Recap: Griffins drop OT decision to Milwaukee

The Grand Rapids Griffins had a difficult outing on Wednesday evening, dropping a 2-1 overtime decision to the Milwaukee Admirals. The Griffins’ website posted a recap:

Milwaukee Admirals 2 at GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 1 (OT)

Dec. 22, 2021

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins fell in overtime to the Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 on Wednesday at Van Andel Arena in their first game since Dec. 11.

Despite the loss, Turner Elson pushed his goal streak to four games, which is now a career high and the team’s longest goal streak during this year’s campaign. Calvin Pickard made his 12th straight start, the most in his career. Kyle Criscuolo extended his point streak (7-8—15) to eight games with an assist in the contest.

In the opening frame both teams had two power play chances, but neither was able to convert. Milwaukee had the best opportunity during a five-on-three, but Grand Rapids only allowed just one shot in 27 seconds with a two-man disadvantage.

After a scoreless first period, the Griffins got on the board at 13:05 in the middle frame. Criscuolo waited at the left circle and found Elson at the goal crease. Elson then sent a one-timer past the right leg of netminder Devin Cooley, giving Grand Rapids a 1-0 advantage. Elson’s tally was his ninth of the season, tying Criscuolo for the most on the roster.

Early in the third period, the Admirals converted on a power play after a Grand Rapids double-minor penalty. Cole Smith connected with Egor Afanasyev who skated toward goal and put the puck through the legs of Pickard with 12:12 remaining, tying the contest at one.

With time running out in regulation, the game was sent to overtime. A Griffins’ penalty put Milwaukee on the man advantage with a perfect shot to win the game. At 2:03, Rocco Grimaldi took a slapshot from the slot that zipped past Pickard and into the right corner, giving the Admirals a 2-1 overtime victory.

The Griffins also posted a highlight clip and a photo gallery:

AHL announces that the 2022 AHL All-Star Classic will be postponed

Bummer. No AHL All-Star game for the people of Laval, Quebec:

Update regarding the 2022 AHL All-Star Classic

? https://t.co/NhIiQ4Yohr pic.twitter.com/2scD3VAiFf— Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) December 22, 2021

You have to feel for the fans of Laval having this event postponed twice And all fans, really, because it draws people from all over the league.

It’s always a well-done event, and with a facility and a fan base like that, you know Laval will be a great host.— PATRICK WILLIAMS (@pwilliamsAHL) December 22, 2021

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 #AHLAllStar Classic, scheduled for Feb. 6-7 in Laval, will not be held.

En raison de la pandémie de COVID-19, la Classique des étoiles 2022, prévue à Laval les 6 et 7 février, ne pourra avoir lieu.

?: https://t.co/rrIhElqPT2 pic.twitter.com/FjnjYo3YfA— AHL Communications (@AHLPR) December 22, 2021

ESPN’s Shilton, Wyshynski wonder whether Simon Edvinsson might make a non-NHL-participating Swedish Olympic team

ESPN’s Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski posted a list of possible non-NHL Olympic participants for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, and they wonder aloud whether the Swedes might be bold enough to add a star-in-the-making who’s Red Wings property;

Simon Edvinsson, D. The sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft by the Detroit Red Wings, he has 12 points in 21 games with Frölunda HC. But will the Tre Kronor add an 18-year-old?

Continued; if you missed it, SVT posted a great Swedish-language video profile of Edvinsson earlier today.

The NHL and NHLPA announce that the league will not participate in the 2022 Olympics

This is the right, but difficult, thing to do:

NHL announces that there will not be an Olympic break, NHL Players will not be able to participate in 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Full release: https://t.co/GkHDkNgZSo pic.twitter.com/ysBmWctzjw— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 22, 2021

Update: Here’s the PA’s release:

STATEMENT FROM NHLPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DON FEHR ON OLYMPICS

TORONTO (Dec. 22, 2021) – National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) Executive Director Don Fehr issued the following statement today regarding the Olympics:

“Since the CBA extension was reached 17 months ago, NHL players have looked forward with great anticipation to once again participating in the Winter Olympics. Until very recently, we seemed to be on a clear path to go to Beijing. COVID-19 has unfortunately intervened, forcing dozens of games to be postponed this month alone. No matter how much we wish it were not the case, we need to utilize the Olympic period to reschedule these games.

