Around the Rink – February 3 Edition

Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

Once again, the Detroit Red Wings rose to the challenge and beat the San Jose Sharks, 4-2, for a third straight time this season. The team rallied from a two-goal deficit with goals from forwards Dan Cleary and Henrik Zetterberg to pull even with San Jose at 2-2. A power-play tally from defenseman Derek Meech completed Detroit’s rally at 4:40 into the third period. Head coach Mike Babcock had Jonathan Ericsson as a healthy scratch last night, making room for Meech to get some playing time. Just over four minutes later, a goal from forward Patrick Eaves — his ninth of the season — cemented the Wings’ lead.

Upon defeating the team atop the Western Conference standings last night, the Red Wings moved into eighth place in the standings with 64 points, which is even with the No. 7 seed (Nashville) and two points above the ninth seed (Calgary). The loss gave San Jose’s its first in regulation since falling to the Wings on Jan. 9, having gone 8-0-2 entering last night’s game. The win does beg the question (as posed by Babcock last night), “If you can do this against the good teams, why can’t you do it every night?”

The bad news? Defenseman Niklas Kronwall left the game early with an injury. MLive.com briefly addresses the confusion over which body part Kronwall injured: his ankle and did he re-tweak his knee. The blueliner had just returned five games ago from an injury that kept him out of 30 games. Babcock says that Kronner will not play tonight in Anaheim.

The win got DRW bloggers talking about Detroit rising to the challenge: DetroitHockey.net, Nightmare on Helm Street, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, The Triple Deke, Unconnected Red Wings Blog, and Winging It In Motown.

Lilja to Return to Game-Action

  • Defenseman Andreas Lilja was eagerly awaiting his first game in 340 days so he didn’t mind the bus trip from Grand Rapids to Rockford, Ill., where he will play tonight in his first of three games in his brief long-term injured-reserve conditioning loan with Detroit’s AHL affiliate.
  • If Lilja is ready to return to the NHL after his time with the Grand Rapids Griffins, it will make for some tough decisions for the Detroit management writes The Detroit News: “The Wings would have to clear two rosters spots and roughly $1.9 million of salary to fit Lilja back in, assuming there are no other long-term injuries in the meantime, and assuming Lilja gets full medical clearance.”
  • The Swede told The Grand Rapids Press that he will have to fight off some nerves heading into the game after being out for 11 months.
  • In his official blog at Lilja3.com, the defenseman wrote in Swedish (translated into English here by Google translator):

“Right now I am sitting in a hotel in Rockford, preparing me for the match tomorrow, Thursday, which is an incredible relief that I finally get to be in a match! I just hope that everything will be fine & make it feel like usual! It will be very tough now, [finding my legs and adjusting to] the tempo & timing on the ice, but it will, after a while, I hope!

So now I go to sleep so that I can be at my best mood on the ice tomorrow! I can hear from me tomorrow after the game so that you can hear how it happened! So keep your fingers crossed now, so we hear!”

In Other News

  • Despite playing four games over five and a half days and a cross-country flight to California, the Wings skated hard during Monday’s practice to prepare for the top-ranked San Jose Sharks.
  • Forward Johan Franzen told MLive.com that he is unsure about playing in the 2010 Winter Olympics, which takes place later this month in Vancouver. Previously, the Swede had told reporters he thought he would need between five and 10 games to feel ready for that high level of play. As of right now, Franzen will get in three NHL games before the Olympic break leaving some room for questions. If Franzen did play in the Olympics, he would do so as a replacement player for an injured Swede who could no longer play in the tournament.
  • The Griffins anticipate seeing a boost in play with the return of forward Justin Abdelkader, who had spent the first half of the season in Detroit due to the large number of player injuries.
  • Chris at Motown Wings takes a look at what the Wings need to do point-wise in the standings to secure a playoff spot.
  • Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle posted some interesting notes and observations about the Wings’ play in January.
  • The latest episode of The Obstructed View was just released as bloggers from Babcock’s Death Stare, Motown Wings, Red Wings Guy, and Winging It In Motown talk about Brett Lebda and Derek Meech, the salary cap, Detroit’s push for the playoffs, Jason Williams, and more.

