Video: Craig Smith, Petr Mrazek and coach Todd McLellan speak with the media after Sunday’s practice

The Red Wings practiced at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center on Sunday, preparing for a pivotal game against the Ottawa Senators on Monday night (7 PM EDT start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Fox 2/Prime Canada/TVA Sports/97.1 FM).

Petr Mrazek, Craig Smith and Simon Edvinsson were in attendance for Sunday’s skate…

But Dylan Larkin took a maintenance day after being shaken up in the Wings’ 5-2 loss to Washington on Friday.

Here’s the video of Smith, Mrazek and coach McLellan speaking with the media:

Update: The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a shorter clip of the trio speaking with the media as well:

Post-practice Tweets: a ‘maintenance day’ for the captain

The Detroit Red Wings practiced at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center on Sunday afternoon, ahead of tomorrow night’s road game against the Ottawa Senators (7 PM EDT start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Fox 2/Prime Canada/TVA Sports/97.1 FM).

Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith joined the squad, Simon Edvinsson practiced after missing the last half of Friday’s loss to Washington, and Dylan Larkin took a maintenance day.

After practice, the Red Wings’ players and coach spoke with the attending media:

Tweets from Sunday’s practice + catch-up post: Mrazek, Smith join the fray; Larkin doesn’t practice

As the Detroit Red Wings prepare to battle the Ottawa Senators tomorrow night (7 PM EDT start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Fox 2/Prime Canada/TVA Sports/97.1 FM), the Wings are on a five-game losing streak, having most recently dropped a 5-2 decision to the Washington Capitals on Friday night.

The Wings took Saturday off to rest after playing 3 games in 4 nights, so let’s catch you up on the Wings’ situation, if you haven’t been following of late:

Thanks to Detroit’s 5-game losing streak, the Wings are finally sinking down the Eastern Conference standings, and as they sit 3 points behind the Senators right now, Monday night’s game is of paramount importance–as are each and every one of the last 19 games of the regular season.

Continue reading Tweets from Sunday’s practice + catch-up post: Mrazek, Smith join the fray; Larkin doesn’t practice

The Wings are beginning to sink in the Eastern Conference standings

Ahead of today’s Red Wings practice…

The Red Wings’ 5-game losing streak has officially caught up with them.

With the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets scheduled to battle this evening, Detroit sits at 30-27-and-6, with 66 points, 2 points behind New York and Columbus, and 3 points behind Ottawa, who the Red Wings battle on Monday night.

Worse, the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins have caught up with the Wings in the Wild Card standings, and the New York Islanders are only a point behind the trio of teams with 66 points.

Ottawa and Columbus have games in hand on Detroit, too, which is not ideal.

Continue reading The Wings are beginning to sink in the Eastern Conference standings

Duff: Red Wings will simulcast 6 games on Fox 2 Detroit

Per Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff:

All eyes will be on the Detroit Red Wings as they make their run at an NHL playoff spot. And, as it turns out, it will be easier to watch the Red Wings in action.

In an effort to increase accessibility to Red Wings and Detroit Tigers broadcasts to fans, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, FOX 2 Detroit, and FanDuel Sports Network have entered into a partnership that will result in 15 games being simulcast on the over-the-air channel in the coming months. The total includes nine Tigers games and six Red Wings games. This will get underway with Monday’s vital game at Ottawa against the Senators.

These simulcast games will still be available for fans to watch just as they have in the past. They will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network, FanDuelSportsNetwork.com, and the FanDuel Sports Network app. Today’s announcement adds another option. It provides the ability to watch those same broadcasts on FOX 2 for free throughout southeast Michigan.

Games simulcast on FOX 2 will be mirror images of the broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network, featuring fan-favorite announcers including Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond on Red Wings action and Jason Benetti, Andy Dirks, and Dan Petry calling Tigers games.

Duff continues; and here’s the schedule, per the Wings’ press release:

Red Wings games simulcast on FOX 2:

• March 10 at Ottawa

• March 27 vs. Ottawa

• April 1 at St. Louis

• April 8 at Montreal

• April 14 vs. Dallas

The Red Wings’ ‘evaluation stage’ is already underway

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an utter lament this morning, suggesting that the Red Wings are a thin, talent-deficient team that cannot and will not make the NHL’s playoff cut as it falters down the stretch drive. Here’s the pertinent part of her column:

“We’re prepared to use or picks and prospects, but it’s got to be for players that we really like, that we believe in, and then that they’re going to be a part of this thing next year and for future years and beyond,” [GM Steve] Yzerman said. “Otherwise this whole thing has been a waste and a waste of time. It would just set us back and delay us even further and no one wants that.

