Per the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe:
G Kaden Fulcher has been assigned from Grand Rapids back to the @ToledoWalleye G Victor Brattstrom, who made 18 saves to win last night, was recalled to Grand Rapids.
Walleye rallied for 4-3 overtime win over Wheeling:https://t.co/subx94KKn6 via @toledosports— Mark Monroe (@MonroeBlade) December 5, 2021
The Red Wings posted a 45-second preview of tomorrow’s episode of “The Winged Wheel,” which will focus on the Red Wings’ rookies…
And episode 5 will air here at 10 AM EST on Monday morning:
The Red Wings re-posted an updated version of an NHL.com article by Nicholas J. Cotsonika which discusses the Red Wings’ trio of strong rookie performers in Alex Nedeljkovic, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider:
The Detroit Red Wings have the best rookie forward in the NHL right now. And the best rookie defenseman. And the best rookie goalie.
For a team that has missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past five seasons, nothing brings more excitement in the short term and hope for the long term than the play of Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider and Alex Nedeljkovic.
The three have helped the Red Wings (13-9-3) win five straight after a 4-3 overtime victory against the New York Islanders on Saturday.
“Obviously,” coach Jeff Blashill said, “there’s been a real infusion of talent with those three players.”
Raymond, the No. 4 pick of the 2020 NHL Draft, leads NHL rookies and the Red Wings with 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 25 games. The 19-year-old forward was NHL Rookie of the Month for November, when he led rookies with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 14 games.
Seider, the No. 6 pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, leads NHL rookie defenseman with 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 25 games after scoring in overtime agaimnst the Islanders. The 20-year-old was NHL Rookie of the Month for October, when he led rookies with eight assists and an average ice time of 22:28 in nine games.
The Red Wings are the first team to have different players named Rookie of the Month in consecutive months since center Auston Matthews (December 2016) and forward Mitchell Marner (January 2017) did so with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The word of the day in off-day notebook land is “swagger.” MLive’s Ansar Khan wrote about it, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff talked about the Wings’ belief in each other, which generates “swagger,” and this afternoon, the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted an article which discusses the Red Wings’ self-confidence as embodied by one Moritz Seider:
“He’s a realty talented player,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “Poise, swagger, those things are important on any kind of player that aspires to be an elite player. You have to have swagger and he’s got it. I also think part of the reason he has a belief in himself is he’s got a really good skill-set. He’s been a big piece of the infusion of the talent here and that’s been a big reason we’ve been able to find ways to win games.”
…
“It’s easy to gain confidence if you know your teammates got your back,” Seider said. “Not just one game, every single game. That gives you a little bit more edge against the opponent to try a move or go the extra mile.”
And that word “swagger.” It doesn’t just fit Seider. It’s beginning to describe this entire Wings’ roster, as the points pile up in the standings.
“We have that swagger now and that confidence in our abilities to stick together and win those (close) games somehow,” Seider said.
Some numbers are beginning to stand out. The Wings are 13-9-3. As of Sunday they sat in the No. 1 wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They are 9-2-2 at Little Caesars Arena, a rink that is becoming a formidable home ice advantage. The Wings are 9-0-2 when leading after two periods, and 6-3 in overtime.
“Our guys understand that we have to keep getting better and they’re not satisfied that our game isn’t nearly perfect,” Blashill said. “We need to keep striving for that perfection. But with that said, I do think you can work and can compete yourself past mistakes. We have done that. That’s part of grinding out wins. Part of it is staying with it, part of it is guys stepping up to big moments and we’ve had all those things.”
Continued; if you missed it, the Wings Tweeted out the record that Seider set:
Fun fact of the day! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/IqP8sZXCcP
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 5, 2021
Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff discusses the level of belief in the Red Wings’ locker room this season:
“For the first time in a while here we’ve really bought into playing for each other and doing everything to close games out,” [Dylan] Larkin said.
There are numbers that back up Larkin’s thesis. The Red Wings are 7-1-3 in one-goal games. They’re 6-3 in overtime and 1-0 in the shootout. Detroit is 9-0-2 when leading after two periods and 8-2-2 when scoring first.
