It will be reminiscent of the Original Six Days when the Detroit Red Wings go into Toronto for an important Saturday Hockey Night in Canada game against the Maple Leafs.

After falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-5 Thursday, the Red Wings need to upset the Maple Leafs to keep their postseason hopes alive. Moneypuck.com pegs Detroit’s playoff probability at 15.8%. The Penguins now have a one-point lead in the scrap for the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.

“The Pittsburgh Penguins probably didn’t deserve the two points,” Dan Kingerski wrote for Pittsburgh Hockey Now. “Although they were outplayed for significant parts of the game, they never left the battle.”

The Penguins have points in 10 consecutive games and Sidney Crosby has been the primary reason. He set up Thursday’s winning overtime goal with his 1,000th career assist.

“If it’s one thing he’s done throughout his career, it’s delivering when you need it the most,” Pittsburgh defenseman Erik Karlsson said. “And today was nothing different than that.”

Lucas Raymond was another who raised his game Thursday, delivering a three-goal, four-point performance. He played with intensity and fire.

“I think the way Lucas played tonight was, if you’re looking at a step in his career, then that’s a performance that I’m very impressed by,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. “I think that was a good statement to the hockey world.”

LUCAS RAYMOND HATTY. pic.twitter.com/jgb135aQCv

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 12, 2024

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• The Red Wings will know more today about Andrew Copp‘s status. He suffered a broken cheekbone in Tuesday’s loss to Washington.
• Alex DeBrincat totaled three assists in the loss to Pittsburgh. But only has one goal in his past 20 games. The Red Wings need him to score.
• Paywall story: Bob Duff writes about Red Wings players are trying to keep their emotions in check while they are battling to make the playoffs.
• Patrick Kane talked about his future, but he didn’t reveal which way he is leaning. He didn’t say he was leaving or staying.

Red Wings Next Game

Detroit’s next game is Saturday against a motivated Toronto Maple Leafs team.  Toronto is securely in third place in the Atlantic Division. Winning or losing won’t impact their playoff match-up. But Auston Matthews now has 68 goals and Matthews and his Toronto teammates seem determined to make sure he reaches 70 goals over their next three games. The Red Wings, needing a win to keep playoff hopes alive, and the Maple Leafs have something to play for.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: If the Detroit Red Wings can’t re-sign Patrick Kane, will the Boston Bruins pursue him in the free agent market? Jimmy Murphy points out the Bruins have the cap space.

Colorado: Ewan Rawal writes that it is Alexander Georgiev or bust in goal for the Colorado Avalanche. There is no goaltender controversy in Denver.

Florida: In the NHLPA player poll, Sasha Barkov was selected as the second-most complete player behind Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby.

Montreal: With Boston University eliminated from the Frozen Four by Denver, Montreal Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson could sign an NHL contract. Marc Dumont looks at the possibility. Hutson is an elite puck-carrying defenseman.

New Jersey: Last season’s Timo Meier trade is now complete, now that the New Jersey Devils are eliminated from playoff consideration. The 2024 conditional second round pick the Devils included in the deal with San Jose will remain a second-round pick. The pick would have become a first-round pick if New Jersey had reached the Eastern Conference Final in the postseason.

Philadelphia: Believe it or not, the Philadelphia Flyers have playoff hope after an unexpected win against the New York Rangers. The Flyers’ probability percentage is 16.8%.

The post The Daily: Red Wings’ Playoff Odds at 15.8%; Patrick Kane’s Future appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

DETROIT —  Red Wings beloved radio play-by-play broadcaster Ken Kal is unavailable to broadcast today’s game against the Calgary Flames because he had a medical procedure to address a medical issue after Saturday’s game in Ottawa.

Grand Rapids Griffins play-by-play broadcaster Bob Kaser will replace him, according to the Red Wings’ social media. The release didn’t say how long Kal will be away from the microphone, but he said on social media that he will out for about a week.

“He is resting comfortably and we know all Red Wings fans join us in wishing Ken a speedy recovery,” the Red Wings said in the statement.

Kaser will join the Red Wings’ regular broadcast team members Paul Woods and Daniella Bruce tonight on the 5 p.m. broadcast on WWJ 950 AM and the Audacy App.

Kal, 66, whose real name is Ken Kalczynski, has been the Red Wings’ broadcaster since 1995.  He replaced Bruce Martyn. Before coming to the Red Wings, Kal had broadcast University of Michigan hockey.

Kaser, 63, has been with the Griffins since 2000. He has broadcast more than 3000 games in the AHL, Western League and International Hockey League. He has broadcast 13 Red Wings games on the radio as Kal’s backup. He also has broadcast one Red Wings game on television. He’s in the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame.

The Red Wings, who beat the Senators 5-2 Saturday, go into tonight’s game on a four-game winning streak. They have scored 24 goals in their first five games and their power play efficiency is 50%.

The post Ken Kal Will Miss Today’s Red Wings Broadcast for Medical Issue appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Detroit Red Wings recalled Jonatan Berggren from the Grand Rapid Griffins on an emergency basis Saturday. However, it’s unclear whether he will really receive an opportunity to play.

Robby Fabbri is now out a month, but  Griffins player Austin Czarnik is replacing him. Berggren is up because another forward is nursing an injury. He may or may not play. Coach Derek Lalonde has also said he may go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

Berggren has three assists in two games with the Griffins this season. He scored  15 goals last season for Detroit, but didn’t make Detroit’s roster in training camp. It didn’t help him that he was one of the few Red Wings who could be sent to Grand Rapids without going through waivers.

