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!

Field Level Media scouts the Rangers

Field Level Media has already posted something of a “character sketch” of the Red Wings and New York Rangers ahead of this week’s “home-and-home” series between the two teams. Here’s what FML has to say about the Rangers:

The New York Rangers began their season with an impressive blowout and then followed up by making defensive miscues that prevented them from keeping pace in a high-scoring affair.

Coming off two different outcomes to start the season, the Rangers host the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night.

The Rangers opened up with Wednesday’s 6-0 rout at Pittsburgh when Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves. They followed it up with a 6-5 overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday in their home opener — a game they tied three times but never led.

Artemi Panarin scored New York’s first two tying goals, and K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider and Will Cuylle also scored. Adam Fox added three assists but Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider were a combined minus-6 in a game when the Rangers allowed 26 shots on goal — five fewer than their season opener.

New York’s offense was not enough when it committed a defensive lapse that resulted in Clayton Keller scoring with 54.9 seconds left in overtime.

“We probably should have won the game,” Kreider said. “We come into the game tonight thinking that we’re going to win the game if we play the right way, have a chance to win a game. And there are stretches where we didn’t (play well). We’re lucky to get one (point).”

…

The Rangers swept last season’s season series, winning each of the three games by two goals or fewer. New York is 9-1-2 in the past 12 meetings since the start of the 2019-20 season.

Ugh.

Video: Justin Holl and Derek Lalonde address the media after Sunday’s optional practice

The Red Wings held an optional practice on Sunday, ahead of a home-and-home series with the New York Rangers on Monday and Thursday.

After practice, coach Lalonde told the media that Christian Fischer is out on Monday, and that the Wings may have to waive a veteran in order to bring up a forward to replace Fischer, presuming that the team doesn’t go with 11 forwards and 7 D on Monday. He also declined to name a starting goaltender for Monday night’s game.

Jeff Petry is also still out with his “upper-body injury.”

Here are coach Lalonde and Justin Holl speaking with the media, per the Red Wings:

Also:

Post-optional practice Tweets: Christian Fischer out Monday

The Detroit Red Wings held an optional practice ahead of tomorrow night’s game against the New York Rangers (7 PM EDT start on Bally Sports Detroit/MSG/NHL Network).

Detroit hopes to build upon their 3-0 victory over Nashville on Saturday as they open a two-game series against the Rangers this week; the 1-0-and-1 Rangers lost a very strange 6-5 OT decision to Utah last night, so they’re looking to bounce back at the Red Wings’ expense.

After practice, coach Derek Lalonde spoke with the Red Wings’ media corps, and he reported that Christian Fischer is out for tomorrow:

Update: For what it’s worth, the Predators posted a recap of last night’s game…26 minutes ago…

As noted in the Tweets-from-practice post, the New York Rangers held an optional skate today as well, and their record is 1-0-and-1 as they lost 6-5 in overtime to the Utah Hockey Club last night.

Update #2: FYI tomorrow night’s game is an NHL Network exclusive “out-of-market,” so the game won’t be streamed. It’s only Bally Sports Detroit in MI and MSG Network in NY.

Sunday fundraising

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Praise for Albert Johansson’s debut

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen wonders aloud whether Albert Johansson did enough in his NHL debut to play on Monday night vs. the Rangers, regardless of whether Jeff Petry is ready to return from his “upper-body injury”:

“As a forward, it’s good when you don’t notice a D,” [forward Andrew] Copp said. “It’s probably a good thing. So he was good back there for sure.”

The 23-year-old Swedish defenseman, a left shot, logged 11:57 on 18 shifts in a 3-0 win against the Nashville Predators. He was part of a defensive effectiveness  Saturday that the Red Wings are trying to achieve on a regular basis this season. He had two hits and one blocked shot. Goalie Cam Talbot boasted 42 saves and Detroit blocked 31 shots.

Johansson got his chance because  coach Darek Lalonde scratched Erik Gustafsson.

“Solid. Made some really simple, nice plays with the puck,” Copp said of Johansson who comes to the NHL with 119 games of AHL experience. He logged 141 games in the Swedish Hockey League.

Continued; I agree with Copp–it was good that Johansson faded into the woodwork so regularly, because you rarely see a defenseman integrate so seamlessly into the defensive corps. If the Wings want to use Johansson, he’s ready to go.

