[Forward Sam] Stange is leading the [University of Nebraska-Omaha] Mavericks in goals (nine), points (16) and game-winning goals (three). The fifth-year senior is a transfer from Wisconsin. Detroit made Stange the 97th overall selection of the 2020 NHL entry draft. The Red Wings have until Aug. 15 of this year to sign Stange, or he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Continued; depending on who you talk to, Stange is either still Red Wings property, or he’s “aged out.”
“I just want to show my game and play the way I’ve been playing,” Soderblom said before Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. “Show that I can play at this level, so I’m excited.”
Making his 2024-25 season debut with the Red Wings on Tuesday night, Soderblom recorded one shot and two hits in 13:54 of ice time in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Flyers. Additionally, Soderblom skated on a line with Michael Rasmussen and Christian Fischer.
“Very happy with him,” Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said about Soderblom’s play against the Flyers. “Again, not knowing what to expect, just hearsay around the locker room or the organization. Right from morning skate, he looked like he fit in. He played with some authority. I thought that fourth line had an identity.”
Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said he was impressed by Soderblom’s focus and skill.
“His size and hands stick out right away, but [Soderblom] was engaged,” Larkin said. “I think he made a lot of really good plays. It would have been nice to see him get one on one of those chances early, but what he brings to the table is great to have. I was really impressed with his attitude and the way he handled himself.”
Soderblom, in 38 games with the Griffins this season, has 17 points on five goals and 12 assists. He’s appeared in 119 AHL games for Grand Rapids since 2022-23, totaling 54 points (23 goals, 31 assists).
“The group in Grand Rapids is really good,” Soderblom said. “It’s a great group of guys, and I think we’re showing that through our games. We’re playing well, so this year has been really good.”
The Red Wings (21-21-5, 47 points) are in danger of falling further behind if they don’t stop their three-game slide (0-2-1) Thursday against Montreal in the start of a key three-game homestand (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network).
The Canadiens (24-19-4, 52 points) are 13-3-1 in their past 17 and sit in the final wild card spot. They swept a home-and-home set from the Red Wings on Dec. 20-21, winning 4-3 at Little Caesars Arena and 5-1 at home. Montreal was last in the league in 2021-22 and now it’s a playoff contender.
“It’s a team that’s around us in the standings,” Lucas Raymond told media following Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime loss at Philadelphia. “They’ve been having a good year. They’re a good team but so are we. It’s home ice for us and it’s about taking care of it. I think everyone’s excited to get out there, get back on the right track and play the way we did previous to this trip for 7-8 games. We know the way we’re supposed to play, so it’s just about getting back to that.”
…
Scoring has improved under McLellan, who has given players more rope to be aggressive offensively and has encouraged a shot mentality. They rank 24th at 2.79 goals per game.
But they’re still struggling five-on-five, ranked 30th with 76 goals.
“It’s been better,” Dylan Larkin told media after Tuesday’s game. “We’ve had way more of a shot focus. Shoot it and get it back and play that way. Especially when things aren’t going our way Todd is very vocal about being direct. We haven’t been as much on the outside. Five-on-five is hard in this league. I thought we did a better job tonight of getting around the crease and second and third looks.”
Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon appears on the latest episode of the Red Wings’ official podcast, “The Conversation Line,” with Daniella Bruce and Ken Kal:
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As you know by now, Hockeynews.se posted a 37-minute interview in which Henrik Sjoberg interviews Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond (in Swedish) a couple of days ago.
Lucas Raymond is the future of the Detroit Red Wings, and will soon be joined by Axel Sandin Pellikka.
Now Raymond is visiting the latest episode of Hockeynews video podcast Shoot The Puck, and he tells about superstar Patrick Kane’s importance on the road to becoming a powerful team again.
“He loves to share his skills and I’m just sucking them in,” Raymond said in the podcast.
The spotlight was directed at Lucas Raymond as soon as he stepped into his teens.
And all the way from Gothenburg, to a star with the Detroit Red Wings, “Razor” has delivered magnificently.
Now he is visiting the latest episode of Hockeynews video podcast “Shoot The Puck,” and tells us, among other things, about Patrick Kane’s importance.
“How it’s cool to see how he does things on a daily basis. How he is dedicated to hockey. He loves to talk hockey, he loves to share his skills,” Raymond says.
The Red Wings are chasing a long-awaited playoff spot and soon Axel Sandin Pellikka will move over to North America.
Raymond tells us that the pair have never met before, but many things point to a long and successful partnership with the historic NHL team.
Raymond was impressed during the World Junior Championship.
“He looked good, it was extremely fun to see. He’s so ‘skilled.’ He sees the game well and his shot, I think, will fit well here.”
The Detroit Red Wings return home for a set of games against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, and the Los Angels Kings on Monday, all at Little Caesars Arena.
BOTTOM LINE: The Detroit Red Wings head into a matchup with the Montreal Canadiens after losing three in a row.
Detroit is 5-8-1 against the Atlantic Division and 21-21-5 overall. The Red Wings are 3-6-3 in games they serve more penalty minutes than their opponents.
Montreal is 24-19-4 overall with a 9-4-0 record against the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens have committed 201 total penalties (4.3 per game) to rank third in league play.
The teams meet Thursday for the third time this season. The Canadiens won the last matchup 5-1.
TOP PERFORMERS: Lucas Raymond has 19 goals and 32 assists for the Red Wings. Dylan Larkin has seven goals and seven assists over the past 10 games.
Cole Caufield has 24 goals and 20 assists for the Canadiens. Patrik Laine has four goals and three assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Red Wings: 6-3-1, averaging 3.4 goals, 6.2 assists, two penalties and four penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.
Canadiens: 7-2-1, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.1 assists, 4.6 penalties and 10.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.
“We limited them to two goals, one in overtime,” Lucas Raymond said. “Our defensive structure was really good most of the time, especially desperation around the net. But, it’s not a successful trip in our point of view. We have a couple of these games that we want to get back and it’s about learning from it.”
The Wings (21-21-5) are 8-4-1 since Todd McLellan was named coach Dec. 26. This was their first extended trip, and began on a high note with a 5-2 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, a terrific response after a 6-3 loss at home to the struggling San Jose Sharks.
“To start in Florida and play against that team and weather their storm, that was a really good win,” McLellan said. “Tampa, a little bit disappointing because I think we got tricked with the volume of shots but not the intensity around the net. Dallas, after falling behind 3-0 we settled in. But I think the game really does change for both teams at that point. And then we finished strong and hard.
“You never head out for 50-50, you always want more, and we came up a little short. An average trip for our group but I think we are making strides in certain areas. We’re a little better in our zone, we’re breaking the puck out a little better than we have in the past. We checked through the neutral zone better. Those are all good things. But we have to find a way to score more than one a night five-on-five if we’re to have success.”