February 3, 2010
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 4 Comments

Around the Rink – February 1 Edition

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Detroit falls to Penguins in shootout

The Detroit Red Wings were edged out, 2-1, by the defending Stanley Cup champs, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the shootout at Mellon Arena in a matinee game on Sunday in front of a national audience on NBC. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby put Pittsburgh up first with a marker at the 16:46 mark in the second period. Forward Dan Cleary tipped in a blast from defenseman Brad Stuart at the right point to even the game up at 1-1 with 8:50 left in the game. The game headed into a shootout when neither team could score on their two shots on goal in overtime. Rookie netminder Jimmy Howard faced 47 shots through 65 minutes of play, while his Pittsburgh counterpart Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 23 shots before the shootout. Crosby backhanded the puck into the top of the cage and Evgeni Malkin patiently out-waited Howard to seal the victory for Pittsburgh in the shootout.

Wings beat Predators

Detroit bested Nashville 4-2 at Joe Louis Arena on Friday night. Rookie goaltender Jimmy Howard made an impressive 46 saves in a critical game against a fellow Central Division opponent. In his first game back after missing 38 games due to a broken leg, forward Jason Williams recorded his third tally of the season to get Detroit on the scoreboard first. Captain Nick Lidstrom also added a power-play goal in the contest in a sniper-like play, scoring his third goal in as many games. Forwards Drew Miller and Henrik Zetterberg also scored for Detroit. The Red Wings hung on to their third-period lead to grab two important points in the standings.

The DRW bloggers reacted to the win: Babcock’s Death Stare, DetroitHockey.net, Gorilla Crouch, Motown Wings, On the Wings, Red Wings Blog, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, The Triple Deke, Unconnected Red Wings Blog, and Winging It In Motown.

In Other News

  • The Detroit News columnist Bob Wojnowski wrote a lengthy piece on Detroit’s goalie situation, particularly with how veteran Chris Osgood has mentored rookie Jimmy Howard.
  • After a strong performance in last year’s playoffs, defenseman Jonathan Ericsson is struggling in his first full NHL season writes The Detroit News.
  • Defenseman Andreas Lilja appears ready to play in a hockey game for the first time in 11 months after being headache free for over 15 days. The Red Wings are working on sending the Swede to Grand Rapids for a three-game, six-day conditioning stint with the team’s AHL affiliate. Lilja would remain on the long-term injured-reserved list until he was ready to join the Wings after his time with the Griffins.
  • Detroit re-assigned Justin Abdelkader to the Grand Rapids Griffins to make room under the salary cap with the expected return of Tomas Holmstrom to the lineup. Abdelkader was understandably disappointed, but mentor Kris Draper reminded him of the value of getting to log 20 minutes every game in GR. If the Wings are able to stay healthy, Abdelakder would return to the Wings in the playoffs when teams can expand their rosters without salary cap concerns.
  • Tomas Holmstrom thought he’d be able to play in Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh after Saturday’s practice, but the team decided Homer needed a few more days to heal up and improve his skating.
  • Fellow Swedish forward Johan Franzen has been cleared by doctors, but still needs a couple weeks to regain his game conditioning according to The Windsor Star.
  • With the impending trade deadline on March 3, Babcock’s Death Stare addresses trade rumors that involve the Wings.
  • Former Wings captain Steve Yzerman was recognized by the Academy of the Sacred Heart, a private school where his three daughters attend, with the school’s annual Leaders of Conscience Award according to the Detroit Free Press.
  • The Windsor Star notes that Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Dave King talked to Wings’ head coach Mike Babcock over the summer about coaching Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics as the two have cabins in close proximity in Saskatchewan.
  • Abel to Yzerman linked to a review of Joe Louis Arena, which emphasized the fans and tradition of the arena.
  • Matt of On the Wings discusses a variety of scenarios that GM Ken Holland may take to get his team under the salary cap maximum once all of his players return from injury.
  • Winging It In Motown interviewed Detroit prospect Landon Ferraro, who talked about getting drafted by the Wings with their first pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and how his play has developed.
  • The NHL trade deadline isn’t until March 3, but the trades have begun with two big movements over the weekend including a seven-player deal per TSN. The Calgary Flames sent defenseman Dion Phanuef, forward Fredrik Sjostrom, and prospect defenseman Keith Aulie to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forwards Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and defenseman Ian White. With Anaheim inking goaltender Jonas Hiller to a four-year contract extension, the Ducks wanted to trade away netminder J.S. Giguere, who had an expensive $7 million salary cap hit for a backup goalie. TSN reports that Toronto also acquired Giguere by sending their goalie Vesa Toskala and veteran forward Jason Blake to Anaheim.

February 1, 2010
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 3 Comments

Around the Rink – January 29 Edition

Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images

The Detroit Red Wings lost 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night, giving Detroit two losses in back-to-back games, and causing the Wings to fall to the ninth seed in the Western Conference standings. Pavel Datsyuk scored twice in the first period to give Detroit its only markers of the night. Head coach Mike Babcock called the Wings’ performance in the loss “unacceptable.” Chris McCosky of The Detroit News described goaltender Chris Osgood’s play as rusty in his second start in five games.

Wings’ fans took to their blogs to vent about the loss: DetroitHockey.net, Fight Night at the Joe, Motown Wings, Nightmare on Helm Street, On the Wings, Red Wings Blog, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, Unconnected Red Wings Blog, and Winging It In Motown.

In Other News

  • One of the big storylines coming out of Wednesday’s game was defenseman Brad Stuart leaving the game early due to a left shoulder sprain, sparking understandable concern among fans. According to The Detroit News, it appears that the injury is not serious as Stuart could play Friday night against Nashville at Joe Louis Arena. GM Ken Holland has him listed as day-to-day.
  • The Detroit News says that the Wings will not stand in the way of star forward Johan Franzen should he want to play for Sweden in the 2010 Winter Olympics next month. The Swede was cleared to play on Wednesday, but will need at least two weeks to get in game shape per the Detroit Free Press.
  • USA Today reporter Kevin Allen writes that reports of captain Nicklas Lidstrom’s demise are greatly exaggerated in his Mucking and Grinding blog. James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail named Lidstrom as the top defensive defenseman in the NHL this year.
  • MLive.com reports that forward Jason Williams aims to return to the lineup in tonight’s game if he gets the all-clear from the team doctors.
  • Kukla’s Korner posted the audio from coach Mike Babcock’s radio interview on Thursday with the Fan590 in Toronto.
  • Interested in how some of the Wings reacted to seeing their likeness on a hockey trading card for the first time? Check out this video at Red Wings TV.
  • DRW.com posted four Q&A with Red Wings’ alumni, including Ron Duguay, Tim Cheveldae, Dennis Polonich, and Reed Larson.
  • Joe Louis Arena will host a game Saturday night between in-state rival programs Michigan and Michigan State as part of the Hockey Weekend Across America. The two schools announced yesterday that they will face off against each other outdoors in the Big House on Dec. 11 in what will be called The Big Chill.
  • Prospect Update per Red Wings Central: “After an outstanding first half with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Red Wings Central has elevated Tatar to No. 1 in its mid-season prospect ranking.”
  • Be sure to stop by Winging It In Motown for its Hockeytown 4 Haiti game thread on Jan. 31 when the Wings visit Pittsburgh. Five cents will be donated to the cause for every comment made during the game and there is no cost to you to leave a comment. The proceeds will go to the American Red Cross in support of their Haiti relief efforts.

January 29, 2010
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 2 Comments

Around the Rink – January 27 Edition

Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

The Detroit Red Wings built a 4-2 lead with two goals from captain Nicklas Lidstrom in the third period, but the Phoenix Coyotes scored twice in the last minute and a half of the game to force overtime. Phoenix defenseman Ed Jovanovski recorded his ninth marker of the season with 21.6 seconds left. Coyotes’ captain Shane Doan capped the comeback, scoring the game-winner with 1:10 left to top Detroit 5-4 in extra time.

Since the Wings dropped their third straight game after posting a two-goal lead, which has frustrated some DRW bloggers: Babcock’s Death Stare, Bingo Bango, DetroitHockey.net, Fight Night at the Joe, Nightmare on Helm Street, Octopus Thrower, Red Wings Blog, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, and Winging It In Motown.

In Other News

  • Since suffering a concussion on Feb. 28, 2009, defenseman Andreas Lilja has been out of the lineup. Lilja experienced his 14th consecutive day without a headache on Monday even after teammate Johan Franzen purposefully hit him against the boards in practice. This development means Lilja can take the next step toward playing writes the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, and MLive.com.
  • Defenseman Niklas Kronwall played in his first game since spraining his knee back on Nov. 21 last night, logging 21:57 of ice time. Head coach Mike Babcock has yet to decide whether to play Kronner or not tonight against Minnesota since it would be back-to-back games per MLive.com.
  • Babcock’s Death Stare and Motown Wings referenced an MLive.com article that notes that forward Johan Franzen may be the Wings only injured player in 10 days or so.
  • The Detroit Free Press talked to the Red Wings about their Super Bowl picks as part of the Wings’ NFL playoff pool.
  • Red Wings Central wrote an update on Detroit prospect Sergei Kolosov and how he’s performing in Grand Rapids for the Griffins.
  • NHL.com took a look at how the “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” came to fruition.
  • The latest episode of The Obstructed View, which is a podcast run by various Red Wings bloggers,  is now live.

January 27, 2010
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: Leave a Comment

Around the Rink – January 25 Edition

Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

The Red Wings squandered their lead in the third period, losing 3-2 to the LA Kings and missing out on two key points in the Western Conference standings. Goals from Valtteri Filppula and Todd Bertuzzi gave Detroit a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission, but LA scored three unanswered tallies including two in the third period to rally for the win. MLive.com noted that Saturday’s game was the third in four contests that the Wings have lost after holding a two-goal lead.

Check out reactions to the loss at these blogs: Fight Night at the Joe, On the Wings, Red Wings Blog, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, Unconnected Red Wings Blog, and Winging It In Motown.

In Other News

  • The Wings play in a very important stretch of games over the next week, facing opponents like Phoenix, Colorado and Minnesota who sit close to Detroit in the standings.
  • Veteran forward Kris Draper lost a bet to defenseman Brett Lebda on which of their respective countries would win the World Junior Championship. Since USA beat Canada in overtime, Draper had to don a USA jersey during Wednesday’s practice much to the delight of Lebda.
  • Chris McCosky of The Detroit News believes that forward Ville Leino will be the odd player out when GM Ken Holland goes to trim the roster as forwards start returning to the lineup from their respective injuries. Winging It In Motown has three theories for why management is doing what they’re doing with Leino.
  • Holland spoke with MLive.com, refuting a comment made by FSDetroit color commentator Mickey Redmond that defenseman Andreas Lilja would play next week.
  • Kyle at Winging It In Motown interviewed Detroit prospect Willie Coetzee, covering a wide range of topics.
  • MLive.com reports that Tomas Holmstrom has done some late skating this week after suffering a hairline fracture on Jan. 6. He hopes to return by Jan. 29 or 31, but that may be a little ambitious.

January 25, 2010
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: Leave a Comment

Around the Rink – January 22 Edition

Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images

The Detroit Red Wings snapped a three-game losing streak Thursday night with a 4-3 shootout win against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. The two points pushed Detroit to the No. 8 slot in the Western Conference standings with 58 points.

A perfectly-placed backhand pass from forward Pavel Datsyuk set up Todd Bertuzzi on a breakaway, scoring the game’s first goal when he beat goalkeeper Josh Harding at the 7:52 mark in the first period. Minnesota knotted the game up at 1-1 with a tally midway through the second period. Two markers from Detroit forwards Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller in the final stanza handed the Wings a 3-1 lead, but Martin Havlat’s redirection pulled the Wild within one with 6:12 remaining in the game. One minute later, Minnesota left wing Andrew Brunette beat rookie goaltender Jimmy Howard five-hole to even the game up at three goals apiece and force overtime.

According to a joking head coach Mike Babcock, defenseman Andreas Lilja, who has been out for almost a year, has not lived up to his responsibilities (ensuring the team practices the shootout each week). The white team (the first and third lines) won the shootout battle in Wednesday’s practice and the extra practice appeared to pay off as it took eight rounds in the shootout to decide Thursday’s game with Drew Miller scoring to give the Wings two much-needed points in the standings.

“I just thought it was a good win for our team,” Babcock said to FSDetroit following the game. “We got two points tonight and that’s what we came for.”

