The Malik Report

The Detroit Red Wings hoped to get back on a regular winning track by defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in the second half of a back-to-back set of games.

With Dylan Larkin back in the lineup…

Detroit sure as shit played with fire on Sunday, but the Red Wings roared out to an early lead, generating 3 first-period goals from Lucas Raymond, Robby Fabbri and Pius Suter (going 2-for-2 on the PP); Vladislav Namestnikov scored an unlikely second-period marker to afford Detroit a 4-1 lead, and while Vegas made it 4-2 in the 3rd–and peppered Thomas Greiss with 20 3rd period shots–Detroit held on for a 5-2 victory, punctuated by a Tyler Bertuzzi empty-netter.

Thomas Greiss stopped 38 of 40 shots, and Vegas had THIRTY more attempts thanks to a 3rd period in which Vegas, which, like Detroit, had played 2 games in 2 nights, 3 in 4 and 4 in 6 total–both teams were mentally tired–Detroit held on, and they learned the hard way what not to do in the 3rd period when they face Edmonton on Tuesday.

Continue reading Red Wings-Golden Knights quick take: Wings race out to 3-1 lead, play with fire in the 3rd, win 5-2

Per the Red Wings on Twitter:

UPDATE: The Detroit #RedWings today assigned center Joe Veleno to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

Additionally, the Red Wings activated defenseman Gustav Lindstrom from injured reserve. pic.twitter.com/hCvLBi8UKF— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 7, 2021

Update: This is why:

Dylan Larkin takes the ice for the Red Wings in warm up— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) November 7, 2021

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a notebook article in which he discusses the performances of Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond:

Raymond, 19, assisted on three Wings goals, helping him extend his NHL rookie lead to 13 points (five goals, eight assists). The five goals tie San Jose’s Jonathan Dahlen for the rookie lead. Seider, 20, is second to Raymond with 10 points. Seider’s nine assists leads all rookies.

The two players have shown they’re ready for the NHL from the first puck drop this season.

“It’s a really hard league to be good on a night-to-night basis — they’ve been pretty good on a night-to-night basis,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “(Raymond) really dug in in the third (period). That line (with Tyler Bertuzzi, Pius Suter) was excellent as we got going. Moritz plays big minutes. I didn’t think he’d played as good through parts of the game, but when the game was on the line in the third, he was really good.”

As good as Seider was Saturday, Raymond’s contributions were just as important. Raymond’s playmaking ability has been a pleasant development for the Wings, who are in need of offense.

“There’s a reason he (Raymond) was drafted that high,” Seider said of Raymond, the fourth overall pick in 2020 by the Wings. “He’s showing what he’s got. We know what his abilities are in the locker room. He’s just doing his job but he’s doing it phenomenally.”

Continued

DetroitRedWings.com’s Daniella Bruce and 97.1 the Ticket’s Ken Kal previewed tonight’s game between Detroit and Vegas:

I spent my “extra hour” of time as Daylight Saving Time shifted back to Eastern Standard Time here in Michigan writing a fairly comprehensive Red Wings-Golden Knights preview ahead of tonight’s game between the two teams (6 PM EST start on Bally Sports Detroit/ATT Sportsnet Rocky Mountain/97.1 FM).

This morning, in lieu of a morning skate (Detroit won for the first time in 5 tries last night, defeating Buffalo 4-3 in overtime; Vegas won for the 5th time in 6 last night, defeating Montreal 5-2), both teams’ websites have posted their own game previews.

VegasGoldenKnights.com’s Gordon Weigers sets up tonight’s game as follows:

Continue reading VGK, Wings’ websites preview tonight’s game between Vegas and Detroit

We knew this was going to happen, and it has come to pass.

Former Red Wings coach Mike Babcock is currently coaching the University of Lethbridge in Lethbridge, Alberta this season, and Sportsnet sent David Singh (with whom I have no beef) to check in on Babcock as he attempts to rehabilitate his reputation by re-starting his coaching career as a volunteer coach for Lethbridge

Babcock, who spent last spring analyzing playoff games on NBCSN, has of course “fallen from grace” after the Toronto Maple Leafs fired him more for not getting results and being the hire of former GM Lou Lamoriello instead of current GM Kyle Dubas much, much more than the Leafs fired Babcock for demeaning Toronto’s players.

By now, you already know that (during the period of time when I was busy managing my mom’s estate right after her death, and was away from the blog), Johan Franzen accused Babcock of bullying the crap out of him repeatedly. The fact that Ken Holland apparently told the Wings’ players that they could ask for a trade if they didn’t like Babcock’s tactics (and rumor has it that more than a few of them were pissed off during Babcock’s final years behind the Wings’ bench) doesn’t help…

But the bottom line here is that you and I both know that, long before Babcock’s 8-year, $50 million contract with the Maple Leafs ends in 2023, he’s going to earn a spot coaching in the NHL again.

