The Malik Report

Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

1. The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan focuses on three areas in which the Red Wings have improved over the course of Todd McLellan’s tenure with the team, from the crease on out…

You got the sense during the losing streak heading to the coaching change that the goaltending was teetering a bit. Both Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon were returning from injuries, and they looked rusty. They were facing a high volume of shots nightly, and the defense in front of them was leaky.

It all added up to difficult assignments in keeping the Wings close in games.

But the Wings have been a better team defensively under McLellan, they’ve reduced the shot volume dramatically, and Lyon and Talbot are back to grinding victories. Lyon’s victory on Saturday, over Winnipeg star Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce Township), was Lyon’s sixth win in his last seven decisions.

“If you look at save percentage, one (shot) out of every 10 goes in,” McLellan said. “When you’re giving up 40 (shots) a night, you’re not giving yourselves a true opportunity to win. We’ve asked the players to check a little harder, to close quicker, block more shots and play more calm when they’re in a panic mode — and they’ve done a good job.

“Alex, he’s done a real good job of managing the games. Getting us a whistle when we needed to, and slowing it down when we needed to. That’s real important, too.”

2. And Detroit Hockey Now’s Max Smith praises the Wings’ revamped defensive corps in “Two Truths and a Lie“:

Continue reading Afternoon news: Praise for the Wings’ goaltending and defensive corps

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton discusses the Red Wings’ 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets in his traditional morning-after-the-game notebook, and I completely agree with Sam regarding Moritz Seider’s play of late, especially in end-of-game situations:

I’m not sure there’s been any aspect of Detroit’s game I’ve enjoyed watching lately more than Moritz Seider‘s play in five-on-six situations.  The intensity with which he defended Alex Ovechkin to help close out McLellan’s first win with the Red Wings against the Capitals was mesmerizing.  

There’s not a moment in any game where Seider shows compunction about sacrificing his body in the name of team defense, but that dynamic is even more pronounced in end-of-game five-on-six scrambles.  Tying up sticks and asserting body position in front of the net, throwing a hit to knock the puck loose and get a clear, absorbing a hit to bleed away seconds along the way—Seider has become a weapon for Detroit to kill games.

Last night, it was Seider eliminating the threat of a loose puck just beyond the crease that won back possession for the Red Wings, eventually setting up Larkin’s empty-net goal that iced the game.   It’s a small part of Seider’s overall play, but it’s an area where games are quite literally won and lost and one where he has continued to add major value for his team.

Continued

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen discusses the importance of the Red Wings’ four-game winning streak as restarting the team’s chase of a playoff spot:

Let’s make sure we’re clear: What the below .500 Red Wings have accomplished with their four-game winning streak doesn’t compare with the opportunity the Lions have today facing the Minnesota Vikings.

But the four wins under new coach Todd McLellan has set up a meaningful game against the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday that didn’t seem possible on Dec. 25.

Merry Christmas Red Wings fans. Detroit is now two points behind the Ottawa Senators for the final wildcard spot. Before Derek Lalonde was fired and McLellan took over, fans were starting to look at who the Red Wings could draft with a top five pick.

The Red Wings are far from an elite team — and this modest winning streak could be followed by a losing skid. But Detroit’s hockey team has at least been entertaining for the past 10 days. Anyone who watched Detroit’s over Winnipeg probably has some hope.

Continued;

I’m going to be honest here, again: I don’t care whether the Red Wings make the playoff cut this season. At this point, the Wings would have to rattle off multiple winning streaks to perhaps earn nearly 2/3rds of the available points to wade into the muck that is the Eastern Conference standings and come out on top.

To me, this season is about Todd McLellan salvaging the Wings’ pride and ability to play meaningful, competitive hockey games. After the “new coach bump” wears off and the Wings begin to flatten out in terms of their play, I want to see them continue to work on mastering McLellan’s systems of play and re-master learning how to win on a consistent basis.

If that results in a battle for a playoff spot late in the regular season, that’s wonderful; if it doesn’t, that’s okay, too, because this season is now a learning process for each and every one of the Red Wings’ players.

