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!

Detroit doesn’t see tough starting schedule as impediment to fast start

The Red Wings have a particularly difficult start to their 2024-2025 schedule, playing 3 games in 5 nights vs. Pittsburgh, Nashville and at the New York Rangers, and then the Wings host the Rangers next Thursday before heading off to Nashville to conclude their season series with the Predators.

MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with coach Lalonde, Patrick Kane and Dylan Larkin about the importance of getting off to a fast start:

“Everyone has those types of stretches in their schedule,” Lalonde said. “We have it at the start, and the Stanley Cup Final could be Nashville-Rangers. This will be a really good test for us. I’m looking forward to it.”

Said Patrick Kane: “For sure some tough teams we play to start but sometimes to start the season teams aren’t as dialed in as maybe they would be middle of the season, back half of the season. You see some of the games last night it’s wide open, a lot of scoring, a lot of chances both ways. I think we’re pretty dialed with our system right now so hopefully we can take advantage of that.”

A particularly grueling training camp, one that even Kane called the toughest he’s experienced, was designed to prepare them for this.

“We came in feeling like we wanted to get more out of this year than last year,” Kane said. “I think that started in training camp and the way they pushed us on the ice. A lot of time on the ice in Traverse City and even when we came back practices were pretty intense all the way through. I think it’s good for us to kind of set our baseline, get to a standard we need to be at.

“Like I told (Lalonde), practices were probably as hard as I’ve ever seen throughout a whole camp. Hopefully, it’ll be beneficial for us, starting tonight, but in the long run, too.”

Continued (paywall)

WXYZ’s Galli sits down with Dylan Larkin

An 8-minute interview:

Post-morning skate Tweets and video: J.T. Compher, Jeff Petry and coach Lalonde speak ahead of tonight’s game vs. Pittsburgh

There wasn’t a whole lot of news from the Red Wings’ morning skate ahead of tonight’s Detroit Tigers-game-delayed season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins this evening (8 PM EDT start on Bally Sports Detroit/Sportsnet Pittsburgh/WWJ Newsradio 950).

Ville Husso will start, most likely opposite rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist as Tristan Jarry and the Pens lost 6-0 to the New York Rangers last night.

Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports that the Penguins won’t hold a morning skate due to their back-to-back game-playing status…

And the “sounds of hockey” echoed through Little Caesars Arena…

As Detroit Hockey Now’s Tim Robinson posted a game preview…

The Red Wings begin the 2024-25 season tonight a little later than planned. The start of tonight’s game was pushed back to 8 p.m. due to the Tigers playoff game across the street at Comerica Park. Finding a place to park will be a challenge,  but it’s the opener and the Penguins, and fans will find a way.

The opener is also a chance for fans to get their first look at some new players. They  include defenseman Erik Gustafsson, forwards Tyler Motte and Vladimir Tarasenko, and goalie Cam Talbot, all of whom were signed over the summer.

Both teams finished fifth in their respective divisions, missing the playoffs. Missing the postseason was particularly painful for Detroit, which tied Washington in the standings, but missed the postseason due to a tiebreaker.

The Penguins will be looking to regroup after getting blanked by the New York Rangers, 6-0, in their season opener on Wednesday.

We receive an FYI from DetroitHockey.net’s Clark Rasmussen:

Ultimately, the Red Wings did post a video of J.T. Compher, Jeff Petry and Derek Lalonde speaking with the media:

Tweet of note: Opening Night roster

The Red Wings posted their roster for tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins (8 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/Sportsnet Pittsburgh/WWJ 950):

Grand Rapids Griffins hope to start strong, work hard this season

MLive’s Tyler Kuehl posted a very lengthy Grand Rapids Griffins preview today, and he reports that the Griffins want to be defined by their work ethic:

The Griffins had a sluggish start to the 2023-24 season but turned things around in the second half, going from near the bottom of the Central Division to challenging for first place. Under first-year head coach Dan Watson, the team’s efforts led them to finish second in the Central, clinching the team’s first Calder Cup Playoffs spot for the first time in five years. A run all the way to the division final left a bittersweet taste in the team’s mouth, but Grand Rapids is coming back hungry this time around.

“The expectation is that our younger guys take that next step,” Watson said earlier this week. “Whether it’s point production, whether it’s better defensively…it looks like they all had good summers, they all good camps with Detroit, so it’s important that they take the next step here.”

Captain Josiah Didier admits there is a lot of buzz heading into 2024-25 after last year’s run, with the goal of even going further this season.

“The boys are excited,” Didier said. “There’s a lot of excitement in the air…We want more. It was great to make the playoffs last year, but we want to win a championship at the end of the day. That’s what we’re working toward every single day.”

While many are looking at the Griffins as a contender for a division title, Watson is focused on how the team plays in the first few months of the season.

“My expectation early on is that we’re one of the hardest-working teams in the [AHL],” Watson said. “And we start where we left off, and try to build from there with this group.”

Continued at length…

A bit of praise for Trey Augustine as ‘one to watch’

Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis posted an un-ranked list of the Top 20 NHL Prospects to watch over the course of the NCAA Division 1 hockey season, and one Red Wings prospect made the list:

Trey Augustine, G, Michigan State (Detroit Red Wings)

After posting a near-perfect record in 2022-23, Augustine secured gold at the 2024 World Juniors and won the Big Ten championship while earning tournament MVP honors. Add in a few really good appearances at the World Championship and Augustine is truly on the top of his game. He isn’t huge at just 6-foot-1, but he has a winning pedigree, a great glove hand and an outstanding foundation to build on. Augustine is one of the best goaltending prospects based on just pure skill right now and was a big reason why Michigan State was a threat every time they hit the ice.

Continued

HSJ in the (mid) morning: The Wings’ three goalies on the three-goalie system

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a game-day article ahead of tonight’s Home Opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins (8 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/Sportsnet Pittsburgh/WWJ 950) which discusses the Red Wings’ three-goaltender system, which has Ville Husso as the tip of the spear tonight:

“I’m feeling better than ever, I would say,” Husso said. “Everything — I feel good on the ice, feel good off the ice, body feels good. Just everything feels good right now. It’s fun to play again.”

Lyon, 31, was part of a triumvirate last season that also included James Reimer. Lyon, at that time a career minor leaguer, entered 2023-24 as a distant No. 3 on the depth chart, but when Husso’s paternity leave segued into an injury, and Reimer struggled, Lyon rose to the top of the depth chart — and thrived. He knows he has to always be ready.

“I’m very familiar with the situation,” Lyon said. “I have some experience to draw on and know to be ready when the opportunity arises. I plan to take full advantage. That’s my mindset.”

Talbot, 37, was brought in during the summer as insurance because there was lingering concern about Husso’s long-term health. He’s a journeyman NHL’er with nearly 500 games to his credit, and understood the situation when he signed.

“If a guy is getting hot, you have to do what is best for the team,” Talbot said. “Whenever that situation arises, you just have to be OK with it, be a good teammate, work hard in practice and be ready when the next opportunity comes along. 

“Three goalies definitely can be a strength. It’s a long season. Guys have nagging injuries sometimes that they play through, but in situations like this, maybe you take that extra day or two and heal up to get to 100%. You know the other two guys have been there before and can provide the stability in net, and the team can have confidence in all three of them, which is the best part.”

Continued

Tweet of note: WXYZ’s Galli posts 8-minute interview with Patrick Kane

Excellent work by WXYZ’s Brad Galli here:

Red Wings-Penguins morning skate Tweets: Husso starts, Wings to face challenge vs. Pittsburgh

The Detroit Red Wings will open their 2024-2025 season tonight at 8 PM EDT against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and tonight’s game isn’t going to be simple or easy:

Pittsburgh lost their home opener 6-0 to the New York Rangers last night, so they’re going to be in a spoiler’s position this evening.

Tonight’s game has been moved from its original 7 PM start to 8 PM EDT (on Bally Sports Detroit/Sportsnet-Pittsburgh/WWJ Newsradio 950) to accommodate today’s Tigers playoff game, which starts at 6 PM EDT at Comerica Park…

But parking is going to be an expensive nightmare downtown, so even if you’re planning on heading to Little Caesars Arena for the pregame party that starts at 4:30 PM, plan ahead for a real cluster-you-know-what downtown.

Tonight’s game kicks off a stretch of 3 games to be played over the course of the next 5 nights, against the Pens this evening, the Predators on Saturday, and in Manhattan against the Rangers on Monday, so the Wings better be wearing their figurative “work boots” starting tonight.

Per Red Wings play-by-play announcer Ken Kal, the referees for tonight’s game are Chris Rooney and Pierre Lambert, with Derek Nansen and Tommy Hughes working the lines:

Also of Red Wings Twitter-related note this morning:

I’ll try to post the Lalonde interview when it pops up on WJR.com.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills posted a game preview as well:

Nothing creates anticipation and excitement like the beginning of a new NHL campaign, and Lucas Raymond said the Red Wings are eager to get going.

“You’ve been waiting all summer, especially how last year ended,” said Raymond, who re-signed an eight-year contract extension with Detroit last month. “I think everyone is a little extra excited to get out there Thursday.”

Detroit finished last season fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 41-32-9 (91 points) record, an 11-point improvement from its 2022-23 campaign. The Red Wings battled for a Stanley Cup Playoffs spot late last season but fell just short, as the Washington Capitals earned the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot because of the regulation wins tiebreaker (32-27).

Michael Rasmussen said he learned a lot from that playoff push.

“I haven’t really experienced that kind of hockey,” Rasmussen said. “For me, and other guys feel this way too, that’s something you’re yearning for and wanting. There’s nothing worse than playing meaningless hockey. We’ve been in those spots in years past, and last year was the most fun hockey I’d probably say a lot of us have played.”

Several players from last season are back and aiming to contribute even more this season, but there are some new faces in the fold. This summer, the Red Wings added defenseman Erik Gustafsson, forwards Tyler Motte and Vladimir Tarasenko, and goalie Cam Talbot.

Anyway, the Red Wings hit the ice at Little Caesars Arena around 10:30 AM this morning…