So we come to the part of this story where I quote Sportsnet’s Singh’s article:

Continue reading The Mike Babcock rehabilitation tour continues

Subsequent to scoring the overtime winner in yesterday night’s 4-3 win over Buffalo, Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider spoke with the media for six-and-a-half minutes, and WXYZ’s Brad Galli is the only person to have posted the entirety of Seider’s press conference…

If you missed it, Sportsnet posted Seider’s goal…and omitted the part of the MSG Buffalo coverage where Marty Biron complained (perhaps somewhat legitimately) that the Red Wings had too many men on the ice just before the goal…

And the Red Wings posted a trio of Tweets of historical note this morning:

Moritz Seider became the second player – and first defenseman – in @DetroitRedWings history to score his first career goal in overtime, joining Mud Bruneteau (Dec. 14, 1935).#NHLStats: https://t.co/nRsXGZgCRQ https://t.co/Fd5fHsdNb5— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 7, 2021

Tyler Bertuzzi (2-2—4) recorded his second four-point game with the @DetroitRedWings this season (also 4-0—4 on Oct. 14 vs. TBL). He Leon Draisaitl (2) as the second player with multiple such performances in 2021-22. #NHLStats: https://t.co/nRsXGZgCRQ https://t.co/QtzCuVolZF— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 7, 2021

Lucas Raymond collected three assists as the @DetroitRedWings rallied in Buffalo.#NHLStats: https://t.co/nRsXGZgCRQ pic.twitter.com/kqhx3p92hO— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 7, 2021

It’s only 12 games in, but Seider and Raymond have proven that they’re special players…And, for better or worse, Bertuzzi is the “Straw that Stirs the Drink” for the Red Wings. They need him in Canada is all I’m sayin.’

Red Wings prospect Theodor Niederbach won’t be playing in the Four Nations Cup with the Swedish World Junior Championship team due to an unfortunate hit suffered in yesterday’s Frolunda HC-Skelleftea AIK game…

Theodor Niederbach left today’s game early and did not return after these hard-to-watch scenes. pic.twitter.com/bOMbqyJ7ao

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) November 6, 2021

And Niederbach spoke with Hockeysverige.se’s Leo Buttafuoco Ohlsson regarding the incident. What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:

Niederbach on the hit: “I remember everything”

Theodor Niederbach suffered a hit in the game against Skelleftea AIK yesterday, and he had to be carried from the ice while bleeding. This morning, the Junior Crowns announced that the 19-year-old will miss the last preparatory tournament before the World Junior Championship. Now he tells Hockeysverige.se about the hit, the injury and the offer.

“It is of course very boring and I had looked forward to taking a turn and playing with the national team,” he says.

During this season, Theodor Niederbach has broken into the SHL, and come to play in all of Frolunda’s games. Yesterday, he had an accident where he was hit and fell with his head hitting the ice. The blow was bad and the 19-year-old was helped off the ice after he tried to stand up on his own, and fell.

Despite the nasty pictures, Niederbach feels better than he himself had expected.

“It’s good considering the circumstances, and so on. I’m a little sore in my eyebrow area and have a slight headache, but otherwise it’s okay,” he says to Hockeysverige.se.

Continue reading Roughly translated: Theodor Niederbach speaks with Hockeysverige.se

Red Wings prospect Theodor Niederbach took a hard (but legal) hit on Saturday while playing for Frolunda HC, as illustrated by IceHockeyGifs on Twitter…

Theodor Niederbach left today’s game early and did not return after these hard-to-watch scenes. pic.twitter.com/bOMbqyJ7ao

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) November 6, 2021

This morning, Rakapuckar.com’s Henrik Lehman reports that Niederbach won’t take part in the Four Nations Cup as a result of his injury, and Simon Edvinsson (supposedly ill; some people believe he has a concussion) is iffy for the final pre-World Junior Championship warm-up for Team Sweden as well:

The message that Theodor Niederbach will not play for the junior national team next week came from the Swedish Ice Hockey Association today. Simon Edvinsson’s health will determine whether he goes to Angelholm [for training camp ahead of the tournament from November 12-14] or not. I maintain that a little mental rest for the 18-year-old wouldn’t hurt.

a) Frolunda has won 3 games without him;

b) But Frolunda’s offense has been worse without him.

Lehman is referring to the pause in SHL play between today and November 18th, which takes place in part because the Karjala Cup (for the men’s national team team) and the Four Nations Cup (for the national junior team) take place from November 10th-14th.

Update: For the record, I opened Rakapuckar.com and translated what Mr. Lehman had on his website long before I opened up Twitter to see this from Red Wings Prospects:

Niederbach won’t play at next weekend’s U20 tournament following his injury. Edvinsson is still on the roster but hasn’t yet returned to play with Frölunda, so Wallinder could end up being the only Red Wing on that team. https://t.co/jU0Q8uKQA6— Red Wings Prospects (@DRWProspects) November 7, 2021

Sometimes different sources find the same news on their own. If I find something from Red Wings Prospects, I make sure to cite him (it’s a him).

The Detroit Red Wings rallied from a 3-1 third period deficit to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in overtime last night, and the Wings headed home from their 4-game road trip to host the Vegas Golden Knights this evening (6 PM EST on Bally Sports Detroit/ATT Sportsnet Rocky Mountain/97.1 FM).

Vegas has won 5 of its past 6 games, and they most recently defeated Montreal 5-2 on Saturday night.

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. AWood40 posted a 14-and-a-half-minute long highlight clip of last night’s game:

2. The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a subscriber-only article chronicling the Wings’ win over Buffalo, noting that Moritz Seider spoke of relief regarding his team winning (as they continue to play 11 times in 17 nights) instead of patting himself on the back for scoring his first NHL goal:

Continue reading Morning news: Highlights + HSJ and Khan in the morning: Mo’s better, dudes