“Certainly, the players and hockey fans are quite disappointed. But playing a full 82-game season this year, something the pandemic has prevented us from doing since the 2018-19 season, is very important. We expect that NHL players will return to the Olympics in 2026.​”

NHL schedule-maker will ask all 32 clubs for updated building dates, particularly for that three-week gap in February. Some buildings had gone ahead and booked non-NHL events like concerts for that period but there’s still some dates to work with. 1/2— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 22, 2021

And it’s not just about re-scheduling postponed games in that three-week period but also moving other games around from teams that actually were not affected yet by cancellations so that those teams have games to play as well during that February period. 2/2— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 22, 2021

Still fundraising

The aunt and I are doing as best as we can, gloom and doom of yet another pandemic Christmas in the offing, this morning. Neither she nor I are feeling particularly festive at this special time of year, but we are trying to be grateful and count our blessings, and the vast majority of our gratefulness comes from the fact that so many of you have stepped up to help us pay off AA’s tax bill so that we can keep living in the blog cave.

The bill is only partially paid, though the majority thereof has been submitted, and I still need to raise funds for a new phone–as well as a broken headlight and broken tail light on the Pacifica–so we’re going to keep fundraising for at least a couple more weeks.

I’d love to not do this at all to you, especially during a year when I know that we’re all feeling our budgetary squeezes, but this is the NPR of hockey blogs, and so you’re going to get some requests to keep TMR up and running on a fairly regular basis. I may not like doing this, but it’s a necessary part of the job.

All of that being said, the aunt and I are incredibly grateful for your help, and it might be the thing that gets us through a tough Christmas of not seeing the family and dealing with the second year and third Christmas without mom. I’m not sure if we’re going to have a “Wonderful Christmastime,” but we’re trying.

If you’re willing to lend a hand, you can use PayPal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com. And you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check.

Bultman discusses World Junior Championship expectations for the Wings’ eight WJC-participating prospects

The Athletic’s Max Bultman filed an article this morning discussing the expectations placed upon the Red Wings’ eight World Junior Championship-participating prospects–Jan Bednar (Czechia), Red Savage and Carter Mazur (USA), Sebastian Cossa and Donovan Sebrango (Canada), Eemil Viro (Finland) and Simon Edvinsson and Theodor Niederbach (Sweden):

Of course, having the most talent in the tournament does not guarantee anything. Especially in a single-elimination tournament, a team is only as good as its goaltender when it counts. And for Canada, there’s a very real chance that goaltender will be Detroit’s other 2021 first-round pick, Sebastian Cossa. Cossa will have to earn the net over Dylan Garand and Brett Brochu first, but if he does, it’s going to be a big opportunity for the Red Wings’ goalie of the future.

Where to set expectations for Cossa is a trick question. Panthers first-round pick Spencer Knight was 2-2 with a .913 save percentage in his draft-plus-one tournament. Predators first-rounder Yaroslav Askarov went 3-3 with a .914. Those seem like the most relevant comps, but both were 18 at the time of those tournaments, whereas Cossa is 19 — meaning despite this being his first World Juniors, it’s also his last. Asking Cossa to be as good as Knight was in his dominant 2021 tournament (when he had a .940 save percentage in six games) would be unfair. But if he’s Canada’s starter, the pressure will nonetheless be real to help the tournament’s best team get the job done.

Continued (paywall)

Tweet of note: Bobby Ryan practicing with Swiss team ahead of Spengler Cup

Via Francesca Fontana on Twitter, former Red Wings forward Bobby Ryan is practicing with Swiss team HC Ambri Piotta ahead of his participation in the Spengler Cup:

I’m not suggesting that the Red Wings sign the guy–he’s too slow–but I wish him all the best at the Spengler Cup, and hope that he finds a way back into the NHL.

Team USA’s World Junior Championship blog: Wings coach Jeff Blashill helps inspire the U.S. team

This note comes from USA Hockey’s World Junior Championship blog, which reports that Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill spoke with the U.S. WJC team on Monday night:

Jeff Blashill, head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, joined the team via Zoom after dinner Monday evening. Blashill, a Michigan native, is no stranger to coaching U.S. teams, coaching six teams as both a head coach and an assistant.

Now in his seventh season as the bench boss for the Red Wings, Blashill’s presence on screen demanded attention. He shared his first memories as a coach, putting on a blue USA Hockey blazer that at the time was mandatory for coaches to wear on the bench. It was his first opportunity to represent his country on the international stage, and something he’ll never forget.

“I’m jealous of you right now, I love wearing those colors.”

Players asked Blashill questions about how to handle the bubble, how to become a good team in international tournament, and what he thinks is important for winning the World Juniors. After the back-and-forth, Blashill shared his final thoughts of advice and encouragement.

One thing was clear: everyone at some point will be asked to lead.

Players slept on the call overnight, and woke up early for morning practice. It was apparent the advice from the call had been well-received. Practice found a new level of intensity, pushing the pace closer to game speed.

Continued