The Malik Report

The Red Wings ran into a brick wall in the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night, losing 3-2 over the course of a game that looked and felt closer than it really was.

Tuukka Rask stopped 15 of 16 3rd period shots as the Wings rallied from a 3-1 deficit over the course of a fast and furious second-half-of-the-period attempt to rally…

But the Wings dug a hole that was too deep to get out of against a Bruins team that has won 13 of the past 15 meetings against Detroit. Detroit came out flat, got worse, scored the game’s first goal, and then gave up 2 2nd period markers, which was really enough for the Bruins to build an unassailable lead that they added to in the third period.

Ultimately, as the Associated Press’s recap notes, Boston’s pulling away from the pack, and the Red Wings aren’t even good enough to be part of “the pack”:

Continue reading The overnight report: Red Wings-Bruins wrap-up: Wings’ frustration evident after another loss to B’s

The Red Wings attempted to snap the Bruins’ 12-1-and-1 hex over Detroit on Tuesday night. The Wings caught a bit of a break as Bruins leading scorer Brad Marchand was serving the final game of his suspension, but Tuukka Rask started opposite Jimmy Howard on a 16-0-and-2 run.

The Red Wings were “run over” early by the Bruins, who took a 2-1 lead into the 3rd period, made it 3-1 and then got out-shot like nobody’s business as Detroit made it 3-2 late but could not tie the game.

Boston played a tremendous game for at least 40 minutes, while Detroit played for 4 or 5, and the Wings’ late flourish (a 16-7 shot advantage on a night when the Wings were out-shot 24-12 over the first 40 minutes) was frustrating because the, “Too little, too late” template has almost been trademarked by the Wings this season and the last.

Nick Jensen was arguably the Wings’ best player, and he was -3; Dylan Larkin had 3 of the Wings’ 16 giveaways, and he was the best forward; Howard was excellent in the Wings’ net, getting beaten by some gorgeous Bruins goals, but he wasn’t able to deliver an otherworldly performance–or one like Tuukka Rask, who is now 19-0-and-2 over his past 21 starts.

The Wings made a game closer than it was, as Darren Eliot suggested on FSD’s post-game show, and that’s frustrating, because the Wings were outclassed at times.

Continue reading Red Wings-Bruins quick take: Closer than it looked, but no cigar

From the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe comes a profile of 28-year-old Toledo Walleye defenseman Kevin Gibson, son of baseball legend Kirk Gibson:

Growing up in an ultra-competitive household, Toledo Walleye defenseman Kevin Gibson detested losing.

Gibson and his two brothers went at it in just about every sport, never yielding an inch. As the son of Detroit Tigers legend Kirk Gibson, Kevin Gibson saw first hand what it meant to be a fierce competitor.

“I don’t know if it’s something you inherit. Maybe that makes sense,” Gibson said. “I’m an extremely competitive person. I hate to lose.”

While his father made his name in baseball as a tough-as-nails outfielder, Kevin Gibson was drawn to hockey. Gibson and brothers Cam and Kirk loved athletic competition growing up Grosse Pointe, Mich.

“During the 1990s, the [Detroit Red] Wings came to be the powerhouse [they were] and I really got into hockey,” Gibson said. “We had a backyard rink and all that. My two brothers and I were always playing something. Mini sticks in the basement, baseball, football. We’re all competitive. Whoever lost, it would almost always end in some type of altercation.”

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WOOD TV filed a report on Tom McCollum as the Grand Rapids Griffins goalie just set a franchise record as the winningest goaltender in team history, with 110 total wins as a Griffin.

Griffins coach Todd Nelson believes that McCollum is perfectly-suited to his role:

“He’s just the ultimate team guy,” Griffins head coach Todd Nelson said. “After a big penalty kill, he makes it known when he comes to the bench and tells the guys great job on the kill (and) great job on blocking shots. If guys are getting rattled, he’s the guy that is that calming presence especially when guys are playing.”

His professionalism has improved as his career has progressed since his AHL debut in 2009.

“No matter how you’re feeling, as a pro now, I know how to get myself ready even for those games where you don’t necessarily have the energy to play,” McCollum said. “I think I’ve calmed down a lot. When I first started, I was very emotional. I’ve kind of let that affect me at times whereas now I learned how to harness that and channel it into a positive for myself.”

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From DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner:

[Tuukka] Rask, who will start against the Red Wings, has not lost in regulation since November 26. He is 18-0-2 in his last 21 games and is on a personal point streak of 20 games.

He’s 21-8-4 this season with a 2.09 goals-against average, .925 save percentage with two shutouts.

“He must feel like he’s in the zone. He’s been playing really well, just like their whole team,” Gustav Nyquist said. “I can’t say I’ve watched too many games of them, but obviously he must have been playing real well to be on a points streak like that. He’s been a good goalie in this league for a long time now. He’s a tough goalie to beat.”

