“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.”
“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.”
The 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.
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:
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:
The 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.
“A lot of excitement,” said Leddy, who spent the last seven seasons with the Islanders before a July trade brought him to the Red Wings (in exchange for forward Richard Panik and a second-round draft choice).
“For me personally, I’ve played with most of those guys for north of five years. The long playoff runs, some of the tougher years (the Islanders had), and then some of the great years we had together. All those memories and bonds are huge.
“A lot of excitement. (There will) probably have a little nerves out there. I’ve always had great times playing against friends. It’ll be even better playing against some real good friends.”
The strange thing heading into Saturday night is where each team currently sits in the standings, and how, respectively, the seasons have gone.
The Wings are 12-9-3 and have won their last four games. As the schedule curls into December, the Wings have been one of the surprise stories in the NHL.
The Islanders have been too – but for opposite reasons. Entering Saturday’s game, the Islanders were a dismal 5-10-3. But there are likely reasons for the rough start out of the gate.
In the SHL, Albert Johansson finished at +1 with 4 shots in 19:42 played, and Gustav Berglund finished at +1 in 7:34 played as Farjestads BK won 5-0 over Oskarshamn;
