The Malik Report

Per DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter:

Red Wings set to host Hockey Fights Cancer Night on Saturday

Wings continue annual NHL initiative founded in 1998 to raise money and awareness for hockey’s most important fight

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings are proud to once again team up with the American Cancer Society for Hockey Fights Cancer Night on Saturday as the organizations join forces to shine a light on cancer awareness and raise money for research, in partnership with Comerica Bank.

To join the fight against this dreaded disease in which one in three people will be diagnosed in their lifetime, the Red Wings are hosting several initiatives before, during and after Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres at Little Caesars Arena.

“We’re once again asking Red Wings fans to rally together for everyone affected by cancer in our community and beyond,” Red Wings and Tigers director of community impact Kevin Brown said. “Through generous support from Comerica Bank, as well as proceeds from several in-arena initiatives, we’re raising awareness and pushing one step closer to finding a cure to defeat this awful disease.”

Saturday’s Hockey Fights Cancer initiatives will begin during pregame warmups when Red Wings players will proudly sport lavender jerseys and lavender-taped sticks on the ice, which will immediately be autographed and auctioned off until Saturday, Dec. 4 at DetroitRedWings.com/Auction.

Continue reading Press release: Red Wings to hold Hockey Fights Cancer night on Saturday

This is damn impressive:

Not bad, Lucas. ? pic.twitter.com/4tDwoFP5MI— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 26, 2021

The Detroit Red Wings practiced at Little Caesars Arena on Friday, preparing for Saturday’s game vs. Buffalo, and while Danny DeKeyser remains in COVID protocol, coach Jeff Blashill told the media that Joe Veleno (upper-body) and Marc Staal (non-COVID illness) are at least “questionable” to play in Saturday’s game (7 PM EST start on Bally Sports Detroit/MSG-B/97.1 FM).

The Red Wings posted a video of coach Blashill’s remarks to the media…

As well as a clip of comments from Adam Erne:

The Detroit Red Wings practiced without Danny DeKeyser (COVID protocol) and Joe Veleno (???) but with Marc Staal (non-COVID related illness) on Friday at the Belfor Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena, and, ahead of Saturday’s home game vs. Buffalo (7 PM on Bally Sports Detroit/MSG-B/97.1 FM).

After Friday’s practice, coach Jeff Blashill spoke with the media…

Coach Blashill says Joe Veleno is day to day, questionable for tomorrow. #LGRW @DetroitRedWings— Carley Johnston (@carleykjohnston) November 26, 2021

Marc Staal practiced today, but Blashill says he’s questionable for tomorrow after he was out with a non-Covid related illness. #LGRW @DetroitRedWings— Carley Johnston (@carleykjohnston) November 26, 2021

Joe Veleno (upper body) is day-to-day, questionable for tomorrow, per Jeff Blashill.— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 26, 2021

Blashill said Veleno (upper body injury) day to day, out tomorrow. Not sure if Staal will be ready for tomorrow. Planning on giving Smith a look on Suter-Fabbri line because of his size and net-front ability. #RedWings— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) November 26, 2021

MLive’s Ansar Khan was the first Red Wings scribe to weigh in from Friday’s Wings practice at the Belfor Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena:

#RedWings on ice for practice before tomorrow’s game vs. Buffalo and LCA. Staal is back after missing three games. DeKeyser (COVID protocol) and Veleno (upper body injury) not skating. pic.twitter.com/YdfFDdSSRO— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) November 26, 2021

The Wings host Buffalo tomorrow night at 7 PM EST (on Bally Sports Detroit/MSG-B/97.1 FM), and the Sabres are hosting the Montreal Canadiens in Buffalo tonight, so, in theory, anyway, the 9-9-and-3 Wings will be able to pounce upon the 7-10-and-2 Sabres.

Marc Staal back on the ice with the boys.

Veleno (upper body) and DeKeyser (COVID protocol) not practicing. pic.twitter.com/vbT4Kb7nMQ— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 26, 2021

#RedWings lines at practice:
Bertuzzi-Larkin-Raymond
Fabbri-Suter-Smith
Namestnikov-Rasmussen-Erne
Gagner-Rowney-Zadina
Notable that Smith and Zadina switched spots, at least for start of practice.
They’ve been rotating the seven healthy defensemen, using various pairs. pic.twitter.com/isO2QFb9dQ— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) November 26, 2021

#RedWings power play units:
1. Bertuzzi (net front), Fabbri (bumper), Larkin-Raymond (flanks), Seider (point).
2. Erne (net front), Suter (bumper), Hronek-Zadina (flanks), Leddy (point).
Wings no power plays first time this season Wednesday vs. STL, 7 in 6 games, 13 for opponents pic.twitter.com/fpQZ0GNrev— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) November 26, 2021

It must be the day after Thanksgiving, because The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn and Sean Gentille are back with their weekly power rankings list, full of smarm, sarcasm and witty banter, and this week Luszczyszyn says…Something nice about the Red Wings?

25. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 9-9-3
Last Week: 25
Dom rank: 24
Sean rank: 26

What should this team be thankful for? Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider look like draft-day steals to numb the pain of their low lottery luck.

Dom: I don’t know if the Red Wings have enough depth to really take a leap, but the emergence of Raymond and Seider to start the season means the team is a lot closer than they appeared to be before the season. Their underlying numbers are slightly above average, the goaltending is good enough to steal games and they have one of most electrifying top lines in the league. Add a true number one defender to the mix as Seider is working his way towards and a path forward starts looking a lot clearer for Detroit. It may not be much, but compared to other rebuilds around the league that are struggling to get off the ground it looks very promising. The 2017-18 Avalanche and 2016-17 Leafs are the blueprint here and while Detroit may be a bit off from that, even being in the same breath is a step in the right direction.

Continued (paywall);

I don’t know whether the Red Wings have the depth to “take a step” yet, either, but I do know that the team appears likely to hit on a couple more draft picks before all is said and done, and that’s going to tell the tale for the course and duration of the Wings’ rebuilding effort under GM Steve Yzerman.

The Athletic’s Max Bultman spoke with several Red Wings players regarding their difficult searches for the flavors of home this morning, and, as you might expect, it’s not as easy as going to IKEA for the Wings’ Swedes…Though IKEA helps…

Gustav Lindstrom is in his third pro hockey season in North America. He left his native Sweden to come stateside in 2019, and by all hockey measures, he’s making the adjustment quite well — slowly but surely working his way into becoming a regular in the Red Wings lineup.

But Lindstrom is still just 23, and still a long way from home. And one of the places that distance can become most obvious is at the dinner table.

“Doesn’t matter what you eat, really, but it feels like the taste is like, different,” Lindstrom said recently. “It’s kind of (the) same food, but it still tastes a little different.”

He’s not alone in this. Hockey is a global game, and the NHL is made up of players from all around the world. The Red Wings alone have nine Europeans on the roster.

So when Swiss-born Pius Suter was told after a recent practice about Lindstrom’s experience with the different flavors in his new home, Suter was quick with a quip.

“He go to Ikea?” Suter laughed.

Continued (paywall); this is a fun one.

The Toronto Star’s Chris Johnston posted a column this morning which discusses his NHL Awards favorites at the “Quarter Pole” of the season. I know that we already know around here that Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider are going to be finalists for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie, but it’s sure nice to read other people from other media markets saying so:

Calder Trophy: Lucas Raymond Detroit

You can’t ignore a teenager who puts up 20 points in his first 21 NHL games, especially with most of that production coming at even strength. Raymond’s closest Calder competition comes from teammate Moritz Seider, who is playing more than 22 minutes per game on the Detroit blue line. It’s been a bleak couple of seasons for Steve Yzerman’s team, but the future is now.

Continued; at this point, “hope is a good thing” in Detroit. A really refreshing thing.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James focuses on Alex Nedeljkovic’s steady play in the Red Wings’ crease this morning

Nedeljkovic made 35 saves total against the Blues, improving his season numbers to a 2.76 goals-against average and .917 save percentage. He and Thomas Greiss (3.41 GAA, .901 save percentage) have taken turns starting games, and are key reasons the Wings sit at 9-9-3.

“It’s hard to win in this league without good goaltending,” Blashill said. “The reality is you need to need have upper-level goaltending to win, and we’re certainly in that boat. We don’t want to give up the number of chances we’ve given up over the last little bit, so we’ve got to get better in that area to help them maintain their steady play, but then ultimately then they’ve got to do their job and continue to play at that level.”

Improving team defense has been a focal point, but the Wings needed Nedeljkovic to bail them out especially the last 20 minutes against the Blues. Like every goaltender, Nedeljkovic said he wants to give his teammates “the confidence to play with some swagger, knowing that if something slips up, I’ll able to make the save for them.

“As a group we’ve gotten better at being more consistent. Chemistry is there, everybody is comfortable with each other. Just some nights, we’re having too many miscues and we’re not as consistent as we’d like to be. Coming into December, we’ve got to tighten up and really start to hunker down.”

Continued…

I never quite know what to do with the Toledo Walleye as they have exactly one Red Wings prospect right now in goaltender Victor Brattstrom, who’s the back-up behind Billy Christopoulos this season, but for completeness’ sake:

Toledo won a 3-2 overtime decision vs. the Fort Wayne Komets on Thursday, with Christopoulos stopping 33 shots. The Walleye’s website posted a recap:

TJ Hensick netted two goals in regulation, Billy Christopoulos made a season-best 34 saves, and Josh Dickinson saved the day with a game winner as the Toledo Walleye defeated the Fort Wayne Komets for their first overtime victory of the year.

The Walleye’s Thanksgiving victory in Fort Wayne marked the Fish’s fourth win in the last five games. Toledo leapfrogged the Komets in the Central Division standings with the win to take control of the division lead with a 9-5-0 record.

Continued; the Walleye will wrap up a stretch of 3 games in 3 nights tomorrow at home vs. the Indy Fuel.