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Red Wings-Utah HC quick take: bad juju

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to snap a 3-game losing streak as they faced Utah HC on Thursday evening.

And the Red Wings were cursed, absolutely cursed, losing a 4-1 decision to Utah despite out-shooting Karel Vejmelka 40-19.

It wasn’t as if Alex Lyon sucked, or the Red Wings sucked…It was a situation where there were some very bad defensive reads–two by the Seider-Chiarot pairing–Utah got some very lucky bounces, and ultimately, losing Carter Mazur to a dislocated left elbow appears to have been too much for a fragile team to overcome.

So the Wings have lost 4 straight, they play 7 of their next 10 games on the road, and thing suddenly look quite desperate for a Detroit team that needs everything to break its way in order to make the playoffs over the final 19 games.

The good news? Detroit got goals from Larkin (25th) and Berggren (10th) to take a 2-1 decision in the 1st period, but really, after the Utah power play goal that made it 2-2, Detroit sort of nodded off a bit defensively, and…

I hope that whatever the Red Wings’ GM and management do, they find a way to un-curse themselves by the time that Detroit plays Washington tomorrow night at this time in the nation’s Capitol.

Continue reading Red Wings-Utah HC quick take: bad juju

Tweet of note: Mazur suffers upper-body injury in NHL debut

An unfortunate development for a great young man:

As the trade deadline looms, McLellan and the Red Wings’ players emphasize self-belief

MLive’s Ansar Khan ponders the costs of adding player(s) to the Red Wings’ roster for the sake of adding at the trade deadline, and he inquired as to coach Todd McLellan’s take on what the Red Wings’ management might be thinking:

“Well, we would take (Wayne) Gretzky and Bobby Orr, but they’re not available,” coach Todd McLellan said.

He then illustrated the delicate balance teams face this time of year.

“It’s like Christmas right now and everybody has a wish list. But Santa doesn’t always answer the wish list,” McLellan said. “He’d love to deliver everything. But it takes other teams, there’s cap situations, There’s a lot that goes into that. And trust me, our staff is working hard. They’re looking and analyzing and it’s up to us to push, ride the horses, that are in the race. We can’t walk by the stables, and see that Seabiscuit’s over there and you just want to bring him in. You ride the horses that you’re on and you get the best race out of them. And right now, we have to get a better race out of some of our guys right now.”

…

Moritz Seider said the team’s performance prior to this slide, including a pair of seven-game winning streaks, bolsters confidence in the room.

“I think there is so much belief in this locker room,” Seider said. “I think our fans believe in us. We believe in ourselves, and I think the organization does, too. And now it’s up to us to kind of send the message that we’re the right team, even though the trade deadline is ahead.”

Patrick Kane told Khan that the deadline never gets any easier from a players’ perspective, even if you’re not the one on the trading block:

“You never really know what’s going to happen, is going to be the group we’re going forward with (or) going to be additions or subtractions,” Kane said. “So, yeah, this week especially is always a little bit, it’s kind of like uneasy just wondering what’s going to happen. I think we’re confident in the group, we have confidence in the players in this room, and we’ve proved that throughout the last few months. But, yeah, we’ll see what happens.”

Continued (paywall)

Mazur prepares to make his NHL debut and Rasmussen returns to battle a plucky Utah HC team

As Carter Mazur prepares to make his NHL debut against Utah HC tonight…

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan reports that Mazur’s parents were spilling the beans about their son’s recall yesterday afternoon on Facebook:

For sure there wasn’t — or isn’t, by this time — anyone in Jackson who doesn’t know Carter Mazur was recalled by the Red Wings. His parents Jeff and Erin pretty much let everyone know the day before on social media.

“My dad knows enough people who are his friends, and (Mom) spread the news, too; I think everyone knows,” said Mazur, a Jackson native who the Wings officially recalled Thursday and inserted into the lineup against Utah. “They’ve been part of the journey. I’m going to have 200 to 300 friends and family, and it’s going to be pretty exciting.”

Yes, you read that right. Mazur expected to have over 200 family and friends at Little Caesars Arena.

“I don’t have 200 to 300 family members, and I have a lot of friends, but nowhere near that number,” coach Todd McLellan said with a smile. “This guy is pretty popular.”

Mazur has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 20 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and 11 points (seven goals) in his last 11 games. Mazur (6-foot, 170 pounds) missed much of the first half of the season after suffering an upper-body injury. The Wings are hoping Mazur’s combination of offensive ability and edgy play can spark the lineup.

“It sounds like he has a tenacity to his game we could use right now,” said McLellan, adding Mazur was going to open the game on the fourth line. “But if we’re relying on Carter to drive our team, to spark us, it might happen a little bit, but there are some other players that have to find their own internal spark, too.”

97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield also told Mazur’s story, and coach McLellan’s take on his new young winger…

Continue reading Mazur prepares to make his NHL debut and Rasmussen returns to battle a plucky Utah HC team

The Forecheck previews Red Wings-Utah HC

Daniella Bruce and Ken Kal preview tonight’s game between the Detroit Red Wings and Utah HC (7 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Utah16/97.1 FM) on the latest episode of “The Forecheck”:

Tweets of note: Utah starts Vejmelka vs. Lyon

Per the Salt Lake Tribune’s Belle Fraser, we receive a few morning skate updates from Utah HC…

And here’s coach Andre Tourigny’s morning presser, via Utah HC:

Also:

All about Carter Mazur’s NHL debut

Carter Mazur will be making his NHL debut tonight, and the Jackson, Michigan native spoke with the Free Press’s Helene St. James about the circumstances of his call-up…

Carter Mazur woke up from a nap to see three missed calls from Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman. Mazur wasn’t sure what to think, given it’s the week of the NHL trade deadline.

“It’s kind of a bad time to get a phone call from Steve right now,” Mazur said Thursday, “but it was pretty awesome to hear what he had to say to me.”

That’s because the message was for Mazur to make his way from Grand Rapids to Detroit, and to ready himself for his NHL debut.

“I was awake for two minutes, so it was pretty quick,” Mazur said. “It was like, yeah, we’re calling you up. I thought it was still dreaming for sure, but it was awesome.”

And St. James spoke with coach Todd McLellan about what the Wings’ expectations are for #43…

“The feedback from the coaching staff and management is that he had a really good training camp, was on the cusp of staying here, but maybe needed a little more time,” Wings coach Todd McLellan said Thursday. “And then the injury that he sustained probably set him back a little bit. I understand he’s extremely competitive, really competes for open ice and has some pace and intensity to his game. We could use that. This wasn’t loss-driven, this was ingredient and earned.”

MLive’s Ansar Khan also spoke with Mazur, McLellan and Elmer Soderblom about Mazur’s imminent debut…

Continue reading All about Carter Mazur’s NHL debut

Tweet of note: Lucas Raymond weighs in on the playoff race

Per WXYZ’s Brad Galli:

Tweet of note: Maatta holds no ill will toward the Wings

Per EliteProspects’ Sean Shapiro: