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The Detroit Red Wings played an excellent final 40 minutes against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, but the Wings could not overcome 2-0 and 3-1 deficits, losing 3-2 to an inspired Predators team.

This may just be a personal thing, but the Red Wings’ players were rather grumpy with the media after the game, suggesting that they were not going to fold their tent simply because their general manager was selling assets, and I appreciate that kind of attitude.

The playoffs may be a remote possibility at best, but the Wings’ players owe it to themselves, their prospects, their coach and ultimately their fans to be professional and play to win, and I believe it’s essential for any team that wants to eventually get better to work their asses off to be better, even if they are a mediocre team this year.

On Tuesday night, the mediocre Red Wings spotted Nashville a pair of 1st-period goals, and Nashville’s ability to lean on Jusse Saros–in between scoring opportunistic markers–yielded a winning recipe, as noted by NashvillePredators.com’s Brooks Bratten and Thomas Willis:

Continue reading The overnight report: Red Wings-Predators wrap-up; a bit more from Petr the Flyer

In the FYI department, from the Southgate News-Herald’s Jim Kasuba:

Organizers of an annual charity hockey game must be doing something right because in its brief history fans continue to “Pack the Yack” and bring in much-needed funds for Blessings in a Backpack-Wyandotte.

The fifth annual Pack the Yack charity hockey game, featuring Detroit Red Wings Alumni players going up against Team Wyandotte, is slated for March 4 at Yack Arena, 3131 Third St.

Doors open at 2 p.m. and the puck drops at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased in advance at the Yack Recreation Center; Community Choice Credit Union,1280 Biddle Ave.; and at the Wyandotte Public Schools Board of Education office, 639 Oak St.

Dana Browning, a Board of Education member and chairwoman of Blessings in a Backpack-Wyandotte, said the nonprofit group brought in $21,315 at last year’s event, and the goal is to top that amount in 2018.

The program donates food on a weekly basis to children who qualify for the Federal Free Lunch program at all of the school district’s elementary schools.

Continued

This is embarrassing. Per TSN’s BarDown blog, Jonathan Ericsson gave Red Wings assistant coach Doug Houda the wrong kind of headache on Tuesday night:

There’s a chance the Detroit Red Wings miss out on the playoffs once again this season, which would mark the first time since 1981-1983 that the team failed to make the postseason back-to-back years.

It’s certainly been a season to forget for the Red Wings as they lost for the third time in their last four games on Tuesday night, and it’s been showing in more ways than just on the standings.

During Tuesday’s tilt with the Nashville Predators, defenceman Jonathan Ericsson tried to do something nice for a Red Wings fan sitting behind the team’s bench, only it ended up backfiring on him and assistant coach Doug Houda got the worst of it all.

Continue reading TSN’s BarDown: Jonathan Ericsson tosses a puck toward fans, hits Doug Houda instead

The Fourth Period has weighed in regarding the current Red Wings-related trade rumors:

Though soon-to-be unrestricted free agent defenceman Mike Green has garnered the most attention, teams are currently balking at the asking price. While trade talks involving Green will pick up steam later this week, Holland’s focus may presently be on some of his other players.

I’m guessing that the Wings are asking for a 1st round pick and top prospect for Green, and the Wings have to ask for that kind of return, but I expect Detroit to ultimately end up with a pair of 2nd-round picks for Green.

As for Luke Glendening, Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist…

The Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning are among the teams believed to be interested in Glendening, while the Nashville Predators have spoken with the Wings about Tatar, and the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks have expressed interest in Nyquist.

Glendening and Tatar each have three-years left on their respective contracts after this season, while Nyquist has one-year remaining.

Nyquist also owns a full no-trade clause and would have to sign off on any trade the Red Wings attempt to complete.

I hate to say this, because I like Tatar and Nyquist, but they are very similar players, and the Wings are spending over $10 million for two similar players. I expect one of the two–if not both–to be gone by Monday.

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that the Wings’ trade deadline “pieces” are people, too, but Michigan Hockey’s Michael Caples penned a superbly-timed article discussing one of Mike Green’s community contributions:

The Special Olympics athletes knew they were in for a fun time at Meijer in Detroit Monday evening.

They didn’t know they would be meeting Mike Green, though.

For one of their Hockey is For Everyone Month events, the Detroit Red Wings teamed up with Kraft Hockeyville and Meijer to create a special night for the special-needs athletes and Red Wings fans – complete with working on their wrist and snap-shot skills with the team’s most-recent All-Star representative.