“For where we’re at, and we’d love to make the playoffs, but to get into that rental thing, we’re giving up our first-round picks and all of what we consider our top prospects and I think we would all agree that whether we like it or not, being in this situation, that’s not the thing to do.”

So, here the Wings are again, faltering in the stretch run. During this skid they’ve played flat, they’ve played with energy, they’ve outshot one opponent by a two-to-one margin, and most recently, Friday at Washington, they started really well only to give up two short-handed goals en route to a 5-2 loss to the Capitals.

It was only a few days ago that [coach Todd] McLellan described what sets March apart on the NHL schedule: Separation. The Wings went through it last season, when they went 3-9-2, and in March 2023, when they 5-9-1.

“As teams fall out of it, their stress level and everything disappears and they’re playing with house money and they play loose,” McLellan said. “It’s not the best way to evaluate. Right now, we’re in that true evaluation stage because we are in that stage. We should welcome it.”

Continued; I don’t know what’s going to happen for the Red Wings going forward. I would be stupid to suggest that possess some inherent predictive knowledge that others don’t.

What I do know is that I believe that this team does need to add another goal-scoring forward or two, to deepen its defense, and to sort out its goaltending situation…

But, at the same time, I’m unwilling to suggest that the Wings won’t be able to defy expectations. Pleasant surprises are abundant in sports, and while there’s no reason to suggest that the Wings are anything less than a long shot to make the playoffs right now, that shot is the Wings’ to call over the final 19 games of this year’s regular season.

The AP posts a quick Red Wings-Senators preview

The Associated Press has posted a quick statistical preview of tomorrow night’s game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators (7 PM EDT start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Prime Canada/TVA Sports/97.1 FM):

BOTTOM LINE: The Detroit Red Wings look to stop their five-game slide with a victory over the Ottawa Senators.

Ottawa is 32-25-5 overall and 7-8-1 against the Atlantic Division. The Senators rank seventh in league play with 246 total penalties (averaging 4.0 per game).

Detroit is 7-9-1 against the Atlantic Division and 30-27-6 overall. The Red Wings have a 6-7-3 record in games their opponents serve fewer penalty minutes.

The teams meet Monday for the third time this season. The Red Wings won the previous meeting 3-2 in overtime.

TOP PERFORMERS: Tim Stutzle has 20 goals and 45 assists for the Senators. Brady Tkachuk has six goals and two assists over the past 10 games.

Lucas Raymond has 22 goals and 43 assists for the Red Wings. Alex DeBrincat has scored six goals and added five assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Senators: 4-5-1, averaging three goals, 4.9 assists, 3.8 penalties and 8.5 penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game.

Red Wings: 3-6-1, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.6 assists, 2.4 penalties and 5.9 penalty minutes while giving up 3.8 goals per game.

Talking trade deadline prices, and few more words from Steve Yzerman’s Friday presser

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen and DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills both posted late-breaking articles regarding Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s press conference on Friday evening.

In a subscriber-only article, Allen confirms that the prices that Yzerman stated were asked for the players Detroit was looking for were in fact too high for the Red Wings GM’s liking…

Yzerman didn’t talk about who he was, or wasn’t, interested in, but hockey insider Elliotte Friedman reported earlier that the Red Wings were interested in rugged Buffalo center Dylan Cozens. He’s 24 and his contract runs  to 2030.

Sources told Detroit Hockey Now the Red Wings were willing to offer a package of draft picks and attractive prospects.  But the Sabres told the Red Wings, and other potential trade partners, they were only interested in “hockey deals.” They wanted a player or players back who helped immediately. What they really wanted a skilled center who generated more offense than Cozens.

The Senators were able to complete a trade for Cozens because they gave up Josh Norris. He’s a 25-year-old scoring center who already has 20 goals this season. Dylan Larkin is the only center Detroit has that could better the Senators offer.

“We did look hard at trying to acquire a centerman,” Yzerman said. “…But there just wasn’t a centerman that we could acquire at a reasonable cost. Unless we’re ready to get into that UFA market and give up multiple picks and prospects for guys that are rentals with no assurance that we could re-sign them.”

Allen continues (paywall), and Mills noted the following from Yzerman regarding the Red Wings’ new start under coach Todd McLellan:

Continue reading Talking trade deadline prices, and few more words from Steve Yzerman’s Friday presser