The Malik Report

The Red Wings and Canadiens held morning skates ahead of tonight’s game at Little Caesars Arena, and it appears that Alex Nedeljkovic will start opposite Jake Allen this evening (7 PM EST start on Bally Sports Detroit Plus/City TV/Sportsnet East/TVA Sports/97.1 FM). After the morning skate, both Michael Rasmussen and coach Jeff Blashill spoke with the media, and here are the videos of their availabilities:

Meanwhile, the Habs were without Jonathan Drouin at their morning skate. Drouin suffers from (post-concussive?) headaches caused by taking a puck to the head in the last meeting between Detroit and Montreal (a 3-0 loss to Montreal on November 2nd):

Jonathan Drouin n’est pas de l’entraînement matinal @CanadiensMTL @TVASports— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) November 13, 2021

Hockeytown pic.twitter.com/aZmVql3WdY— TSN 690 Radio (@TSN690) November 13, 2021

Les trios et duos du CH à Detroit. Jonathan Drouin n’est pas sur la glace du Little Caesars.

Hoffman-Suzuki-Toffoli
Anderson-Dvorak-Gallagher
Lehkonen-Evans-Armia
Pezzetta-Poehling-Belzile

Chiarot-Petry
Kulak-Savard
Romanov-Wideman

Les extras: Brooks, Niku et Norlinder— J-F Chaumont (@JFChaumontJDM) November 13, 2021

Jake Allen obtiendra le départ face aux Wings.— J-F Chaumont (@JFChaumontJDM) November 13, 2021

So Jake Allen starts, and Drouin is out.

The Red Wings’ website’s Brett McWethy just posted a game preview as well:

The Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens will play for the third and final time this season on Saturday night from Little Caesars Arena in The District Detroit. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m., with broadcast coverage on Bally Sports Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network.

Montreal has taken care of business in the first two matchups between the Original Six and Atlantic Division rivals, defeating Detroit, 6-1, on Oct. 23, and recording a 3-0 shutout on Nov. 2. Both games took place at the Bell Centre.

According to Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill, Detroit fell short in those contests for different reasons.

The Red Wings would prefer not to repeat the performance they had just 11 days ago on the road.

“They were probably a little bit different games,” Blashill said. “The last game, I thought we played poorly. It was the worst game, I think, we’ve played all season in terms of how we actually played, in terms of our energy. We were a step behind the whole night, and it was an egg for us. It was just one of those nights.”

Continued

The Detroit Red Wings held a morning skate ahead of tonight’s game vs. the Montreal Canadiens (7 PM EST start on Bally Sports Detroit Plus/City TV/Sportsnet East/TVA Sports/97.1 FM), and it appears that Jake Allen and Alex Nedeljkovic will start opposite one another in goal.

After the morning skate, the Red Wings spoke with the media:

Michael Rasmussen’s keys to picking up a win against MTL, after falling to them twice this season: “Stick to our game plan. We have not played to our structure. Can’t give them big chances or looks. Gotta keep playing hard and playing for each other and take care of the puck.”— Carley Johnston (@carleykjohnston) November 13, 2021

Michael Rasmussen says watching Luke Glendening last year has really helped his game #LGRW @DetroitRedWings— Carley Johnston (@carleykjohnston) November 13, 2021

Coach Blashill says he feels this team has helped re-establish the culture of this organization. I couldn’t agree more #LGRW @DetroitRedWings— Carley Johnston (@carleykjohnston) November 13, 2021

TSN 690 Montreal’s Sergio Momesso also said, “Hello”:

#tsn690 little Caesar’s one of the best arena s to broadcast games but still pretty hard to beat the atmosphere at the old Joe Louis pic.twitter.com/HbCWOMkCOP— Sergio Momesso (@SergioMomesso36) November 13, 2021

And TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie confirmed that Nedeljkovic is starting tonight:

Alex Nedeljkovic vs @CanadiensMTL @DetroitRedWings @TVASports— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) November 13, 2021

Among the Montreal Gazette’s Pat Hickey’s game notes are the following:

Continue reading Red Wings-Canadiens post-morning skate Tweets and articles: Rasmussen on the Habs, coach Blashill on ‘culture’ + Wings-Habs previews

The Detroit Red Wings (7-6-and-2) face the Montreal Canadiens (4-10-and-1) this evening (7 PM EST start on Bally Sports Detroit Plus/Sportsnet East/City TV/TVA Sports/97.1 FM).

The first indication that we received that the Red Wings were skating at all came from the team…

MTL vs DET → 7:00pm.

?: https://t.co/a1ZFiGyALB pic.twitter.com/Ic3gKiWASO— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 13, 2021

There are also at least no surprises on this list from the Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan:

Complete rosters for tonight’s game between the #Habs and Red Wings in Detroit #HabsIO: pic.twitter.com/yakw7NIwEC— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) November 13, 2021

Le Journal de Montreal’s J-F Chaumont offered the Wings’ probable lines vs. Montreal:

La formation probable des Red Wings.