In Other News

  • The Detroit Free Press reports that forward Todd Bertuzzi and GM Ken Holland will work on a contract extension as both sides would like to see Big Bert stay in Detroit. A couple of DRW bloggers reacted to this report: Motown Wings and Red Wings from SoCal.
  • Injury Updates: Forward Valtteri Filppula missed practice on Wednesday due to a sore groin, but participated in the optional morning skate and played last night against Minnesota. Defenseman Niklas Kronwall believes he may return to the lineup next week if he continues progressing like he has this week.
  • The coaching staff has started to ponder possible line combination with a few players expected to return from their respective injuries over the next few weeks.
  • Both MLive.com and The Detroit News point out that Pavel Datsyuk’s drop in offense this season can be attributed to the rash of player injuries, forcing the team to abandon its puck possession style of play until the Wings’ skilled players start returning to the lineup.
  • Dan Rosen of NHL.com writes that Babcock is happy with how the Wings have been playing in spite of a three-game losing streak going into Thursday’s game against Minnesota.
  • Veteran netminder Chris Osgood voiced his frustrations about the lack of starts to the Detroit Free Press and MLive.com. Some of the DRW bloggers at Abel to Yzerman, Babcock’s Death Stare, Nightmare on Helm Street, On the Wings, and The Production Line responded to Osgood’s comments.
  • James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail created a table with the number of man games lost by each NHL team so far this season. The Red Wings rank second behind only Edmonton with 233 games lost to injury as of Wednesday (Jan. 20).
  • Winging It In Motown takes a look at some shootout stats concerning the Wings.
  • Out of Bounds lists five reasons why the Wings will make the playoffs and five reasons why they may fall short.
  • Puck Daddy has two interesting interviews with Pavel Datsyuk and Steve Yzerman courtesy of Dmitry Chesnokov.

January 22, 2010
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: Leave a Comment

Around the Rink – January 20 Edition

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The Wings allowed the Washington Capitals to rally twice from a one-goal deficit, falling 3-2 to the Caps in D.C. on Tuesday evening.

Veteran netminder Chris Osgood started Tuesday night for the first time since Dec. 20 because as head coach Mike Babcock said, ““Ozzie was due, and Ozzie beat these guys this year. We just think it’s a good opportunity — he knows these guys better than Howie does.” Ozzie did not face a shot on goal until under six minutes remaining in the first period. In fact, Detroit outshot the Caps 15-3 through the first 20 minutes of play, which is impressive when you consider how potent Washington’s offense is.

The Wings took a 1-0 lead thanks to some hard work and hustling. Forward Dan Cleary spun around and threw the puck at the net from the goal line to the left of the net, scoring his 10th goal this season 4:17 into the middle frame. But with 1:55 left in the second period, the Capitals evened it up at one goal apiece. Defenseman Brian Rafalski’s blast from atop the right faceoff circle gave Detroit a 2-1 lead at the 11:07 mark of the final stanza. With 6:45 remaining in the contest, Washington tied the game up again on the power play. Forty-seven seconds later, the Caps got another one past Osgood again to take their first lead of the night. The goal would stand as the game-winner despite Detroit outshooting the Capitals 45-23.

Coming into the game, the Detroit Free Press commented on the challenge the Wings faced heading into this road game with the Caps. The Detroit News looked at how things have changed since the last time these two teams faced off at Joe Louis Arena in October.

In Other News

  • The Detroit News reports that defenseman Niklas Kronwall did participate in the morning skate on Tuesday, marking the second straight day Kronner has skated. Previously, he had been only doing off-ice workouts since Dec. 20 due to a unexpected relapse. Kronwall suffered a sprained knee injury on Nov. 21 and still does not know when he’ll return to the lineup.
  • Ansar Khan at MLive.com answers five pressing questions facing the Red Wings as the team pushes to make the playoffs.
  • Red Wings Central evaluates the play of Wings’ prospect and Grand Rapids Griffins’ defenseman Logan Pyett, including remarks about his development from Assistant GM Jim Nill.
  • Windsor Star’s Dave Waddell spoke with Nill, who says that the seeming uptick in violent hockey hits in major junior hockey does not mean that there is a lack of respect among players.
  • SI.com reporter Darren Eliot believes that the Wings’ playoff hopes rest on rookie goalkeeper Jimmy Howard.
  • Kyle at Babcock’s Death Stare posted “The Ultimate Offseason Guide,” discussing the many possibilities about which Wings’ players may stay or go.
  • Check out the latest installment of The Obstructed View — a podcast run by the Wings’ blogosphere. Episode 6 features the bloggers behind The Production Line, Fight Night at the Joe, and Bingo Bango.
  • George Malik at Snapshots addresses the Red Wings to the Palace rumors and offers up a variety of reasons why that move doesn’t make sense, but that the rumor may help Olympia Entertainment negotiate a short-term lease at JLA. Joe Hass at Winging It In Motown also chimes in with his thoughts on this rumor.

