Via A2Y: The Hockey News names Larkin a 3 Star selection

Via Paul Kukla of Abel to Yzerman comes praise for Dylan Larkin as a “star of the weekend” from the Hockey News’s Adam Proteau:

1. Dylan Larkin, Detroit: Larkin and his Red Wings played three games this week, and Detroit’s captain amassed five goals – including his first career hat trick, scored Saturday against the New Jersey Devils – and seven points as the Wings won two of those games. The 25-year-old Larkin is on pace to score 40 goals and 77 points – and that would be career-bests in both categories (his current goals record is 32 goals, and his current points record is 73 points, with both marks set in the 2018-19 season).

Larkin averaged approximately 20 minutes of ice time this week, a sign Wings head coach Jeff Blashill trusts him to back up his desire to win by playing responsibly at both ends of the ice. In 27 games this season, Larkin has 15 goals and 29 points. Last season, in 44 games, he scored nine goals and 23 points. That ought to tell you how well Larkin has played, and why the Red Wings are technically in fourth place in the Atlantic Division. Yes, the fifth-place Boston Bruins are just three standings points behind Detroit, and they have a whopping five games in hand on the Wings. But after many years of disappointing team results, Larkin seems set to help push Detroit back into post-season contention.

The Red Wings probably won’t make the playoffs, but it’s sure nice for the team to feel even remotely relevant again.

Relief

The Detroit Red Wings were shut down by the NHL this afternoon, after Sam Gagner, Pius Suter, Joe Veleno and assistant coach Jeff Weintraub joined coach Jeff Blashill, assistant coach Alex Tanguay, Robby Fabbri, Alex Nedeljkovic, Michael Rasmussen, Carter Rowney, Givani Smith and Filip Zadina in COVID protocols.

The Red Wings’ Monday night game vs. Colorado was already to be rescheduled due to the Avs’ COVID outbreak, and now, the Wings won’t play the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul on Thursday, providing less risk to a team scheduled to host a Winter Classic on January 1st.

I’m not “happy” about this news, but I am relieved, significantly so, at the fact that a team which has 9 players and 3 coaches dealing with breakthrough COVID infections will be given time to recover from their illnesses.

This is a vicious virus, and in an environment where players are breathing hard because of exertion, sweating, drinking, spitting, bleeding, showering, eating, drinking, and generally spending extended periods of time in close contact, that’s a paradise for a virus spread by respiratory droplets.

Once half the team and the coach and assistant coaches are in protocol, the NHL and NHLPA had no choice but to act, a year after forcing the Red Wings to battle through one of the NHL’s first COVID outbreaks, and here’s wishing everyone involved a return to health over the course of the Christmas holiday.

Prospect Round-up: Eliasson wins again; Walleye win 2nd OT game

Of Red Wings prospect-related note:

In the Swedish HockeyEttan, Jesper Eliasson stopped 21 of 24 shots in Vasby IK’s 5-3 win over Hanvikens SK;

In the ECHL, Billy Christopoulos stopped 30 shots and Randy Gazzola scored an OT goal to give Toledo a 2-1 overtime victory over Greenville;

And in the WHL, Alex Cotton finished at -1 with 4 shots and a minor penalty taken in the Vancouver Giants’ 6-5 loss to Tri-City.

Duff: Raymond’s wowing the Wings despite his age

Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond managed to battle his way into a roster spot with Detroit in no small part due to Jakub Vrana’s shoulder injury which required surgery during training camp, but since then, he’s been absolutely dominant, as Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes:

Detroit Red Wings rookie left-winger Lucas Raymond keeps on putting his name up there in exclusive company among NHL first-year players.

The teenage sensation is doing so again. With 28 points through his first 31 NHL games, Raymond, 19, has accumulated the fourth-most points by a first-year teen-aged winger in NHL history.

Only Hartford Whalers left-winger Sylvain Turgeon (29 points in 1983-84), Chicago Blackhawks right-winger Patrick Kane (31 points in 2007-08), and Toronto Maple Leafs left-winger Gaye Stewart (37 points in 1942-43) were producing at a pace better than Raymond through their first 31 NHL games.

The Red Wings brass was quite confident that defenseman Moritz Seider, the club’s 2019 top draft pick, would be able to step right into a significant role as an NHL rookie this season. They readily admit that they didn’t forsee that also happening with 2020 top draftee Raymond.

“Moritz was playing 20 minutes a night in Rogle last season, so our thought was that he would be ready to play in the NHL at the start of the season,” Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman explained. “With Lucas, (it was) a little bit different because he didn’t play a big role in Frolunda, and he got injured and missed a lot of time at the end of the season.

“Going into the year, we weren’t really sure what to expect from Lucas. We didn’t want to rule him out from playing but truthfully, we kinda thought he was probably going to take some time in the American Hockey League, just based on what we saw last year.”

Continued

I took a nap, and the Red Wings have been shut down through Christmas

Well, this was not a shock:

RED WINGS SHUT DOWN THROUGH THE HOLIDAY BREAK

NEW YORK (Dec. 19, 2021) – The National Hockey League announced today that due to concern with the number of positive cases within the last several days, as well continued COVID spread, the Detroit Red Wings’ games will be postponed at least through the scheduled completion of the League’s Holiday Break in the schedule on Dec. 26. The decision was made by the NHL’s, the NHLPA’s and the Club medical groups.