Bertuzzi-Larkin-Raymond
Zadina-Suter-Fabbri
Namestnikov-Rasmussen-Erne
Gagner-Mitchell-Rowney

DeKeyser-Seider
Leddy-Hronek
Staal-Lindstrom

Nedeljkovic— J-F Chaumont (@JFChaumontJDM) November 13, 2021

Sportsnet also said, “Hello”:

Nothing says Saturday night like an Original Six matchup! ?@CanadiensMTL or @DetroitRedWings: who ya got? ?#NHLonSN | @NHL pic.twitter.com/Gn32F0FaXw— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 13, 2021

MLive’s Ansar Khan and the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan both profiled Red Wings forward Givani Smith on Friday afternoon. Smith hasn’t been at his best thus far, and so Khan discusses Smith’s struggles in terms of establishing a physical presence…

“He’s a big body that has talent that we’re going to keep working with to help him become a good player here,” coach Jeff Blashill said.

Smith has played 12 games and is the only Red Wing without a point, averaging less ice time than anyone else (8:00). He logged less than six minutes in each of the past two games.

The Red Wings (7-6-2) host Montreal (4-10-1) on Saturday (7 p.m., Bally Sports Detroit Plus). The struggling Canadiens won the first two games between the clubs, 6-1 and 3-0 in Montreal. This is their final meeting. If all of their forwards are available, Blashill could opt to sit Smith and dress Carter Rowney.

Smith showed flashes of his potential last season, most notably in a 4-1 victory at Florida on Feb. 7, when he recorded a “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” – a goal, an assist, and a fighting major.

“I think there were moments last year,” Blashill said. “I wouldn’t say it was the whole time he was up. He kind of worked his way from a really good game and then became a healthy scratch at some point. It’s something that he’s still learning.

“Unfortunately for him, early in the season he took a penalty a game, and I ended up sitting him. You don’t want to go to the box, and he’s maybe playing a little more careful. Obviously, Givani can’t do that either, so he’s got to find a balance of being able to play really hard, get underneath other guys’ skin without taking penalties. That’s a hard balance at times. As a young player he’s learning that.

“Now he’s got to work to earn a little bit more trust from me, so that he gets more ice time. Right now, he’s not on either specialty team, and he doesn’t get a whole lot of ice time.”

And the Detroit News’s Kulfan offers a similar take:

Wings fans on social media have been wanting to see Smith be more assertive, more of a physical force. That’s the way he played in a brief stay with the Wings last season.

Smith has been in one fight this season, with Calgary’s Milan Lucic. But again, the lack of playing time has resulted in Smith not being able to be physical.

“If you said to me why hasn’t had a bigger physical impact on a game to game basis, I would say it was because he hasn’t had the ice time,” Blashill said. “That’s hard to do when you haven’t had the ice time.”

The Wings want Smith to play hard.

“Whistle to whistle and get out of the scrums,” Blashill said. He was in a lot of scrums and ended up taking penalties. We want him to stay away from the hooking and holding — those aren’t intimidating penalties.”

Red Wings prospect Simon Edvinsson and Team Sweden are participating in the Four Nations Cup, an under-20 team event that serves as the final tune-up prior to the World Junior Championship this weekend. According to Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen, Edvinsson really impressed in yesterday’s 5-0 win for Team Sweden:

A source, with ties to the Swedish team, told Detroit Hockey Now that Edvinssson “was a monster” in the game.

“He looks better than Rasmus Dahlin did at the same age,” the source said. “He has the same offensive game and is much stronger.”

Simon Edvinsson, 18, plays at high-caliber level for Frolunda in the Swedish League. He has one goal and eight assists for nine points in 16 games. He owns a +7 plus-minus. The 6-foot-4 defenseman suffered a minor injury, but it wasn’t serious enough to keep him out of the Four Nations Tournament. Edvinsson will play for Sweden’s U-20 at the World Junior Championships.

Edvinsson is a full-service defenseman. He plays physical, is mindful of his defensive play and carries the puck with authority.

“You have to go back to Victor Hedman to find a comparable Swedish D-man, aged 18,” the source said. “The Red Wings have a gem in Simon.”

Continued

My apologies for the lack of posts Friday. I had a sustained panic attack that pretty much incapacitated me on Friday afternoon/evening.

I’ll do my best to get back to work later Saturday morning.

Ah, there’s nothing like a little skepticism regarding the Red Wings’ start and its sustainability, via power rankings from The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn and Sean Gentille’s power rankings, to get your blood moving:

23. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 7-6-2
Last Week: 28
Dom rank: 22
Sean rank: 23

So dust off your highest hopes
All I know is pouring rain
And everything has changed
All I know is a new found grace

Dom: At their absolute worst, the Red Wings kept striking out at the draft lottery. It’s a devastating blow for a team designed to be bad and year after year the team had to settle for a lower pick making the rebuild that much harder.