Playoff relevance is a bonus right now. That kind of stuff will take care of itself if the Wings really buy in to McLellan’s lessons for the team.

Daily Faceoff translated an article in which Hockeysverige.se’s Ronnie Ronnqvist spoke with Red Wings VP of hockey operations Nicklas Lidstrom regarding the progress made by Wings prospect and Leksands IF defenseman Anton Johansson:

Anton Johansson debuted in the SHL for Leksand during the 2021-22 season. In the summer of 2022, he was also drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round, 105th overall. Since then, he’s come a long way. Last season, he competed for Sweden in the World Juniors and left Gothenburg with a silver medal around his neck. This year, he’s taking a bigger role in the SHL and has seen his ice-time and responsibilities increase.

Although the Red Wings already have a lot of Swedish defensemen in their system, chances are there will be one more next year.

Legendary defenseman Nicklas Lidström is one of the people in the Red Wings organization keeping tabs of how the 20-year-old defenseman is progressing. He’s impressed with Johansson’s development.

“Anton has become more stable in his play,” Lidstrom said. “That comes with more experience and with the confidence from getting to play a bit more. I also think he’s very good with the puck, mobile, and good at getting his shots through, which we saw recently when he scored with a wrist shot.

“He’s also become more solid in his own zone, goes hard into the corners and tries to be physical. He’s progressing all the time and has a strong development curve.”

Through his first 24 games this season, Anton Johansson had scored three goals and added two helpers. Not a massive output, but the overall impression is that he’s slowly growing into his 6’4″ frame, and that his play is maturing along with that.

Continued

Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond spoke with Aftonbladet’s Per Bjurman after last night’s 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Here’s a rough translation of what Raymond had to say:

Detroit takes its fourth straight: “A good flow”

New York. The Detroit Red Wings are suddenly one of the NHL’s hottest teams. They earned their fourth straight win last night–by beating the league-leading Winnipeg Jets on an away game.

“We’ve entered a good flow,” scorer Lucas Raymond told Sportbladet after the 4-2 triumph.

Talk about the replacement in Detroit ten days ago.

The Red Wings lost their first game under Todd McLellan, but then they have just won and won–and thus crowned their resurrection with a scorching 4-2 victory over the top-of-the-standings Winnipeg Jets at the Canada Life Centre overnight.

“Yes, it was an important victory for us against one of the league’s best teams,” Lucas Raymond says as we reach him after the final whistle.

“We have come into a good flow as a team, and play good hockey that lasts for longer periods of time.”

Continue reading Roughly translated: Lucas Raymond weighs in on the Red Wings’ winning streak

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff questions whether five changes in the Red Wings’ play of late are the result of the “new coach bump” or the result of coach McLellan making meaningful changes to the systems which the Red Wings play…

Penalty Kill

Under previous coach Derek Lalonde the Red Wings were on pace to make NHL penalty killing history, and not the good kind. At one point, Detroit was displaying the lowest penalty kill percentage since the league began tracking the stat.

During this four-game win streak, the Red Wings penalty kill is crushing it. They’ve killed 80% of all infactions (8-for-10).

“Coming in as a new staff, (assistant coach) Trent (Yawney) and I, joining the group that was here, the focus went on penalty killing,” McLellan said. “Certainly the penalty kill’s been a total revamp.”

Fewer Goals Against

McLellan describes NHL games as a race to three. His theory is that the first team to put three goals on the scoreboard generally wins the game.

That’s been the case in each of the five games since he took over as coach of the Red Wings. In three of their four wins, they’ve only allowed two goals against.

During the four-game win streak, Detroit’s goals-against per game is 2.5.

