The 9-8-and-3 Detroit Red Wings face the 11-and-7 Boston Bruins this evening (7 PM EST start on Bally Sports Detroit/NESN/Sportsnet West/Sportsnet Pacific/97.1 FM).

Detroit is looking to both snap a 4-game road losing streak and attempting to win in a TD Garden where the team is, per Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff, 1-11-and-2 since Game 2 of the first round of the 2014 playoffs.

Boston will be kind of busy this morning as the Bruins won’t have the suspended Brad Marchand for the next 3 games, and Jake DeBrusk has asked for a trade. There’s also this sticky wicket as Linus Ullmark’s scheduled to start tonight:

Tuukka Rask is back on the ice at Warrior again this morning.— Amalie Benjamin (@AmalieBenjamin) November 30, 2021

Rask is unsigned, but it’s assumed that he’ll sign with the Bruins around the Olympic Break, when his hip fully recovers from surgery.

There were a bunch of storylines regarding Monday’s practice at Little Caesars Arena, too, but we never got an answer as to why Kyle Criscuolo was recalled from Grand Rapids, and hopefully we’ll find out why during the Wings’ morning skate.

The Wings do host Seattle tomorrow night at home (7:30 PM EST start on Bally Sports Detroit/ROOT Northwest/97.1 FM), so Criscuolo could be needed in case there are some players who are banged up.

97.1 the Ticket’s Ken Kal was actually the first person to say, “Hello” from the TD Garden…

Continue reading Red Wings-Bruins morning skate Tweets: Boston’s in flux (Marchand, DeBrusk, Cassidy); Wings without DeKeyser →

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen posted “Six Facts You May Have Missed” about the Red Wings. Among them:

Tyler Bertuzzi Slumping: Detroit fans were over the moon about Bertuzzi’s start. It was memorable. But he hasn’t been the same player lately. He has gone nine games without a goal. He has three points in those nine games. By  comparison,  Bertuzzi’s center, Dylan Larkin, has points in eight of his past nine games. Larkin has accumulated 11 points in those nine games. His other wing, Lucas Raymond, has three goals and seven points in that span. In those nine games, Raymond has 14 shots on goal. Bertuzzi has 22, but eight of those came in the last game against Buffalo

Too Many Shots on Goal: Only four teams are giving up more shots on goal than the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings are giving up an average of 33.7 shots per game. The Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets,  Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers are the only teams giving up more.

…

Don’t Forget Johansson: While Seider and Raymond have been sitting the NHL ablaze with their strong play, defenseman Albert Johansson has quietly, yet effectively, been developing in the Swedish League.

Now in his third season as a regular, Johansson, 20, has put up 12 points in 22 games for Farjestads BK Karlstad. The 2019 second-round pick has now played 111 games in Sweden’s top league. He is expected to become a dependable NHL defenseman.

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Per the Boston Bruins, ahead of tonight’s game vs. the Red Wings:

BOSTON – The Boston Bruins announced today, November 30, that head coach Bruce Cassidy has been placed in the NHL’s Covid-19 protocol.

The Score’s Sean O’Leary posted a set of “Calder Trophy Power Rankings,” and the second-leading rookie scorer finishes third…

3. Moritz Seider, Red Wings

Previous rank: 2

Seider‘s offensive production has slowed down a touch since our last rankings, but he’s still contributing in every facet of the game on the Red Wings‘ top defensive pair. The German stalwart leads all rookies in average ice time by a significant margin and ranks second among Detroit’s rearguards in even-strength minutes.

Additionally, Seider is still tied for second in rookie scoring despite the relative dry patch, and the majority of his production is coming at even strength. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Seider’s debut campaign to date is his play in the defensive zone. He’s provided a ton value in shot and scoring chance suppression, leading Detroit’s regular defensemen in goals against per-60, Corsi against per-60, and expected goals against per-60.

And #1 remains #1:

1. Lucas Raymond, Red Wings

Previous rank: 1

Through two months, the Calder is Raymond‘s to lose. He leads all rookies in goals, points, and shots while routinely showcasing electrifying game-breaking talent for a Red Wings team that wouldn’t be anywhere near a wild-card position without him in the lineup.

Raymond is a weapon at even strength and on the power play thanks to a lethal release that can beat any goaltender clean. Combine his shot with elite hockey IQ and deft playmaking, and it’s clear Raymond is bound to become a special player.

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Well, enjoy, from the Woodward Sports Network:

Per the Chilliwack Progress’s Eric Welsh:

Chilliwack Chiefs forward Kienan Draper is the BCHL’s third star of the week following an offensive explosion.

The 19-year-old Michigan product scored three goals and added three assists for six points in three games, all wins for his Chiefs.

Draper collected two points in an 11-1 whomping of the Powell River Kings Nov. 24, setting up a shorthanded goal by Connor Milburn in the first period and scoring a power-play marker of his own in the third.

He recorded his second straight multi-point game three nights later when he notched two goals and one assist in a 7-2 win over the Coquitlam Express. Draper wrapped up his weekend on Sunday with one assist in a 3-2 triumph over the Surrey Eagles.