“I think we have that swagger now and that confidence in our abilities to stick together and win those games somehow,” rookie defenseman Moritz Seider said.
To a man, the Red Wings insist that so-called swagger is originating from inside a dressing room when players are truly caring for and about each other. There is a strong sense within the group that they are all in this together. That’s always a difficult quality to develop inside a room that’s been immersed in a losing culture for many seasons.
“It’s easy to gain confidence if you know your teammates got your back,” Seider said. “Not just one game. Every single game. That gives you a little bit more edge against the opponent to try a move or go the extra mile.”
MLive’s Ansar Khan filed an early-morning article regarding the Red Wings’ 4-3 overtime win over the New York Islanders last night, with Khan splitting his time between discussing Moritz Seider’s fine play over the Wings’ first 25 games, and Givani Smith’s blossoming of late into a more complete player:
“First of all, I think nobody wants to go to overtime,” Seider said. “We always want to win after 60 minutes, but it’s obviously nice having a little bit more time and a little bit more space. You’re playing against the opponent’s best players. It’s always a treat being out there.”
The rookie defenseman has three goals and 17 points. He also scored in OT in a 4-3 win at Buffalo on Nov. 6.
“He’s a realty talented player, so his skill-set it suited for it,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “Poise, swagger, those things are important on any kind of player that aspires to be an elite player. You got to have swagger and he’s got it. I also think part of the reason he has a belief in himself is he’s got a really good skill-set. He’s been a big piece of the infusion of the talent here and that’s been a big reason we’ve been able to find ways to win games.”
Seider blasted in a one-timer on a pass from Pius Suter.
“I think with Moritz, one of the things we would have said he needed to get better at the past couple of years would be his one-timer,” Blashill said. “He shoots a pretty good wrist shot, but we felt the one-timer is something that definitely needs to get better. And he’s worked at it. That’s what the really good players do, they work and get rewarded. He’s got a good swagger to him, too, a way of rising to the moment. He certainly rose to the moment.”
Khan continues; here are extended game highlights from AWood40:
Of Red Wings prospect-related note on Friday and Saturday:
In the ECHL, the Toledo Walleye won 4-3 in overtime over the Wheeling Nailers on Saturday night. Victor Brattstrom stopped 18 of 21 shots and Seth Barton finished even with 1 shot for Toledo;
In the QMJHL, on Friday: Jan Bednar was the back-up in the Acadie-Bathurst Titan’s 9-1 win over Cape Breton;
Oscar Plandowski sat out the first game of a 4-game suspension as the Charlottetown Islanders won 7-2 over Rouyn-Noranda;
On Saturday, Charlottetown lost 5-4 in overtime to Val-d’Or.
In the OHL, on Friday, Pasquale Zito finished even with 1 shot and a 4-for-8 faceoff record in the Windsor Spitfires’ 7-5 win over Sarnia;
Continue reading Prospect round-up, Friday and Saturday: Walleye win in OT; Cotton posts 1G, 3A in WHL; Mazur posts 1G, 3A in NCAAThe Grand Rapids Griffins had a rough outing on Friday night vs. the Rockford IceHogs. Kyle Criscuolo scored the only goal in a 4-1 loss during the Griffins’ special “Red Kettle” game, but the Griffins rebounded in fine fashion on Saturday night.
Criscuolo scored the game’s first goal for the second consecutive night, but instead of giving up 4 goals to the opponent, Grand Rapids kept coming, with Brian Lashoff, Dennis Yan and Mike Murphy scoring, and Jonatan Berggren salted away the game en route to a 6-2 win over Rockford on Saturday.
Here’s the Griffins website’s recap:
Rockford IceHogs 2 at GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 6
Dec. 4, 2021
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins’ five-goal first period helped defeat the Rockford IceHogs 6-2 on Saturday at Van Andel Arena, as six different Griffins scored in the effort during Country Night.
The Griffins completely controlled the opening frame, recording the most goals (5) in a period this season, beating their previous record of three during the third period against Milwaukee on Nov. 24.
An early Rockford penalty allowed Grand Rapids to convert on its first power play chance of the night. At 3:30, Ryan Murphy took a shot toward net, but missed wide left. The puck bounced off the back boards to Kyle Criscuolo at the goal mouth and he scored the tap-in. Criscuolo’s eight goals now pace the roster while his six-game point streak (6-6—12) is tied for the longest this season for the Griffins.
Twenty-six seconds later, Grand Rapids scored again when Dan Renouf found Brian Lashoff, who stood near the blue line and fired a laser into the net, giving the Griffins a 2-0 lead.
With 12:52 remaining, Turner Elson skated down on a 2-on-1 break and took an initial shot that was saved by Collin Delia. Dennis Yan then came right behind to gather the rebound and put the puck through the legs of the netminder.
At 9:56 in the first, Dominik Shine stole the puck from the defense and skated out on a one-on-one chance. Shine made a nifty move through the defenders’ legs, then worked Delia at the right post for his fourth goal of the season.
After allowing four goals in the opening 10 minutes, Delia was pulled and Cale Morris made his season debut for Rockford.
As time was winding down with 1:09 left in the first, Murphy was by himself when he gathered the loose puck down in the Rockford zone and put the biscuit around goaltender.
After five unanswered goals, the IceHogs finally got on the scoreboard in the second. At 5:32, Carson Gicewicz skated out on a breakaway and beat Calvin Pickard at the left post.
With 1:40 remaining in the middle frame, Alexander Nylander stood at the high slot and sent a rocket into the net, cutting the Rockford deficit to three.
In the final 35 seconds of the period, Criscuolo connected with Jonatan Berggren at the goal crease, and he sent the puck past the right leg of Morris.
A defensive third period by Grand Rapids shut the IceHogs out, giving the Griffins a 6-2 victory.
The Griffins also posted a highlight clip, an interview clip, and a photo gallery:
The Detroit Red Wings earned their 5th straight victory in the form of a 4-3 overtime decision over the plucky New York Islanders on Saturday night.
As Mickey Redmond noted, the Islanders did a pretty darn stellar job of checking the snot out of the Fabbri-Larkin-Raymond and Veleno-Suter-Zadina lines, so the Red Wings had to resort to goals from their defense (Hronek and Seider) and depth players (Smith and Gagner) to win a game that the Islanders made far too interesting for its own good…
But Nedeljkovic was up to the challenge of stopping 20 of 23 very difficult Islanders shots, the Red Wings blocked 20 more Islanders attempts, and when the Wings blew their 3-2 3rd period lead, Moritz Seider did this in overtime:
Given that the Red Wings have played in 25 games already (among the most in the NHL), and given that the Red Wings are at least technically making a playoff push, this was the kind of win that sometimes one must grind out over a team that’s struggling (the Islanders are 0-8-and-2 of late; they play Detroit two more times this month, too) to bank away the 2 points you want to earn.
For our friends from Long Island, there was still improvement to be seen in forcing an opponent to overtime for consecutive games, as they told Newsday’s Andrew Gross:
Continue reading Red Wings-Islanders wrap-up: Wings work their way out of a ‘trap game’ via Seider’s OT magicThe Detroit Red Wings attempted to extend their winning streak to 5 games against the struggling New York Islanders on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena.
The Islanders came into Saturday night’s game on an 0-8-and-1 slide, but they received several lineup reinforcements for Saturday’s game.
Detroit nearly fell into the Islanders’ trap repeatedly–surrendering an early shorthanded goal, affording the Islanders 2-2 and 3-3 ties, and a regulation point as well…
But Givani Smith scored a goal and added an assist, Filip Hronek and Sam Gagner registered pretty markers, and Moritz Seider put on a f***ing clinic in overtime with his game-robbery goal on Sorokin.
Are you kidding me?! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/jpPayJTYDy— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 5, 2021
So Detroit won their 5th straight game and advanced to 9-2-and-2 at home in Game 25.
Continue reading Red Wings-Islanders quick take: Wings avoid the Islanders’ trap thanks to OT Seider