Duff continues…

2. And the Free Press’s Helene St. James wonders aloud whether coach McLellan’s Wings can mount an eventual playoff run:

Continue reading Morning news: On concrete improvements and the possibility of sustaining a playoff run

In the Finnish Liiga, Jesse Kiiskinen’s HPK Hameenlinna lost 5-3 to Lukko without #88 on the roster. He’s taking part in the World Junior Championship presently;

In the DEL, Kevin Bicker’s Frankfurt Lowen won 5-1 over the Adler Mannheim, but Bicker remains out with an injury;

In the SHL, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard finished at -2 with 2 shots in 19:19 played as Skelleftea AIK lost 3-0 to Farjestads BK;

Noah Dower Nilsson finished at +1 in 10:26 played as Frolunda HC won 3-1 over Leksands IF. Anton Johansson did not play for Leksand;

In the Swedish J20 league, Charlie Forslund didn’t register a point in Mora IK’s 3-1 win over Linkopings HC;

In the ECHL, Carter Gylander posted a 26-save shutout as the Toledo Walleye won 3-0 over Fort Wayne;

In the OHL, Landon Miller was the back-up in the Soo Greyhounds’ 5-0 loss to Saginaw;

Continue reading Prospect round-up: Gylander, Walleye shut out Fort Wayne; Finnie 1A in Kamloops loss

At the World Junior Championship in Ottawa:

Jesse Kiiskinen scored a goal on 1 shot in 12:59 of playing time as Finland took a 4-3 overtime decision over Sweden. Axel Sandin Pellikka finished even with 4 shots in 29:52 of ice time for Sweden.

Sandin Pellikka had this to say to Expressen’s Tim Dahlbacka and Johan Eriksson:

“It sucks. I think we played our hearts out there, so it sucks, especially when you feel that you deserve the final place,” says Sweden’s team captain Axel Sandin-Pellikka.

“We had the feeling all along that ‘we had them.’ The third period is the best period I’ve ever seen a team play, they had three shots and we had 20. It sucks,” the captain said.

In the other semifinal, Trey Augustine stopped 26 of 27 shots as Team USA won 4-1 over Czechia. Max Plante was scratched finished even in 11:10 played for the Americans.

Team USA and Team Finland will play for the Gold Medal on Sunday at 7:30 PM EST, on the NHL Network and TSN; Team Sweden and Czechia will battle for Bronze on Sunday at 3:30 PM on the NHL Network and TSN.

According to FloHockey’s Chris Peters, Augustine set a USA Hockey record on Saturday:

Continue reading At the World Junior Championship: Kiiskinen scores as Finns beat Sweden; Augustine strong in goal as USA defeats Czechia

The Grand Rapids Griffins suffered a setback on Saturday night, losing a 2-1 decision to the Milwaukee Admirals. The Griffins’ website posted a recap:

MILWAUKEE — A hectic first period saw the Grand Rapids Griffins fall into an early deficit, as they suffered a 2-1 loss against the Milwaukee Admirals on Saturday at the Panther Arena. 

The Griffins’ lone tally was a short-handed goal from Dominik Shine, good for his 10th goal of the year and his fifth point in the last six outings (5-1—6). The short-handed score was Grand Rapids’ fifth of the season and its second against the Admirals in five meetings. Sebastian Cossa saved 18 shots in his first appearance since Dec. 17 when the Griffins faced Texas. Despite the loss, Cossa sustained a .918 save percentage and a 2.30 goals-against average.  

Continue reading Griffins recap: Grand Rapids struggles to find goals vs. Milwaukee Admirals

The Detroit Red Wings took a 4-2 victory from the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night, winning their 4th consecutive game under coach Todd McLellan.

The Red Wings received goals from Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat and an empty-netter from Larkin as the team never relinquished its first-period, power-play lead, Raymond also had 2 assists, and Moritz Seider had 3 assists for the Wings, who were back-stopped to victory by Alex Lyon (23 saves).

Detroit will head home to entertain the Senators on Tuesday and the Blackhawks on Friday, so the Wings earn Sunday off as a “travel day”…

For the Jets, who lost defenseman Colin Miller to an injury and Josh Morrissey for a period of time due to a cut upper lip, losing their 3rd game in a row (0-2-and-1) and second to a team below the playoff cut line was worrisome, as they told the Winnipeg Sun’s Paul Friesen:

Continue reading Red Wings-Jets wrap-up: Wings out-duel Winnipeg thanks to hard work (and a little luck)