Draper now has 13 points in 15 games this season, which is good for seventh in team scoring behind Cameron Johnson (19), AJ Lacroix (16), Ethan Bowen (16), Frankie Carogioiello (15), Abram Wiebe (15) and Dawson Good (14).

The Detroit Red Wings begin a stretch of 2 games to be played over the course of 2 nights tonight in Boston (7 PM EST start on Bally Sports Detroit/NESN/Sportsnet West/Sportsnet Pacific/97.1 FM). The Wings will then return home to host Seattle on Wednesday, but first things first:

The Red Wings almost never win in Beantown. Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff reports that, since the Wings won Game 2 of the first round in 2014, the Wings possess a gaudy 1-11-2 record at TD Garden.

While the Bruins will be without Brad Marchand’s services as he’s been suspended for slew-footing, Boston stands at 11-and-7 going into this game, and have won 5 of their past 7 games.

The 10-9-and-3 Wings actually sit a point ahead of the Bruins in the Eastern Conference standings, but Detroit’s 3-7-and-1 road record is of concern.

There is some tumult in Bruins land away from Marchand’s latest suspension; Jake DeBrusk’s agent has informed the Bruins that his client wants a trade, and while Linus Ullmark is starting vs. the Red Wings, the as-yet-unsigned Tuukka Rask is beginning what seems like an inevitable comeback toward the Bruins’ crease.

The Boston Herald’s Steve Conroy noted that Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy hasn’t been completely enthused with the play of Ullmark, despite his strong performance in the Bruins’ 3-2 win over Vancouver on Sunday:

Continue reading Red Wings-Bruins set-up: here comes ye olde measuring stick →

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills filed a notebook article in which he discusses Jordan Oesterle’s homecoming with the Wings, the Wings’ home record, and Givani Smith’s presence on the Wings’ second line, but this line from coach Jeff Blashill caught my eye..

Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond has appeared in all 22 games during his rookie season, and more than earned his spot. He’s been especially impactful at home.

Last week, the 19-year-old scored one goal in each of Detroit’s games at Little Caesars Arena, including the game-winner in overtime against Buffalo on Nov. 24. In 11 home games, Raymond has tallied seven points, including four goals and three assists.

“I think he’s got a chance to be a really good player,” Blashill said. “But he’s got to prove it on a night-to-night basis and if we sit here after the season, and he’s had a whole bunch more milestones, then he gives you more reason to believe that’s what he is.”

One month after fellow rookie Moritz Seider earned the award, Raymond could very well be in the mix for the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for November. Raymond has 12 points on five goals and seven assists in 13 games played this month. Raymond and the Red Wings will wrap up their November slate on Tuesday night at Boston.

As did this quip from the Free Press’s Dana Garauder’s notebook:

The Wings’ other celebrated rookie, Lucas Raymond, is easily outpacing his peers statistically. Entering Monday’s action, Raymond led all first-year players with nine goals, 12 assists and 21 points. No other rookie has more than 14 points. Raymond has points in six of his last seven games and added to his brilliant start by scoring the game-winner against the Sabres.

Blashill cautions that it’s way too early to measure Raymond’s potential.

“It’s 22 games. It’s not five but it’s certainly not 500,” he said. “We have to be patient and let guys prove what they are over a long period of time. There’s certainly been a lot of good young players in this league that have had a great first or second year and kind of ended up not being to that height.”

Continued; sounds a little Babcockian, doesn’t it? I’m not so worried about where Raymond’s head is at in terms of his self-confidence versus his ego.

2. Regarding Oesterle, he’s been playing with Moritz Seider of late, and the Dearborn Heights, MI native says that he’s enjoying the ride, as he told the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:

Continue reading Notebook round-up: Blashill expects more from Raymond; Oesterle takes advantage; ‘talkin’ about the road’ →

The Red Wings have been particularly entertaining to watch over the course of their first 21 games, and Sportsnet’s Justin Bourne took note of the fact that the Red Wings and Ducks have made particular improvement in the “you can watch the teams and not be bored” category in his “Five quarter-mark thoughts“:

2. The Ducks and Red Wings are legitimately better teams

Even with records of just over .500 in their past 10 games, both of these teams have shown enough speed and skill and improvement to make me believe they’re legitimately better. Oh weird, adding dynamic, exciting stars at both forward and defence helps, who knew?

Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, to go with Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, are among the handful of names I’m most excited about adding to the NHL this season. Zegras is italicized nasty out there, and Raymond is a dynamic offensive force, too. The first step in a rebuild is going from awful to watchable before becoming “good” and both of these teams are watchable now, thanks in large part to these four names.

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From the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe:

The Toledo Walleye have signed Adam Parsells, a 6-foot-6, 192-pound defenseman who is in his first pro season.

Parsells, a native of Wausau, Wis., has appeared in one game in the ECHL and two games in the American Hockey League this season.

Parsells was released by the Indy Fuel on Saturday. He did not play in Toledo’s game against Indy on Friday night at the Huntington Center.

The defenseman has appeared in two games this year with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL and one with the Fuel. He has not recorded any points or penalty minutes.

The 24-year-old played in two games for the Utah Grizzlies in 2020-21 after completing his college career at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Continued