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The Red Wings posted a Game-Day Preview video ahead of tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins (7:30 PM on FSD/NESN/Sportsnet/TVA Sports/97.1 FM)…

And Darren Eliot and Trevor Thompson offer a “Digital Pre-Game”:

Red Wings #RAM Digital Report 2.6.18: @iamtrevort and @Darren_Eliot report as the #RedWings prepare to play the red-hot Bruins tonight. Our coverage begins with Red Wings LIVE at 7 on FOX Sports Detroit. pic.twitter.com/7Y9mLTmX3S

— FOX Sports Detroit (@FOXSportsDet) February 6, 2018

I’ve been plugging David Pope in my prospect write-ups for some time now as the lanky University of Nebraska-Omaha winger has done a wonderful job of cranking up his offense during his senior season. Today, The Athletic’s Craig Custance wrote an article profiling Pope, discussing his evolution as a player through a lot of hard work, and discussing his future as well:

“As of right now, I’m 100 percent set on going to Detroit,” Pope told The Athletic on Monday.

There are a couple of reasons for that. For one, the Red Wings offer an option he couldn’t take if he waited until August to sign with an NHL team. When his college season is over, the Red Wings can sign him to play in the AHL this spring, potentially for a playoff run if Grand Rapids makes another one.

That’s valuable opportunity for a player who will be 24 years old at the start of training camp next season, or to put that in perspective, two years older than Dylan Larkin will be in camp. There’s likely an AHL stint ahead for Pope regardless and getting that taste in early has value. At least, that will be the Red Wings’ pitch.

“The ones who spend time in the American League right after college — it’s a great barometer for them to set where they need to be next fall,” [Wings assistant GM Ryan] Martin said. “It’s a league of men. It’s a pro league. Hopefully we’re a playoff team in Grand Rapids and he has the opportunity to come in and play games at the end of the year.”

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The Detroit Red Wings will start Jimmy Howard opposite Tuukka Rask when the Wings host the Boston Bruins this evening (7:30 PM on FSD/NESN/Sportsnet/TVA Sports/97.1 FM). The morning skates for both teams weren’t particularly revealing, though Darren Helm is apparently a “game-time decision” for the Wings.

If you missed it, Wings coach Jeff Blashill explained why he’s starting Howard tonight, speaking with MLive’s Ansar Khan…

Continue reading Red Wings-Bruins game-day articles: On Howard the starter, Mrazek the role model and the rolling B’s

MLive’s Ansar Khan asked Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill why Jimmy Howard will start against the Boston Bruins this evening (7:30 PM EST on FSD/NESN/Sportsnet/TVA Sports/97.1 FM):

“Petr played really well a few games in a row; I’m going to go to Howie here tonight,” coach Jeff Blashill said following an optional morning skate. “I got belief in both of them. We’re going to need both to be real good down the stretch. We need elite goaltending and we’re going to need that from both of them.”

Howard’s last win was on Jan. 5 vs. Florida (4-2). He suffered a lower-body injury late in the game but finished. He missed the next game against Tampa Bay. Since then Howard has gone 0-4, with a 4.62 goals-against average and .861 save percentage. He lasted only 8:47 in his most recent stint, a 5-1 loss to Chicago on Jan. 25, when he allowed three goals on nine shots.

“Not every player scores every night and not every goalie is going to stop it every night, and I just think sometimes you get in a groove one way or the other,” Blashill said. “He’s had a chance here to go to work with (goaltending coach) Jeff Salajko. Both he and Petr work real hard at their game. I don’t see anything from a technical standpoint that will preclude him from having lots of success tonight. But every game takes a life of its own. Hopefully the puck hits hit early and sticks to him and he feels good and he has a great game for us.”

DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter penned an article about the Red Wings’ annual STEM Day, held at Little Caesars Arena on Monday:

Nearly 300 students from 10 Detroit Public Schools who are involved in the Future Goals program were invited to the Red Wings’ new arena Monday morning to hear from guest speakers about their STEM-related careers and engage in STEM-related Q & A sessions. The students also got to watch a live Red Wings practice and enjoyed a Little Caesars pizza lunch on the concourse.

“It’s an awesome opportunity. We’re so grateful to the Red Wings and Chevrolet,” said Detroit Public Schools Foundation president and CEO Pamela Moore. “It’s an awesome arena. The students learned about how the ice is made, how the stadium was built, the engineers behind the work, what they do every day. It was a day of learning and really a day of fun.”

Detoit Public Schools in attendance were the Academy of the Americas, Bates Academy, Harms Elementary School, Davison Elementary-Middle School, Mackenzie Elementary-Middle School, Clark Preparatory, Foreign Language Immersion and Cultural Studies School, A.L. Holmes Academy, Neinas Dual Language Learning Academy and Cooke Elementary School.

STEM Day guest speakers included Chevrolet vehicle performance engineer Miles Egbert, Little Caesars Arena operations manager Al Sobotka and Red Wings director of broadcasting and engineering Sheldon Nueman.

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