In the AHL, the Grand Rapids Griffins had a rough Saturday night, with Joe Hicketts scoring the game’s only goal as the Griffins lost 4-1 to the Milwaukee Admirals. The Griffins’ website posted a recap:
Red Wings-Wild set-up: Wild bring playoff urgency to meeting with Wings
The Detroit Red Wings battle the Minnesota Wild this evening (7:00 PM EST on NBCSN/97.1 FM) with the Red Wings hoping to snap a 2-game losing streak.
The 36-22-and-7 Wild aren’t going to make it easy on the Wings; Minnesota sits in the Western Conference’s second Wild Card spot, and very precariously so; Minnesota has also lost its past two games, with its most recent loss coming in the form of a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche.
Minnesota didn’t practice Saturday because they played back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday; the Wings also chose not to practice, having gotten in late from Winnipeg, so we must examine the Wild and Wings’ previous game to set up tonight’s affair.
The Wild told the Pioneer Press’s Dave Mitzutani that they would move on quickly from Friday’s loss as their playoff spot is on the line:
Continue reading Red Wings-Wild set-up: Wild bring playoff urgency to meeting with Wings
Griffins post Game Day Preview video ahead of tonight’s match-up with Milwaukee
The Grand Rapids Griffins set up tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Admirals via a Game Day Preview:
Via KK: Jim Nill returning to the Wings about as likely as Yzerman returning (see: highly improbable)
Via KK, I can’t help but dismiss this rumor from the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons out-of-hand. Jim Nill wants to do with the Dallas Stars what Steve Yzerman does with the Tampa Bay Lightning–win the Stanley Cup–and until that happens, Nill isn’t going anywhere.
Ken Holland shooed off questions regarding possibly leaving Detroit to run the Seattle franchise on Tuesday’s Jamie and Stoney Show, too:
If you’re crazy enough to pay $650 million for an NHL expansion franchise in Seattle, does that make you crazy enough to consider hiring John Ferguson Jr. as your general manager? Fergie is pushing hard to get back in the big chair somewhere and rehabilitate his reputation post-Leafs. Detroit’s Ken Holland and Vegas assistant Kelly McCrimmon are morning line favourites for the Seattle job. Should Holland leave the Red Wings, some expect GM Jim Nill to leave the Dallas Stars for the opening in Detroit.
Nill, like Yzerman, has worked his butt off to build a Red Wings-like system of scouting, drafting and player development in Dallas, and Nill is comfortable in his present position. I don’t see him bringing his amateur scouts back with him to Detroit while the Stars are still building…
And I believe that Holland wants to and will be given the opportunity to “see the rebuild through.”
Simmons continues, mentioning Luke Glendening and the possibility that Jeff Blashill may have little job security…
HSJ’s mailbag and Tweets of note
The Free Press’s Helene St. James filed a mailbag feature, and among her Q and A’s answers:
As someone who is in the locker room daily, it’s clear how much it bothers veterans like Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall and Jimmy Howard to keep having to explain one-goal losses. The team plays hard, but they just do not have the talent it takes to win regularly.
Ultimately, I maintain the best scenario for them is to come up a goal short most games and miss the playoffs. Beyond franchise defense prospect Rasmus Dahlin, the 2018 draft is heavy on high-end defensemen and high-scoring forwards. The Wings will only regain competitiveness via drafting and developing, as they did to emerge from the “Dead Wings” era – they drafted Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov, the three core building blocks for the resurgence. At the same time, players and the coaching staff should want to make the playoffs. It’s important especially for the development of the young players that good habits are maintained, that the Wings continue to push.
That efforts will go unrewarded is pretty clear. The Wings haven’t been able to string together more than one four-game winning streak all season, and they’re off to an 0-2 start as they’ve embarked on a stretch of playing 11 road games in March. They’re not gaining any ground, and there are four teams between the Wings and a wild-card spot. Points-wise, the picture is bleak. Last season, Nashville got into the playoffs as an eighth seed with 94 points. The Wings have 62 points with 18 games remaining. Even if 90 points gets a team into the playoffs this spring, that would require the Wings to bank 28 points over 18 games. Cue Vizzini exclaiming “inconceivable” – this time the word means what he thinks it means.
Also of Red Wings, Griffins and Walleye-related note:
Chris Ilitch declines commenting on Wings as he visits Lakeland
Updated at 3:36 PM: The Free Press’s George Sipple asked Tigers and Red Wings owner Chris Ilitch to weigh in on the hockey team as the man in charge made an appearance in Lakeland, Florida, and here’s what Ilitch has to say–or not say–about the Wings:
Chris Ilitch spoke to reporters about the #tigers today. I did ask him if he wants Ken Holland back as GM and he said he was here to talk about @tigers @DetroitRedWings
— George Sipple (@GeorgeSipple) March 3, 2018
Instead…
Chris Ilitch said he addressed @Tigers when he arrived in Lakeland. He said he reminded them of “my incredible passion for baseball.”
Ilitch mentioned passion his father had for the game and said he shares it. Mentioned playing HS baseball and coaching his children last few yrs— George Sipple (@GeorgeSipple) March 3, 2018
Chris Ilitch said he addressed @Tigers when he arrived in Lakeland. He said he reminded them of “my incredible passion for baseball.”
Ilitch mentioned passion his father had for the game and said he shares it. Mentioned playing HS baseball and coaching his children last few yrs— George Sipple (@GeorgeSipple) March 3, 2018
For what it’s worth, Ilitch also plays men’s league hockey with Bill Ford…
But I don’t believe that we’re going to get an update on the “state of the Wings” until locker room clean-out day, if we receive a “state of the Wings” update at all.
Update: The Free Press’s Sipple penned an article regarding the exchange:
Continue reading Chris Ilitch declines commenting on Wings as he visits Lakeland
Prospect round-up: Griffins lose to Penguins; Walleye beat Stingrays; NCAA hockey playoffs begin
In the AHL, the Grand Rapids Griffins have had an up-and-down week thus far, with one more home game to come on Saturday night (against Milwaukee).
On Wednesday, the Griffins won 3-2 over the Tuscon Roadrunners, with Eric Tangradi scoring 2 goals and Ben Street registering a goal and an assist
On Friday, things did not go so well, with the Griffins blowing 1-0 and 2-1 leads en route to a 4-2 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Matt Puempel had a goal and an assist and Eric Tangradi scored his 25th goal of the season, but the Griffins could not withstand a 3-goal 3rd period push from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The Griffins’ website posted a recap: Continue reading Prospect round-up: Griffins lose to Penguins; Walleye beat Stingrays; NCAA hockey playoffs begin
Ken Daniels to appear at Temple Israel on March 7th to discuss opioid addiction
This is a hockey blog, at least ostensibly so, and this is a sensitive subject, so I’m going to leave this note from the Oakland Press’s Anne Runkle here:
A parenting conference in West Bloomfield Township will address the opioid crisis and will feature Detroit Red Wings TV announcer Ken Daniels, who recently lost his son to addiction.
The annual Alicia Joy Techner Memorial Parenting Conference will be held at 7 p.m. March 7 at Temple Israel, 5725 Walnut Lake Road.
The free conference, “If Only I Had Known,” is open to the community; advance registration is requested.
It is designed to share personal stories from a variety of perspectives, so parents can feel more informed, empowered and educated about the opioid crisis. In addition to Daniels, other scheduled speakers include:
• Steve Feldman, chief operating officer, Feinberg Consulting/Feinberg Addiction Services
• Chief Michael Patton, West Bloomfield Police Department
• Hon. Edward Sosnick, retired Oakland County Circuit Court judge
To register, contact Kate Boman at 248-661-5700 or kate@temple-israel.org.
The Detroit Jewish News’s Jackie Hedapohl spoke with Mrs. Daniels about Jamie’s passing, and the story is really heartbreaking. Some of my family members have struggled with substance abuse, so all I can say is this:
If you need to get help for a problem with medication, alcohol or something else, it is available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP.
The overnight report: Red Wings-Jets wrap-up: afterburnt
The Detroit Red Wings were out-scored, out-shot and out-attempted en route to a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.
Detroit rallied from 3-1 and 4-2 deficits, but Winnipeg’s domination of the shot clock (42-33) and shot attempts (80-53) disrupted the Red Wings’ attempts to sustain possession and control of the puck in the Jets’ zone.
Our friends from Winnipeg were coming off a 3rd-period collapse against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday, so Friday’s win was particularly timely, as the Winnipeg Sun’s Paul Friesen noted:
Continue reading The overnight report: Red Wings-Jets wrap-up: afterburnt
Red Wings-Jets quick take: Jets smoke out Wings’ attempts to rally
The Detroit Red Wings attempted to rebound from Wednesday night’s loss to St. Louis as the Wings faced off against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night. The Wings faced a tough task in battling the surging Jets.
The Red Wings got good goaltending an excellent offense, but Detroit’s offense was not nearly as good as Winnipeg’s pop-gun machine. Detroit scored the game’s 1st goal and then they gave up 3 straight goals against, and while the Wings rallied from a 3-1 deficit to make it 3-2 and then 4-3 Winnipeg, Detroit could not tie an affair in which the Wings were out-shot 42-33 and out-attempted a stunning 80-53.
Winnipeg won 4-3 despite excellent efforts by, of all people, Niklas Kronwall (1G, 1A), Trevor Daley (1G), and some not-so-surprising names in Anthony Mantha (1G), Henrik Zetterberg (1A on 20:18 played), Gustav Nyquist (1A, 4 shots, 6 attempts) and Justin Abdelkader.
The Wings missed Jonathan Ericsson (illness) more than you might expect, and the fact that Luke Witkowski played all of 2:02 suggests that “the flu” may be making its way through the Wings’ room.
The Wild are losing badly tonight to Colorado, too, so Detroit won’t be in easy trying to snap a 2-game losing streak against Minnesota on Sunday.
Continue reading Red Wings-Jets quick take: Jets smoke out Wings’ attempts to rally