Author: George Malik

FYI:

UPDATE: Forwards Taro Hirose and Givani Smith have been assigned to the #RedWings taxi squad.

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 24, 2021

The Red Wings did not acquit themselves well over the course of their 6-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, but if you wish to watch Sportsnet’s highlights or the Red Wings’ post-game clip, enjoy:

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to earn a “split” in Chicago after dropping their first game 4-1 on Friday night. Today’s matinee game (11:30 AM local start) provided challenges, but the Red Wings needed to be up to the task of an early start…

And they needed to learn from the errors made in Friday’s taxi squad-peppered loss while bringing in Taro Hirose and Givani Smith.

So those of us who got up “early” waited for the rosters to be presented, wondering who else has joined Sam Gagner, Filip Zadina, Jon Merrill, Adam Erne and Robby Fabbri on the COVID list.

Ultimately, the Wings laid an egg, losing 6-2, and it was the fault of everyone–the coaches, the players, the special teams (or the lack thereof), the goaltending, it was all ugly, and the pair of losses against Chicago displayed a distinct inability to learn how to better play an opponent the second time around, which was the most concerning part of an ugly, ugly loss.

Per the Red Wings:

UPDATE: The #RedWings today reassigned right wing Riley Barber to the team’s taxi squad from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

More » https://t.co/J7Z8dGnxP3 pic.twitter.com/z3vwMkjoPP— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 24, 2021

Per Hockeysverige.se’s Robin Olausson, former Red Wings forward Brendan Perlini has signed with Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland.

So that makes seven Wings out with COVID protocol issues (who[m] we don’t know yet):

UPDATE: Forwards Taro Hirose and Givani Smith have been recalled from the #RedWings taxi squad. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/6L9fYfq878

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 24, 2021

Ahead of today’s “brunch” game between the Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks, NBC Sports’ Sean Leahy posted a profile of Red Wings forward Bobby Ryan:

Ryan is long-past the early days of his NHL career where he was a four-time 30-goal scorer. But now healthy, in body and mind, he went to Detroit for the chance to turn things around.

“For me, this was a ‘prove it’ year,” he said, “an opportunity for me to take the step that I should have taken years ago but hadn’t been able to because of outside stuff.”

His arrival in a Red Wings uniform got off to a brief delay. An injury forced him to miss the team’s opener against Carolina, a 3-0 win. Since he joined the lineup, Ryan has produced in all three games, scoring four goals to lead Detroit entering Sunday’s meeting (12:30 p.m. ET, NBC) with the Blackhawks.

Ryan’s scoring streak was historic as well as he became the first player in franchise history to score four goals in his first three games with the team.

“I can’t say enough good things about him,” said Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin. “He’s come to play for our team, and that’s huge. He’s a smart hockey player and I think he’s been our best player the past two games. When he has the puck, he’s dangerous, when he doesn’t, he makes the right things happen and makes the right plays. It’s a lesson for guys like myself and our line to learn from.”

Continued

I’m doing a little better today, though “better” and “good” are separate things.

I’m aware that my mental health has been shitty lately, and I am very sincerely sorry for the lapses in coverage. It’s not been my intent in any way, shape or form to have to deal with these anxiety attacks–they are not something that I want to be happening to me–and I still believe that between medication, therapy and psychiatry, I’ll be able to manage them better than I have over the past three weeks.

Long story short, I’m not going to give up trying to battle through my anxiety and depression. I still believe that I can be a useful presence in the Red Wings blogging world, and the trio of setbacks over the past four weeks are not going to shake my resolve.

I’m sorry for the interruptions in coverage. They are not intentional and they are not personal. What’s personal is my damn battle to fight through my chronic illnesses to provide you with the best coverage I can, and that battle is far from over.

The Detroit Red Wings play the Chicago Blackhawks at an absolutely odd hour today for NBC’s national telecast, skating into the United Center for an 11:30 AM local time start.

There is no lineup news regarding the Wings as of yet…

#DETvsCHI | #LGRW pic.twitter.com/Nx5oCW6XDQ

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 24, 2021

But there is news regarding the Blackhawks, per ChicagoBlackhawks.com’s Carter Baum:

Kevin Lankinen will start in goal for a third straight game and Carl Soderberg will make his #Blackhawks debut, replacing Lucas Wallmark.

— Carter Baum (@CarterBaum) January 24, 2021

I’m sorry for the lack of posts today. I had another anxiety attack yesterday. I’m trying my best to return tonight, but I don’t know whether that’s realistic. All I can do is fight through as best I can.

Back sooner than later,

George