ESPN’s power rankings: on demonstrable progress

ESPN’s Kristen Shilton posted a set of power rankings today which ask “one big question” for each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams, and here’s her question for the Red Wings:

21. Detroit Red Wings

Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 0.515
Next seven days: @ ANA (Jan. 6), @ LA (Jan. 8), @ SJ (Jan. 11)

Can the Red Wings be better than average? Detroit entered 2022 as a .500 team, still in the mix for a wild-card playoff spot but with the potential to fade quickly. Why? Going into Tuesday’s game against San Jose, Detroit had two wins in its past eight. That’s after a stretch in which the club won nine of 14. There’s potential in the Red Wings; they showed it early in the season. Now past their COVID-19 issues, Detroit needs to reengage with what has worked before.

Continued; it’s going to take a road game that is better than Detroit’s present road game for the Red Wings to return to the playoff mix.

Press release: Griffins sign Erik Bradford to pro try-out

The Grand Rapids Griffins brought back forward Erik Bradford via a pro try-out contract today, ahead of tonight’s game vs. Milwaukee:

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday signed center Erik Bradford to a professional tryout.

Bradford comes to Grand Rapids from the Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL), where he was named the team’s player of the month for December with 15 points (5-10—15) in 11 games. Through 25 contests with Kalamazoo this season, the seventh-year pro has logged 27 points (10-17—27) and 16 penalty minutes while possessing a plus-11 rating. The Orangeville, Ontario native has not appeared in the AHL since April 14, 2018 when he skated with Toronto against Laval. All of Bradford’s four AHL games have come with the Marlies and he has totaled two goals. Throughout his career in the ECHL, the 27-year-old has suited up for 355 games, amassing 296 points (94-202—296) and 196 penalty minutes.

HSJ in the morning: Givani Smith maximized his impact

The Free Press’s Helene St. James took note of Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill’s comments regarding the impact of one Givani Smith, who only played in 2 minutes and 32 seconds of Detroit’s 6-2 win over San Jose:

Givani Smith made a favorable impression in less than three minutes of ice time.  He’s seemingly earned himself a spot in the lineup again as the Detroit Red Wings head on the road, delivering a tone-setting shift early in Tuesday’s game against the San Jose Sharks.

Smith fought Sharks defenseman Jacob Middleton at 2:30. At 18:16 of the first period, he was tossed by officials after a high hit on Middleton in the corner. That left the Wings shorthanded for five minutes and with a short bench the rest of the game, but coach Jeff Blashill didn’t mind.

Asked what he’d tell Smith, Blashill replied: “Keep going.”

“He was good. He fought, he hit. It wasn’t something where I was, oh gee, what are you doing? Not at all. I actually thought in the little bit he played he played with poise, he played strong, he battled hard. I was happy with those couple minutes of ice time.”

…

Smith has two goals, two assists and 26 penalty minutes in 24 games. Originally drafted in the second round in 2016, the Wings thought enough of Smith this past summer to protect him in the expansion draft. He’s a 6-foot-2, 215 pound energy guy, and while he had a short night Tuesday, it was more like what the Wings need to see from him.

Continued

Red Wings-Sharks wrap-up: Shorthanded prowess, pluck, determination afford revamped Wings a needed victory

The Detroit Red Wings won a 6-2 decision over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night, earning their first victory in 3 tries during the 2022 year.

The Red Wings’ victory didn’t come easily: while Tyler Bertuzzi opened the scoring at even strength, ten minutes after a Givani Smith fight stirred the crowd up, Smith then took a major penalty (and a questionable one at that) because his shoulder glanced the chin of his earlier fighting partner, Jake Middleton, at 18:16 of the 1st period.

Detroit managed to kill the first 1:44 of the power play, and they settled in for the 2nd period’s kill…Or so we thought. As it turned out, the Red Wings generated three tremendous scoring chances on the major penalty to Smith, and two of them–shots by Pius Suter and Tyler Bertuzzi–went past James Reimer, breaking the game open.

The Sharks “got one back” 4 minutes into the 2nd period, drawing to within 3-1, but the Suter would score again just short of the game’s halfway point, and when the Sharks brought the score to within 4-2 early in the 3rd period, Detroit quickly responded with a pair of goals on Aidan Hill, yielding that lop-sided 6-2 score.

Detroit and San Jose will meet again in a week, and for the Sharks, who sat long-time veteran Marc-Edouard Vlasic as a “message” to the team’s defense–and were without Logan Couture due to COVID protocols–they’re going to be chewing on and stewing about this game for the entirety of that week.

The Sharks understandably grumbled about their loss to the Mercury News’s Curtis Pashelka:

Continue reading Red Wings-Sharks wrap-up: Shorthanded prowess, pluck, determination afford revamped Wings a needed victory

Prospect Round-up North America: Red Savage scores 2 goals in Miami OT loss

I’ve got some good news and some bad news regarding the only game of the night which involved a Red Wings prospect.

In NCAA hockey, Red Savage scored 2 goals, finishing even with 4 shots and an 8-for-12 faceoff record, but his Miami of Ohio Redhawks lost a 5-4 overtime decision to Mercyhurst.

Here are Savage’s goals from the NCHC Athletic Conference’s Twitter account:

Red Wings-Sharks quick take: Shorthanded goals power Wings to first win of 2022

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to snap a 2-game losing streak against a similarly-struggling San Jose Sharks team on Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena.

The San Jose Sharks were the ones who made dramatic changes, scratching Marc-Edouard Vlasic on defense, but that did not work for them; Detroit won 6-2 minus the scratched Filip Zadina. Givani Smith, his replacement, got into a fight the sparked the Wings, and then he got kicked out of the game for a 5-minute major on his fight partner, Jacob Middleton, who left the game, but that shorthanded period of time spurned the Wings to score a pair of shorthanded goals, leading Detroit to a wild and woolly 6-2 victory.

That broke the Wings’ 2-game post-holiday break losing streak, and afforded the Wings some momentum as they go out West to play the Ducks (Thursday), Kings (Saturday) and these same Sharks next Tuesday.

Continue reading Red Wings-Sharks quick take: Shorthanded goals power Wings to first win of 2022

Well-wishes for Mick and Ozzie

Bally Sports Detroit’s John Keating reported on tonight’s pre-game show that Mickey Redmond and Chris Osgood were out “in COVID protocols” for tonight’s game.

Keating reported that both gentlemen are feeling fine, and I’m especially certain that Mickey is double-vaxxed and boosted as he’s over 65 and only has one lung left after his battles with lung cancer, but…

You worry. Here’s hoping that both gentlemen recover quickly and recover to full health.

Monroe: Walleye and ECHL teams adapt to AHL COVID call-ups, Taxi Squads

The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe spoke with ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin regarding the number of AHL call-ups from the ECHL due to both COVID issues and the NHL’s reestablishment of Taxi Squads:

Currently, the Walleye are playing without six of their top 11 scorers, including three of their top five point producers as well as one of their top goaltenders.

“It’s a huge challenge,” Crelin said. “We’ve been hit with a lot of call-ups, and we’re certainly dealing with COVID issues as well. You can’t plan for a lot of this stuff and, when it happens, you have to deal with it. It certainly makes for some difficult situations. But our teams have responded well.”

The most recent hurdle came in the form of the NHL’s decision to reintroduce taxi squads to prevent more virus postponements. More than 200 roster spots opened because of the move with NHL teams drawing players from their AHL affiliates and then those teams dipping down into the rosters of their ECHL affiliates.

Walleye coach Dan Watson is well-prepared to deal with promotions to the organization’s AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids — a common practice in minor league hockey. However, Watson said the unprecedented number of transactions has led to more opportunities.

“We just roll with it,” Watson said. “Guys are getting opportunities that they typically don’t have, and we want to see guys step up. We love to see guys who are in and out of the lineup or who don’t get a ton of ice time — to see what they are all about.”

Continued