Well, a team can do much worse than “settling” for Lucas Raymond, drafted fourth in 2020, and Moritz Seider, drafted sixth in 2019. It’s super early, but both players have flashed star potential already, helping the Red Wings get off to a much stronger start than expected. It probably won’t last, but faith in the Yzerplan is finally being rewarded. This team is on the cusp of a turnaround.

Sean: Yep. If I’m a Wings fan, I’m ready to go all-in and root for them to win every game. If they end up with the 11th-best lottery shot, so be it. What’s done is done. Enjoy Raymond and Seider. There’s value in chasing a winning record, even if it doesn’t last.

Continued (paywall)

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski discusses NHL rookies who have impressed and those who have struggled over the first month-and-a-half of the NHL season, and this morning’s column for ESPN+ begins with mentions of Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond:

Moritz Seider, D, and Lucas Raymond, F, Detroit Red Wings

The arrival of Seider and Raymond were like a shot of adrenaline to the heart of this moribund Original Six franchise. Through Wednesday night’s games, Raymond led all rookies with 14 points in 14 games, including six goals. The 19-year-old Swede played left wing with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi to form one of the league’s top trios — 61.6% expected goals at 5-on-5 and four power-play points. Raymond has become the betting favorite for the Calder at +275.

Shawn Horcoff, the Red Wings’ director of player development, said Raymond played his way onto the roster in rookie camp and the preseason. “It was just a question about if he was ready physically. And we didn’t have an answer. He was going to show us with his play,” he said. “You can see the kind of player he can turn into.”

Seider is leading all rookies in average ice time (22:25) and has 11 points in 14 games. The Red Wings have a 2.26 expected goals against per 60 minutes with Seider on the ice, best among any Detroit player.

“Mo has just had a nice, steady development curve since we drafted him. He’s put the work in during the offseason. It’s still early, but he’s playing in every situation for us,” Horcoff said.

Continued (paywall); Alex Nedeljkovic is also mentioned by Wyshynski.

WXYZ’s Brad Galli posted Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill’s post-game presser from last night’s 2-0 loss to the Washington Capitals, and the Red Wings’ coach was downright combative while sparring with the media, displaying a Babcockian level off grumpiness.

While the Free Press’s Helene St. James’ morning article doesn’t directly address the time that Blashill barked at St. James, she does call coach Blashill “testy” while discussing a Red Wings power play that went 0-for-4 with 0 shots against the Capitals, including on a lengthy 5-on-3 opportunity:

“They have to look and say they’re going to decide to shoot it,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “We’ll work through it as a group. I don’t know if it’s as easy as you and I sit here and say it, in the sense that if you don’t think you have a lane and you shoot it and it gets blocked, you feel like it’s the wrong play. That’s what happens. The reality is, a lot of times a block ends up with chaos, and it’s OK to make them block shots. I think getting past that and having more of an attack mentality — we’ll work through it.”

It’s not the first time Blashill has lamented a lack of shooting mentality on the power play units, which feature Moritz Seider, Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Tyler Bertuzzi and FIlip Zadina on one unit and Nick Leddy, Pius Suter, Robby Fabbri, Filip Hronek and Sam Gagner on the other.

The Wings did not register a shot on net in 6:37 of man-advantage time, which included 1:23 of 5-on-3 play.

“We just didn’t execute, and we weren’t good enough,” Larkin said. “They made it hard for us on the walls and we put pucks there. We didn’t get to the net, we didn’t get it around the net, we didn’t get it up top and we didn’t take enough shots.”

Pressed on how he will get the message through, Blashill asked if the question meant it was something on a game-in and game-out basis that “hasn’t been good enough or it’s something that’s been some games.”

The Wings (7-6-2) have converted eight times on 50 power plays, a 16% success rate that ranks in the NHL’s bottom third.

Continued

The Free Press’s Shawn Windsor posted a fine subscriber-only article which discusses the Red Wings’ new-found ability to stick with teams like the Washington Capitals, who defeated Detroit 2-0 last night:

Already this team has shown it can come back; it did against these same Capitals a couple weeks ago in Washington. Mostly because the Wings don’t just fight, they bring some juice, if not always precision. 

To truly contend for a playoff spot, the precision will have to be there more consistently, mixing with the effort and the speed and the skill. The Capitals may have held the tactical advantage after the two goals in 10 seconds, forcing the Wings to the perimeter and then meeting them there. But the Wings didn’t help themselves, either. 

Too many giveaways killed their best scoring chances, though calling them giveaways is understating it. 

There were mishandled passes that crept away from the stick, breaking momentum or forcing a restart in the neutral zone. There were hesitations on one-timer possibilities, especially on the power play, and most egregiously during a 5-on-3 advantage. 

There were mistimed passes across the top of the zone and pucks that just seemed to float in the creases. The Capitals got to most of them a tick or two faster. Not because of a speed advantage as much as an experience advantage. 

Sometimes the fear of a mistake causes a moment of indecision, and those moments of stasis are the difference in hockey. And yet, the Wings continue to do things they wouldn’t  — or couldn’t — a year ago. (Heck, dating back over the last several seasons.)  

Continued (paywall)