was removed from the game in the 3rd due to COVID protocol, which could mean a positive test, a false positive…Whatever it means, a team that spits and sweats and bleeds together has been visited by COVID-19, and things could go downhill in a hurry if things spread.

Right now all we can do is wait and hope for health and not blame anybody when we’re dealing with a stupid virus…

And we have to look at what we can talk about, which is the fact that the 8-8-and-2 Red Wings have lost 2 straight, 3 of their past 4 games, and 6 of their 9 total road games–with road tilts left to face in Vegas on Thursday and in Arizona on Saturday.

On Tuesday, the Stars built up a 3-0 lead on the Red Wings, allowed the Wings to close to within 3-2 in the 3rd period, and then pulled away via consecutive goals for Jason Robertson, one an empty-netter.

According to the Dallas News’s Matthew DeFranks, the Stars, who are now 6-6-and-2, are looking to turn their season around, even if they had to beat the “rebuilding Red Wings” to do it:

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

In the WHL, Cross Hanas finished even with 6 shots in the Portland Winterhawks’ 3-2 overtime loss to Everett.

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was removed from the Red Wings-Stars game on Tuesday due to the NHL’s COVID protocol, and the beat writers explained what happens to the Wings’ captain now.

Here’s MLive’s Ansar Khan…

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was removed from Tuesday’s game at Dallas after the second period due to COVID protocol, coach Jeff Blashill said during his postgame address. Blashill said Larkin would remain in Dallas, unable to travel with the team.

The Red Wings, following a 5-2 loss to the Stars, wrap up this road trip with games in Vegas Thursday and Arizona on Saturday.

Blashill said he doesn’t know what is next for Larkin.

“You go through a sequence of things,” Blashill said. “Right now, he’s out for COVID protocol. I’ll have more update (on Thursday).”

Larkin scored his team’s second goal at 14:39 of the second period to cut the Stars’ lead to 3-2 and had logged 12:25 in ice time before getting word in the second intermission that he could not return.

“Obviously, it was in the middle of the game, which is tough,” Blashill said. “We got to figure out exactly where everything stands, talk to Steve (general manager Yzerman) tonight, tomorrow, and figure out what we’re going to do for Thursday.”

The Free Press’s Helene St. James…

Blashill said Larkin was tested Tuesday. Players who are vaccinated are subject to PCR testing at least every 72 hours, while unvaccinated players, of which Tyler Bertuzzi is the lone NHL player, are tested daily. 

Per NHL protocols, “A person whose COVID-19 positive status has been confirmed shall remain in isolation, shall not exercise, and shall not participate in any training activity or have any contact (other than remotely) with any other personnel for the duration of their isolation.”

Larkin is on a three-game scoring streak with four goals. He converted on a power play in the second period of Tuesday’s game to edge the Wings within a goal.

“He’s our leader,” Danny DeKeyser said. “He drives the bus for this team. He had that big goal to get us back into it, and then not having him in the third obviously was a big loss.”

And The Athletic’s Max Bultman:

Larkin’s importance to the Red Wings

Max Bultman, Red Wings beat writer: Larkin is essential to the Red Wings’ lineup, not just as one of the team’s leading scorers but as an engine and tone-setter among their forwards. Without him, Detroit becomes especially thin at center, so if he has to miss any time that will be a major obstacle for the Red Wings. Rookie Joe Veleno could move into the top-six if Larkin can’t go, but put simply, there is no replacing

Larkin.What’s next for Larkin?

Bultman: Blashill said after the game he didn’t know the answer to what’s next for Detroit’s captain, but at minimum, Larkin cannot travel with the team to their next stop in Vegas, and will have to stay in Dallas for now.

It’s here.

Coach Blashill said Dylan Larkin was removed from the game due to COVID protocol.— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 17, 2021

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to break the Dallas Stars’ hex on the Red Wings at the American Airlines Center, where Dallas had won 7 straight games against Detroit.

The Red Wings rallied from a 3-0 deficit to make things close, drawing to within 3-2 on goals by Filip Zadina and Dylan Larkin, but Larkin was lost in the 3rd period, and while Detroit lost 5-2 in the end…Alex Nedeljkovic’s 24 stops on 29 shots were masterful, if not nearly legendary. It was a damn frustrating game as Dallas won their 8th straight opposite Detroit at the American Airlines Center, but the Red Wings at least made some progress in battling back from the deficit.

Regrettably, the best learning in the NHL comes from losing, and the Red Wings did a LOT of learning on a night when few penalties were called and many took place.

The Grand Rapids Griffins posted their weekly press release this evening, ahead of tomorrow’s matinee game:

If you missed it, Luke Glendening spoke with the Dallas Stars’ website’s Mike Heika regarding facing the Red Wings this evening:

Luke Glendening will play his first game against the Red Wings. That’s a big deal because Glendening not only played 554 games with the Wings before signing as a free agent with the Stars in the summer, he grew up in Michigan and was a huge fan during their heyday with Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008.