“This is great,” Green told MiHockey. “I’m glad everybody showed up, and we had a lot of fun shooting. I hope all the athletes had as much fun as they could.”

Caples continues…

As a follow-up to TSN’s Darren Dreger’s Tweet regarding the Predators and Tomas Tatar, TSN posted a new episode of “Insider Trading,” and Bob McKenzie made this comment regarding Tatar:

Taking term?

Gino Reda: Evander Kane would certainly be a rental and, Bob, a lot of teams are interested in rentals but there are a number of teams looking at guys with term as well.

Bob McKenzie: What a lot of teams are realizing is that the prices on the rentals are so high – first round plus plus – that teams like the Nashville Predators, for example, while they have interest in those rental goal-scoring wingers, they’re also looking at guys that have term on their contract because they might be able to get somebody like a Tomas Tatar from the Detroit Red Wings, who’s got three years left on his deal at $5.3 million for a price that will be less than some of the rentals. Now the Red Wings are not obliged to trade but with the Nashville Predators and the Detroit Red Wings playing each other on Tuesday night there’s an opportunity there and there has been conversations between those teams about that player.

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to sweep their season series against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

Detroit worked its asses off for the final 40 minutes’ worth of play, but the Wings surrendered a 2-0 first period deficit to Nashville, Detroit was not able to close 2-1 or 3-1 deficits, and ultimately the Wings lost 3-2 to a determined Nashville team.

Detroit out-shot Nashville 28-14 over the final 2 periods and 36-29 overall, the Wings were gritty, determined and nasty at times, and I cannot complain about Detroit’s effort, intensity, attention to detail, or anything else other than their finishing skill.

Jusse Saros was tremendous and the Predators’ defense was better, because Detroit fired another 18 shots into Predators’ shin pads and 11 wide of the net.

So the Wings enter the post-Mrazek era 0-and-1. They host the Sabres on Thursday and Hurricanes on Saturday, the Wings head to New York to play the Rangers on Sunday, and a different set of personnel will enter a road-heavy March schedule after next Monday’s trade deadline.

Continue reading Red Wings-Predators quick take: Wings work their butts off but can’t Finnish vs. Saros, Predators

From Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts column:

11. Toronto certainly has interest in Luke Glendening, but I’m not sure how the Maple Leafs can do it for a draft pick. They’re at 48 contracts, two shy of the max, and they wouldn’t want to get back to 50.

It’s likely they discussed Nikita Soshnikov as part of the trade before the winger was sent to St. Louis, so it makes sense that maybe Josh Leivo could be part of this.

The other key would be a draft pick, and the two sides are a few rounds apart on agreeing.

12. At times, the Red Wings have shown an inclination to move Gustav Nyquist or Tomas Tatar, but not both.

We’ll see where it goes, but while Nashville has shown interest in Tatar, there may be others who like Nyqvist better because he’s got one year remaining as opposed to Tatar’s two.

Nyquist controls more of his future at this time with a no-trade, while Tatar’s doesn’t kick in until July 1.

Continued

Here’s the Grand Rapids Griffins’ weekly press release:

NELSON’S ELEVEN

Continue reading The Grand Rapids Griffins’ weekly presser: 3 home games on tap

The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe penned a superb profile of Toledo Walleye goaltender Pat Nagle:

When Toledo Walleye goaltender Pat Nagle started his pro career, he set the bar high. As a rookie in 2012, Nagle won two league championships. Nagle helped lead the Florida Everblades to the ECHL’s Kelly Cup. That same season, he also was a part of the Norfolk Admirals’ American Hockey League title team.

“I came away with two rings and had a pretty fun summer after my first year,” Nagle said, chuckling. “I was pretty spoiled. I didn’t realize how good I had it. I haven’t been too close since.”

But Nagle, who is in his seventh season, has made the playoffs every year of his career and has amassed 147 wins.

“Knock on wood, I’ve made it to the second round every year,” Nagle said. “It’d be fun to go on a run again.”

Nagle has provided a steady and confident presence in net for Toledo this season. Nagle, a 30-year-old native of Bloomfield, Mich., came to the Walleye from Toledo’s arch-rival Fort Wayne in the offseason.

Walleye coach Dan Watson said he gives his team a chance to win every night.

“His yearly records show he is a winner, and that is done through daily preparation, good habits, and having the will to win,” Watson said. “He provides confidence in our players every game he starts.”

Monroe continues…