Tweets from Sunday’s practice: Red Wings ‘take an optional’ ahead of Monday’s game vs. the Rangers

The Detroit Red Wings hope to build upon their 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators as they begin a home-and-home series with the New York Rangers tomorrow night in Manhattan (7 PM EDT start on Bally Sports Detroit/MSG/NHL Network).

MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that the Wings are taking an optional skate today:

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton reports that two of the Wings’ three goaltenders are taking part in the skate:

And The Athletic’s Max Bultman said, “Hello”:

Meanwhile, in New York, the Rangers are also holding an optional skate…But it’s not so optional:

Continue reading Tweets from Sunday’s practice: Red Wings ‘take an optional’ ahead of Monday’s game vs. the Rangers

Morning Khan: Red Wings happy with their effort against the shot-happy Predators

The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Saturday night, and MLive’s Ansar Khan adds a few more quips and quotes to the mix this morning.

Despite surrendering 42 shots and a staggering 89 shot attempts, 34 of which were blocked by the Wings, the team was satisfied with its defensive performance:

“Obviously much more committed defensively for a sustained amount of time,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “That’s a really good team. I don’t see them getting shut out many times this year, so that was a pretty good effort. Obviously, starting with our goalie and then the team defensive play.”

Moritz Seider, as usual, led his team’s block party by getting in front of seven shots.

“As a goaltender, you appreciate that more than anything,” Talbot said. “These guys don’t have the padding that I do, and they’re putting their bodies on the line. There’s some huge ones throughout the entire night, a lot on the PK, six-on-five. I mean, they’re just diving in front of everything, so the dedication and sacrifice from the guys in front of me won the game tonight.”

Andrew Copp made a particularly interesting remark regarding the Red Wings’ preparation for the Predators’ scoring power:

“I think we had a good plan for the way that they attack, based on their hands and obviously the Stammer one-timer,” Andrew Copp said. “We did a really good job of digging in on draws. I thought we got in shot lanes pretty well. We cleared it when the puck was on our stick, but it was just kind of an intensity and a complete desire from the get-go. I think you saw that in the amount of blocked shots. You saw that in maybe a few more won battles, stick battles, ready to jump your check just a hair quicker. I think that desperation, that sense of urgency was really important.”

Alex Wood also posted a two-part set of highlight clips from last night:

Prospect round-up: Bantle 1+1 in Walleye exhibition win; Finne 1G, 2A in WHL; Augustine 32 sv, Savage 1G for MSU; James 2G for UND

Of Red Wings prospect-related note on Saturday evening:

In the ECHL, Carson Bantle had a goal and an assist and Carter Gylander stopped 19 of 23 shots as the Toledo Walleye won a 5-4 exhibition decision over the Kalamazoo K-Wings. Bantle and fellow Grand Rapids Griffins-contracted forward Gabriel Seger earned praise from the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe:

The line of newcomers Carson Bantle and Gabriel Seger, as well as returner Mitchell Lewandowski, looked very good.

Bantle scored his second goal in as many nights, notching a power-play goal on assists from former Cincinnati star Jalen Smereck and Lewandowski just 1:21 into the game.

Both Bantle and Seger, who have good size and skill, were assigned to Toledo from its AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids this week. Bantle scored the first goal of the preseason and Seger gave Toledo a 2-1 lead on Friday. They both had the primary assist on each other’s goals, as well.

Bantle (6-foot-4, 194 pounds) who was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL draft by the Arizona Coyotes, played three seasons at the University of Wisconsin. He looked mobile and skilled, finishing with a goal and an assist.

Seger (6-4, 209) played at Cornell University and had 44 points in 35 games as a senior. Lewandowski had a goal and an assist. The rookies were paired with forward Conlan Keenan on Friday.

Elsewhere, in the WHL, Emmitt Finnie scored a goal and 2 assists, finishing at -1 with 4 shots and a 13-for-26 faceoff record as the Kamloops Blazers lost 5-4 in overtime to the Tri-City Americans;

In the USHL, Rudy Guimond stopped 35 shots, but his Cedar Rapids Roughriders lost 5-3 to the Sioux Falls Stampede, whose Austin Baker had an assist, finishing even with 4 shots;

NCAA Hockey: Trey Augustine stopped 32 of 35 shots and Red Savage scored a goal, finishing at +1 with 4 shots and a 16-and-6 faceoff record as the Michigan State University Spartans won 4-3 over Boston College;

Kienan Draper finished at -1 with 1 shot and a 3-for-6 faceoff record as the University of Michigan Wolverines tied Arizona State University 3-3;

Owen Mehlenbacher didn’t play in the University of Wisconsin Badgers’ 3-2 win over Lindenwood;

Dylan James scored 2 goals on 3 shots, finishing at +1 in the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks’ 5-2 win over Providence;

Larry Keenan finished at +1 with 1 shot as the UMass Minutemen won 5-1 over Air Force;

Max Plante remains sidelined with an upper-body injury as his Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs’ lost 4-1 to UMass-Lowell;

John Whipple finished even with 1 shot as the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers lost 2-1 to Nebraska-Omaha;

And Brennan Ali had an assist, finishing at +1 with 3 shots as the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish won 5-2 over the Clarkson Golden Knights.

