Custance on Zetterberg’s first game night as a civilian

The Athletic’s Craig Custance went behind the scenes with Henrik Zetterberg as the Red Wings’ former captain dropped the puck at the Wings’ home opener:

“Coming down today, it felt like a normal game. Same time. Left the house at the same time,” Zetterberg told The Athletic, moments before he walked out in front of the crowd. “But obviously it’s different.”

It’s definitely different.

Zetterberg is told that Justin Abdelkader will be taking the ceremonial puck drop with Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno. It probably would have been Niklas Kronwall but Kronwall is injured too. So is fellow defenseman Jonathan Ericsson. Johan Franzen had just been nearby, two blonde-haired little boys following him down the hallway — one in a Franzen jersey and another in a signed Dylan Larkin jersey. These last holdouts from the Red Wings’ glory days, all in suits and nearby to support their fellow Swede.

“This is going to be hard for him,” Ericsson said, earlier in the day. “It’s going to be a big change. It’s going to be good for him to spend a lot of time with his family.”

It’s not easy, but right now they’re having fun. Ericsson and Kronwall stop to chat with Zetterberg as he prepares to drop the puck.

“I want to go out there to hear the cheers,” Ericsson says to Zetterberg, who laughs. Zetterberg says he wants Ericsson out there with him so the cheers are louder. Then the conversation turns to puck-dropping technique.

Continued (paywall)…

The Athletic’s Bultman on Cholowski’s debut

The Athletic’s Max Bultman penned an article regarding Dennis Cholowski’s first game as a Red Wing:

Beyond the sheer exhilaration [of scoring], though, there was a larger process at work. In August, as Cholowski got set for the series of camps and exhibitions that would make his opportunity possible, he already knew what the recipe would be if he was to have a chance.

“It’s mostly just be more confident,” he told The Athletic then. “Be the guy that just wants the puck — be able to make the play, lead the rush and join the rush.”

At first blush, Cholowski is not someone who seems particularly demanding. He is quiet, and plays a game built more on poise and intelligence than flash.

But when Larkin went into the corner…

“I saw him look over his shoulder (and) just yelled as loud as I could for the puck,” Cholowski said, “because I was wide open.”

Continued (paywall), and here’s Cholowski’s first goal, via AWood40:

 
NHL.com took note of Cholowski’s debut from a fantasy hockey perspective:

Detroit Red Wings: Rookie defenseman Dennis Cholowski (6 percent owned in Yahoo) scored a goal in his NHL debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. He played 19:51 on the top pair with Danny DeKeyser, saw 0:59 on the power play, and benefited from even-strength exposure to forward Dylan Larkin, who had the primary assist on Cholowski’s goal. Cholowski had 66 points (14 goals, 52 assists) in 69 games in the Western Hockey League last season and is worth considering in deeper leagues with Mike Green (illness) out for at least one month. The Red Wings’ next game is on the road against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.

Morning news: Regarding the Wings’ mistakes, the need for puck possession and praise for Cholowski

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. The Free Press’s Helene St. James wrote a recap which suggests that the Wings played poorly during last night’s overtime loss to Columbus:

For a team wanting to make an impression of being miserable to play against, the Detroit Red Wings flubbed their first attempt.

They didn’t create much offensively, skated ruts to the penalty box, and got pinned in the defensive zone in overtime. They took a point away from Thursday’s season opening loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Little Caesars Arena, but the overall performance disappointed.

“We got a big point against a good team, but once again, we have to find a way to flip the switch and find a way to steal these points,” veteran goalie Jimmy Howard said. “Opening night, you want to come out here and you want to give your fans a great show.

“In the first period, we felt like we were getting some momentum and then we shoot ourselves in the foot with penalties. We can’t rely on our penalty kill like that every single night.”

St. James continues;

2. MLive’s Ansar Khan notes that the Wings spent much of the night playing defense, which isn’t a winning recipe against an offensive team like Columbus (the Blue Jackets had 39 shots on Howard and 76 total shot attempts):

Continue reading Morning news: Regarding the Wings’ mistakes, the need for puck possession and praise for Cholowski

Red Wings-Blue Jackets wrap-up: Wings’ OT loss part of the learning curve

The Detroit Red Wings dropped a 3-2 OT decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, and Detroit’s seventh straight loss to the Blue Jackets included surrendering 6 power plays to Columbus, 16 3rd period shots to Columbus, and, despite the enthusiasm, pluck and jam of the Wings’ young defenders, a crapton of giveaways in the Wings’ own zone, affording the Blue Jackets tons of zone time and lots of chances on Jimmy Howard.

The Wings’ youth movement showed both positives and negatives in terms of effort and execution, but the excitement and grit they displayed was at least a bright spot.

On an evening that Henrik Zetterberg dropped a ceremonial puck, and the number of scratches due to injury and coaches’ decisions (Kronwall, Ericsson, Green, Jensen, Luke Witkowski, Evgeny Svechnikov and Martin Frk were all out for the sake of injuries and youth), the Red Wings’ “kids” most certainly held their own, but some discipline was lacking, and details…

Are going to be a work in progress, as will the team.

Our friends from Columbus were delighted to head back to Ohio with a win under their belts, as they told the Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger:

Continue reading Red Wings-Blue Jackets wrap-up: Wings’ OT loss part of the learning curve

Prospect round-up: Gallant named Petes captain, scores a hat trick; Lindstrom playing 20 minutes for Frolunda

Of prospect-related note:

In the OHL, center Zach Gallant was named the captain of the OHL’s Peterborough Petes on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Gallant scored a hat trick and finished at +4 on 10 shots, winning 13 of 23 faceoffs as his Petes won 5-2 over Sault Ste. Marie. Cole Fraser also finished at +1 with 2 shots;

Alec Regula finished even with 1 shot in the London Knights’ 2-0 loss to Windsor;

In the SHL, Gustav Lindstrom finished even with 4 shots in 20:01 played as his Frolunda Indians lost 1-0 to the Vaxjo Lakers;

And Malte Setkov finished even with a shot in 15:11 played as his Frolunda Indians won 2-1 over Rogle.

 

Red Wings-Blue Jackets quick take: Wings show pluck, but Panarin delivers for Columbus in OT

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to earn a home-opening win against the Columbus Blue Jackets this evening, and the Red Wings theoretically caught a break in that the Blue Jackets chose to start Joonas Korpisalo opposite Jimmy Howard…But Detroit also needed to snap a 6-game losing streak against Columbus while 5 Wings players made their NHL debuts.

The Red Wings’ youth movement provided energy and resolve, displaying some pluck and some aggressiveness and abraision as the Wings rebounded from a rough 1st period to get goals from Cholowski and Bertuzzi, both set up by Larkin and Nyquist, and Jimmy Howard took over in the 3rd, stopping 16 Blue Jackets shots to earn a point…

But over the course of the 3rd period and overtime, the Wings’ youthful enthusiasm wore down somewhat, and in OT, Luke Glendening, Anthony Mantha and Trevor Daley were on the ice for over a minute, and Artemi Panarin ultimately scored with a sniping shot to give Columbus a 3-2 OT win.

Progress made in earning a point against a team that the Wings are now 0-6-and-1 against over their past 7 meetings, but it would’ve been nice to see the plucky Wings score a decisive goal in front of an announced sellout(!).

Continue reading Red Wings-Blue Jackets quick take: Wings show pluck, but Panarin delivers for Columbus in OT

Pre-game Z on Fox Sports Detroit

Red Wings legend Henrik Zetterberg spoke with Fox Sports Detroit’s John Keating, Darren Eliot and Chris Osgood prior to tonight’s game:

Update: In video form…