January 20, 2010
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 2 Comments

Around the Rink – January 18 Edition

Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images

Recap: Wings vs. Blackhawks (4-3 shootout loss)

Chicago narrowly edged Detroit in a 4-3 shootout thriller at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Wings rallied twice in the game from respective 2-0 and 3-2 deficits. Forward Patrick Eaves recorded a fight late in the first period and scored in the third to send the game into overtime, which drew admiration from his coach and teammates. Captain Nick Lidstrom scored his second goal in three games with a first-period tally against the Blackhawks. The Grand Rapids Press commented on Todd Bertuzzi’s spin-o-rama move during the shootout to give Detroit the early lead.

After a close game and a two-point weekend, the DRW bloggers have plenty to say: Babcock’s Death Stare, Fight Night at the Joe, Red Wings Blog, Red Wings Hardware, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, The Triple Deke, Unconnected Red Wings Blog, and Winging It In Motown.

Recap: Wings vs. Stars (3-2 shootout loss)

The Dallas Stars overcame a two-goal deficit to grab two key points in the standings on Saturday afternoon to beat Detroit 3-2 in the shootout. Detroit saw goals from forward Todd Bertuzzi and defenseman Brian Rafalski with captain Nick Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg notching assists on both tallies. Rookie goaltender Jimmy Howard stopped 28 shots in his 11th straight start, but Dallas’ Steve Ott found a way past Howard in the sixth round of the shootout.

Some controversy stemmed from Ott’s goal as some believed the puck did not completely cross the goal line and should not have been awarded as a goal for Dallas. DRW bloggers reacted to the decision: Babcock’s Death Stare, Motown Wings, On the Wings, Red Wings Blog, The Production Line, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, Unconnected Red Wings Blog, and Winging It In Motown.

In Other News

  • MSU alum Drew Miller unexpectedly found some time on the power-play unit Thursday night against Carolina, scoring his first career goal on the man advantage. Miller also assisted on captain Nick Lidstrom’s PP marker in the win.
  • MLive.com also wrote about Miller’s role on the team and the versatility he offers coach Mike Babcock. Winging It In Motown ponders if Miller should stay or go once every forward is healthy and back in the lineup.
  • The Detroit News notes how the Wings’ style of play is more closely aligned with other dump-and-chase teams, while the Chicago Blackhawks play more like the Red Wings have in past seasons. The article’s explanation for this? Detroit’s injuries.  Babcock hopes his team will return to the puck-possession style Detroit is known as more and more players get healthy.
  • The Detroit Free Press interviewed Dave Calendine, who has played the organ at Joe Louis Arena during games against Original Six teams and on Kids Club nights.
  • DRW.com discusses defenseman Brad Stuart’s steady play this season, which was recognized when he won December’s Carhartt Hardest Working Player honors as determined by the coaching staff.
  • The Grand Rapids Press reports that FSDetroit will air the 2010 AHL All-Star events on tape delay. “The AHL skills competition will air at 3 p.m. Wednesday, and the all-star game will be shown at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24.”
  • After playing 11 games with Detroit, defenseman Doug Janik scored in his first game back with the Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday night.
  • Winging It In Motown interviewed Wings’ prospect Nick Jensen this week about getting drafted by the Wings, where he currently plays, and more.
  • Nightmare on Helm Street comments on the anxiety that comes with closely watching NHL game scores and its impact on the Wings’ position in the standings.
  • Abel to Yzerman is unhappy with the Wings’ past weekend schedule: playing a 2 p.m. game in Dallas and then hosting Chicago on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

January 18, 2010
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: Leave a Comment

Around the Rink – January 15 Edition

Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

The Wings hosted Carolina on Thursday evening with the hopes of bouncing back from their 6-0 loss to the NY Islanders on Tuesday night. Detroit did just that with a 3-1 victory over the Hurricanes. Former Spartan Drew Miller earned first star of the game honors after scoring and notching an assist in the win. Captain defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom snapped a 42-game scoring drought with a power-play marker at the 11:30 mark in the first period. Forward Valtteri Filppula also added two assists. Rookie netminder Jimmy Howard stopped all but one of the 38 shots he faced.

Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson returned to the lineup last night after missing 12 games due to a deep bone bruise in his knee. Head coach Mike Babcock said he was pleased with Ericsson’s play in his first game back, logging over 15 minutes of ice time. As a result, defenseman Doug Janik was assigned back to Grand Rapids, but he did make a positive impression in his 11-game stint with the Wings. The Griffins expect to see a boost on the blueline with Janik’s return.