Recap: Griffins bested by IceHogs on Saturday evening

The Grand Rapids Griffins followed up Friday night’s big win over the Milwaukee Admirals by hitting the road and hitting the bricks against the Rockford IceHogs, dropping a 4-1 decision on Saturday evening.

Rockford scored the game’s first four goals–one in the 1st period, and then 3 more in the 2nd–but Sebastian Cossa finished the game with a solid-enough 29 stops on 33 shots, and Brogan Rafferty at least spoiled Drew Commesso’s shutout in the 3rd period, but there wasn’t much to write home about for the Griffins.

Per the Griffins website’s recap:

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Grand Rapids dropped its first road game of the campaign, 4-1, as the Rockford IceHogs used a three-goal second period to storm past the Griffins on Saturday at the BMO Center. 

Defenseman Brogan Rafferty scored the Griffins’ lone tally to secure his 150th point in the AHL. Veteran Austin Watson bagged his third assist as a Griffin in his first two games with the franchise. The contest marked a rematch of last season’s Central Division Semifinals where the Griffins bested the IceHogs 3-1 in the best-of-five series. 

After losing the puck behind his own net, Sebastian Cossa recovered with an acrobatic diving-stick save to keep the game scoreless early in the first period. However, the IceHogs capitalized at 16:57 when Grand Rapids failed to clear the puck, which dropped right to Colton Dach who found the back of the net over the glove of Cossa. The IceHogs’ goal snapped 76:57 of shutout hockey to start the season for Cossa. 

Rockford nearly doubled its lead with 1.2 seconds remaining but after further review the goal was called back due to the time expiring in the opening frame. 

The second period remained unkind, as Grand Rapids surrendered three goals. Kevin Korchinski made it a 2-0 game at 5:30 when he scored on the power play and 3:58 later Cavan Fitzgerald increased Rockford’s advantage to three. Samuel Savoie capped off the period with his first of the year with 2:58 left during a 2-on-0 breakaway with Gavin Hayes. 

Late in the final period, Rafferty put the Griffins on the board for their only goal of the outing.Watson shot the puck from the blueline through traffic before Rafferty tipped it in to prevent the shutout at 13:48. Rockford held the Griffins at bay for the remainder of the period and skated away with a 4-1 victory in its season opener. 

The Griffins’ website also posted a photo gallery, and if you’re interested, you can read Detroit Hockey Now’s Max Smith’s critique of Cossa’s ups and downs at your leisure.

Update: There’s a “5” next to Nate Danielson’s penalty-minute mark, which means that the young Wings prospect got into his first fight on Saturday night.

Kasper fought, too.

Red Wings-Predators wrap-up: Talbot, Red Wings’ defense out-last the Predators

The Detroit Red Wings won a hard-fought 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night, assuaging (somewhat) their 6-3 loss to Pittsburgh on opening night.

But it was not an easy victory by any stretch of the imagination. Cam Talbot stopped 42 shots and faced 87 shot attempts–34 of which were blocked by Detroit…

And the Wings really nursed a 1-0 lead from the 1:02 mark of the 2nd period, when J.T. Compher scored, to the 6:35 mark of the 3rd, when Andrew Copp finally gave the Wings some breathing room with a 2-0 deflection on Juuse Saros. Captain Larkin wrapped things up with an empty-netter at 19:40 of the 3rd.

In the interim, Talbot made some spectacular stops, the Red Wings’ defense made some spectacular stops, and the Red Wings earned a “team victory” against a Predators team with the skill to out-star you and the grit to make you play a nasty, high-impact hockey game.

Regrettably, along the way in the high-impact variety, the Wings did lose Christian Fischer’s services to an upper-body injury, and we’ll see whether the Red Wings call up a forward, should Fischer miss any time.

Continue reading Red Wings-Predators wrap-up: Talbot, Red Wings’ defense out-last the Predators