“I grew up a fan,” Glendening said. “I got to live out my dream of playing for them for eight years. I have a ton of respect for the people in the organization. It’s a big game for this team. I don’t want to take anything away from that. We need the two points, and that’s the goal.”

Pressed on the subject, Glendening admitted it’ll be strange to play against friends and former teammates.

“It’s going to feel different,” he said. “I’d love to say you approach it like any other game, but obviously you want to play well against your old team.”

Glendening has already been a help to the coaching staff in preparing to face the Wings.

“We’ve talked to him about their systems and their penalty killing and things we want to do, and he helped the coaches,” Bowness said.

And as for how well Glendening is fitting in, Bowness chuckled. Glendening is tied for second on the team in goals with four, despite the fact he’s known as a checking forward.

“He’s got four goals, he’s been outstanding for us, he’s been a great addition,” Bowness said. “He’s everything we’d heard he’d be.”

The Stars also posted a game preview:

Also:

Jake Oettinger had a weird ride with the Detroit Red Wings last season.

His first career NHL start came against them, a 7-3 win. Then came a 3-2 loss in which Robby Fabbri had the hatty for Detroit. After that was a 5-2 win and then a 7-3 loss in which he came in mid-game.

— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) November 16, 2021

Of prospect-related note:

In the Champions Hockey League’s playoffs, Elmer Soderblom had 2 goals and an assist in 14:35 played, finishing at +1 in Frolunda HC’s 10-1 win over the COVID-ravaged Adler Mannheim.

Theodor Niederbach scored a goal, finishing even in 10:55 played, and Simon Edvinsson finished at +1 in 8:50, coming back from an injury.

The Adler Mannheim asked the Champions Hockey League to reschedule the game as they had over half a dozen players dealing with COVID issues.

Here are the highlights from the game:

And .gifs:

Frölunda is dominating Mannheim, Elmer Söderblom here makes it 5-1 a little over halfway through the game. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/CyKwVvkppw

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) November 16, 2021

Elmer Söderblom scores his 2nd of the game.
Ryan Lasch with his 5th point of the night. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/IIXchQXkHQ

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) November 16, 2021

Theodor Niederbach joins in on the scoring by putting home the 8-1 goal #LGRW pic.twitter.com/uwoVHdjz7R

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) November 16, 2021

William Wallinder finished at -1 in 12:57 played in Rogle BK’s 4-3 win over the Zurich Lions. Here are the highlights from that game:

From the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Tuesday released defenseman D.J. King from his professional tryout.

King made his AHL debut on Nov. 6 at Rockford and logged his first AHL point on an assist in his next appearance on Nov. 13 against Manitoba. The first-year pro skated in two games with Grand Rapids, totaling one assist and a zero plus-minus rating.
The Scottsdale, Ariz., native will return to the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL, where he began the season and competed in two games and collected two penalty minutes. King has spent the previous three seasons in the OHL with Hamilton and Saginaw. The defenseman bagged 24 points (7-17—24) and 140 penalty minutes in 104 appearances at the junior level. King made his pro debut on Oct. 23 with Fort Wayne against Wheeling.

King’s father Derek also played with the Griffins from 1999-01 and 2002-04, totaling 203 points (73-130—203) in 264 games to rank fifth on the team’s all-time scoring list. The IHL’s regular-season scoring champion from 2000-01 remains the Griffins’ career playoff scoring leader with 41 points (16-25—41) in 46 games. The King’s joined Chris (2008-09) and Jake (2018-19) Chelios as the second father-son duo to have played for the Griffins.

A necessary move for the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday reassigned goaltender Victor Brattstrom to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye and reassigned netminder Kaden Fulcher to their AHL affiliate from Toledo.

Brattstrom made his AHL debut with the Griffins on Oct. 16 against Milwaukee and has appeared in four games with Grand Rapids, amassing a 0-3-1 record, a 5.32 goals against average and a 0.835 save percentage. The Goteborg, Sweden, native made a season-high 28 saves on Oct. 24 at Manitoba. The fifth-year pro has skated in 125 pro games and holds a 66-46-8 ledger with a 2.32 goals against average.

Fulcher has appeared in six games this season with Toledo and has posted a 3-2-0 record with a 1.77 goals against average and a 0.924 save percentage. His goals against average ranks sixth in the ECHL while his save percentage places seventh. The fourth-year pro spent seven games with Grand Rapids a season ago, logging a 2-2-3 record, a 2.84 goals against average and a 0.905 save percentage with one shutout. The Brigden, Ontario, native has totaled a 20-13-9 pro record with a 2.94 goals against average.