Some DRW bloggers commented on the game: Fight Night at the Joe, Motown Wings, Red Wings Blog, Red, White & Black-n-Blue, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, and Winging It In Motown.

In Other News

  • Teammates Justin Abdelkader and Drew Helm attended the auto show preview on Wednesday and DRW.com got their reactions of the auto show.
  • Tests, including an ultrasound, have shown no problems with Niklas Kronwall’s knees. Kronwall told the team’s trainer that his workout on Wednesday was the best he had felt after a workout in awhile, which is an encouraging sign. GM Ken Holland describes this situation as frustrating according to MLive.com.
  • Howard recorded his 10th consecutive start last night and the Wings plan on continuing this trend while he’s playing hot in the crease.
  • After a slow start with the penalty kill early on this season, the Detroit Free Press notes that the “Wings improve to 87.9% on the penalty kill since Dec. 1.”
  • Winging It In Motown asks if it’s time to break up the Eurotwins — Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk — yet.
  • GM Ken Holland told reporters that forward Jason Williams is about two weeks away from playing after suffering a broken fibula on Nov. 7.
  • Chris at Motown Wings asks if Todd Bertuzzi is here to stay with the Wings after this season. What do you think?
  • The Detroit News notes the difficulty of the tightened schedule (thanks to the Winter Olympics next month) for the Wings.
  • When the Wings host the Chicago Blackhawks at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday afternoon, it will be the Hawks looking down at the Wings in the conference standings in a role reversal writes NHL.com. The Hockey News blog also commented on Detroit’s unusual position in the league standings.

January 15, 2010
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 2 Comments

Around the Rink – January 13 Edition

Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images

The Detroit Red Wings ended its five-game stretch on the road in Long Island, getting shut out 6-0 to the Islanders on Tuesday evening. Goalkeeper Jimmy Howard earned his ninth consecutive start, but allowed three goals on 20 shots. Veteran netminder Chris Osgood entered the game in the second period, allowing three markers on 11 shots. The Islanders registered a pair of goals in each period, while Detroit could only muster 16 shots on goal through 60 minutes of play.

Here’s a roundup of reactions to the game from DRW bloggers: Fight Night at the Joe, Red Wings Blog, Red, White & Black-n-Blue, The Production Line, Unconnected Red Wings Blog, and Winging It In Motown.

The Wings return home to face off against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday at Joe Louis Arena. All fans in attendance will receive a tote bag giveaway.

In Other News

  • The Detroit Free Press provided an injury update: Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson hopes to return to the lineup this Thursday against Carolina after suffering a deep bone bruise in his left knee on Dec. 14. Fellow Swedish blueliner Niklas Kronwall is unsure of when he’ll be able to return to skating after a setback in his rehab. The article also states that forward Tomas Holmstrom is eying a return for somewhere around Jan. 25-27.
  • The Detroit News notes that forward Johan Franzen is pleased with his rehabilitation after tearing his ACL in October. MLive.com reports that Franzen could even return before the Olympic break if all goes well.
  • DRW.com writes about Darren Helm’s recent offensive success as he has scored five goals in as many games.
  • MLive.com says that despite missing a month due to a separated shoulder, Wings forward Dan Cleary’s scoring remains intact.
  • Grand Rapids Griffins forward Tomas Tatar spoke with the Grand Rapids Press about his time playing in the World Junior Championship.
  • USA Hockey named Detroit defenseman Brian Rafalski as an alternate captain for the 2010 Winter Olympics next month, which will be the third trip for Rafalski in his career.
  • Red Wings Central has a report on Daniel Larsson, the starting goaltender for the Grand Rapids Griffins.
  • Former Red Wings’ netminder Curtis Joseph announced his retirement on Tuesday after 19 years in the NHL.
  • Winging It In Motown previews an important week for the Red Wings. The blog also takes a look at where Jimmy Howard sits in the league’s goaltending stats.
  • The Triple Deke blogged an ode to Bruce MacLeod, who is the Wings’ beat reporter for The Macomb Daily and the man behind Red Wings Corner.
  • Snapshots references a piece on ESPN.com that featured an interview with Todd Bertuzzi on his role with the team.
  • The latest episode of The Obstructed View, which is a podcast featuring DRW bloggers, came out this week.

January 13, 2010
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 2 Comments

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