A decision on when the Red Wings’ training facilities will re-open will be made by the League and the NHLPA in the coming days. The League is in the process of reviewing and revising the Red Wings’ regular season schedule. Red Wings’ postponed games include, tomorrow vs. Colorado (previously postponed) plus Thursday’s game at Minnesota.

The Red Wings have followed, and will continue to follow, all recommended guidelines aimed at protecting the health and safety of their Players, staff and community at large as set by the NHL, local, state and federal agencies.

May the team get healthy again.

Sportsnet’s Brazeau: Hanas discusses his Zegras-like pass from last night

If you missed it, Red Wings prospect Cross Hanas jabbed a Trevor Zegras-like pass over and in front of the net last night in the Portland Winterhawks’ 4-1 win over Spokane, with teammate James Stefan jabbing home a hell of a goal:

And, via Sportsnet’s Jonathan Brazeau, Hanas spoke with the WHL regarding his feat:

Hanas, who is a Detroit Red Wings prospect, seems to have a flair for creativity by having already scored the “Michigan” goal and now has added another to his repertoire.

The 19-year-old Hanas pulled a Zegras during the third period against the Spokane Chiefs on Saturday night. James Stefan was the lucky recipient of the alley-oop pass and connected with the puck mid-air to extend the Winterhawks’ lead to 4-1.

Hanas earned his team-leading 19th assist on the play.

“It’s something that’s come about here in recent weeks with Zegras doing it and stuff,” Hanas said in an interview posted to the team’s Twitter account. “Obviously, as a hockey player, every hockey player sees that stuff and is like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s unreal.’

“I was just behind the net and the D weren’t really pressuring me. … Me and Stef talked about it in intermission because we had another chance in the second. We didn’t pull it but we talked about it. Then I had another chance in the third to do it and that’s all about hockey. You kind of take risks, see what happens and I picked it up and took the risk.

“Stef, thankfully, batted it out, or else I would have looked a little stupid but it was awesome that he got that in. We got that goal together, it was pretty awesome.”

Tweet of note: Seider shows us Mo moves at the offensive zone blueline

Of Twitter-related Red Wings note this morning: IceHockeyGifs spotlights Moritz Seider’s offensive contribution to last night’s 5-2 Detroit win over the New Jersey Devils:

This play really encapsulates Moritz Seider; the defensive anticipation, the patience and poise to avoid the offside, and the skill to make the play under pressure. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/L65WCmprZn— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) December 19, 2021

HSJ in the morning: a little more about Larkin’s hat trick

The Free Press’s Helene St. James joins the chorus of scribes who are praising Dylan Larkin for scoring a hat trick in last night’s 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils:

Dylan Larkin celebrated with his Detroit Red Wings teammates and thought of his grandmothers as he savored his first hat trick. 

Fans at Little Caesars Arena Saturday tossed dozens of hats onto the ice when Larkin’s third goal went in, late in the second period of the 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Larkin rushed up ice on a breakaway, put the puck on his forehand and slipped the puck over Akira Schmid’s right pad. Larkin has had two-goal nights, but it took until midway through his seventh season to get the third one.

“It did feel good,” Larkin said. “I had never had one, and I think about my nana, she’d always give me $5 every goal. Like most proud nanas do, they’re always like, will you score a hat trick — just do it. I’m always like, ‘Nana, it’s kind of hard.’ This one is definitely for my nana, and my grandma.”

Continued with quite a bit of COVID talk…

Three goalies ‘chirping’

TSN’s Mark Masters sat down for a round-table discussion with Sebastian Cossa, Dylan Garand and Brett Brochu, the three goaltenders vying to be Team Canada’s #1 netminder at the World Junior Championship. Things got “chirpy” quick:

TSN: You guys often get asked to describe yourself as a goalie so I’ll do it a little different this time. Brett, what stands out about Sebastian? 

Brochu: “He plays really well to his strengths. He’s got good size [6-foot-7] and really good movement for a big guy. So, it’s impressive to watch. You don’t see many guys like him that have that good of crease control. It’s pretty impressive.” 

TSN: Sebastian, what’s the scouting report on Dylan? 

Cossa: “He’s smiling. I got to compliment this guy now, eh? He’s going to love this. He’s 6-foot-1 and he moves very well. Tracks the puck very well. Really good hands. He’s got a good glove. He skates well and places himself at the top of his crease and isn’t leaky, doesn’t let anything through him, really.”

TSN: Dylan, your thoughts on Brett? 

Garand: “He works hard in there and competes hard and doesn’t give up on a puck. He’s got good skating ability and ability to move and stuff like that. He doesn’t give a bunch of rebounds out. Pretty solid, all-around game and pretty fun to watch him in practice and games.”

TSN: Anyone want to add anything? 

Garand: “No, I’m just glad I didn’t have to do Cossa (smile).”

Continued