Red Wings’ Next Game

Today, the Red Wings play the Senators in Ottawa (1p.m ., Bally Sports). One of the turning points of last season came when the Red Wings lost back-to-back games in Ottawa. They were physically dominated by the Senators and fell by scores of 6-2 and 6-1.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Red Wings leading scorer Alex DeBrincat is not expecting a warm reception when he returns to Ottawa where he played last season. Fans believe  he engineered the trade to Detroit.
• Robby Fabbri will be out another month with an undisclosed lower body injury. Originally, the Red Wings believed he would be back quickly,
• Can we call Detroit vs. Ottawa a true rivalry? Dylan Larkin believes you can.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Jimmy Murphy explains why the undefeated Boston Bruins haven’t yet signed Danton Heinen even though he is with the team. Boston Bruins.

Chicago: Blackhawks 2023 first-round pick Oliver Moore scored his first collegiate goal to help Minnesota down North Dakota, 4-0. Chicago Blackhawks.

Colorado: Evan Rawal writes that Tomas Tatar is showing his value to the Colorado Avalanche.

Philadelphia:  Sam Carchidi weighs in on the question about whether the Philadelphia Flyers might be better than we thought.

Pittsburgh: Radim Zahorna will receive a chance to show what he can do for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The post The Daily: Berggren Status Unclear; Ex-Red Wing Shows Value appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Detroit Red Wings’ yield of 20 goals-against in three games at the NHL Prospects Tournament isn’t nearly as concerning as the fact that prize prospect goalie Sebastian Cossa gave up 13 of those goals.

Obviously, the Red Wings aren’t losing faith in Cossa over three meaningless September games. But undoubtedly they expected better from Cossa, considering how well he performed last season for the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. He didn’t perform in Traverse City like he did in Toledo.

“Maybe a little bit of lack of focus at times led to those goals against,” said Dan Watson, who coached him last season in Toledo and this week in Traverse City. “Again, that’s that part of trying to refocus. I’m sure he feels pressure and all that kind of stuff, but with that said, he’s matured in that area. Now again that next step is going to be the mental side of it. You let one in, you gotta forget about it, you gotta move on and be ready to stop the next puck, or stop the next play. I think that’s gonna be his focus here. We’re gonna help him along the way as much as we can.”

There’s no official plan for Cossa this season, but the logical next step is to play as the Grand Rapids Griffins’ goalie this season. GM Steve Yzerman will  want him to look sharper during the training camp.

“We saw the physical growth, we saw the technique growth, we saw his maturity growth all last year,” Watson said. “The next step and the hardest part is the mental side of the game. It truly is hard and that will be the next step in this process. ”

Elmer Soderblom (Drafted 159th in 2019)

With a goal in all three games in Traverse City, Elmer Soderblom showed the consistency that the Red Wings are hoping to see from him this season. Soderblom played particularly angry against the Dallas Stars. The Red Wings liked that.

He’s 6-foot-8 and when he’s playing at a high level, he is difficult to defend against. His combination of size and scoring touch makes him dangerous in front of the net.

Given all of the offseason acquisitions, the Red Wings theoretically don’t have much room for younger players. But training camp always brings injuries with it. Soderblom did show promise in his 20-game stint with Detroit last season. He’s probably near the front of the line to be “next up” on the Red Wings.

Cross Hanas (Drafted 55th overall in 2020)

The Red Wings liked how he played last season when Hanas, 21, went down with an injury. He was also impressive in Traverse City, leading Detroit with four goals. That tied him with Columbus player Jordan Dumais and Toronto’s Brandon Lisowski for the tournament lead.

Presumably, Detroit brass would like to see Hanas log more than the 30 AHL games he had last season. But if he shows a scoring touch again this season, he could earn a trip to Detroit. Let’s not forget the Red Wings want to increase offensive production this season.

“You want guys to get pucks to the net and obviously he knows where to put them,” Watson said. “I thought his game progressed as the tournament went on. I thought his compete level was high, he was making better plays and decisions with the puck. But for him to get a couple there, that’s big because that just grows confidence in players. And we want confident players in our locker room… He should be feeling good heading into main camp.”

Marco Kasper (Drafted 8th overall in 2022)

Kasper picked up two assists in Detroit’s final game, against Toronto, at the NHL Prospects Tournament. Those were his first points of the tournament.

But even if he hadn’t produced a point, the Red Wings would not be concerned. They expect his scoring will come. In the meantime, they have a hard-nosed center who pushes himself to be better every day.

It will probably be Watson’s job in Grand Rapids to help him find his scoring touch. But if Kasper plays well in training camp, he has a shot at making the Detroit roster.

“It’s making smart decisions with the puck,” Watson said. “Knowing when to make those high-risk plays. Knowing when to make sure it’s a low-risk play. That’s gonna be part of his development, too. Whether he’s with myself or Detroit, that’s to be determined. I think for him, it’s knowing when to do that. You can see the skill. He is smart, he can make those plays. Now it’s showing him the right times to do it. You could see this weekend, there were times he did it really well and there were times he had some turnovers. But that’s correctable and it’s coachable. He wants to be coached in those areas. He wants to watch video on that. Those are the players we’re excited about and we’re excited to coach.”

Nate Danielson (Drafted 9th overall in 2023)

Danielson put up five assists in two games until he suffered a minor injury in Detroit’s third game. He showed his hockey IQ in the tournament. Even when he isn’t noticeable, he still finds a way to be in the play.

But he’s young, and it doesn’t seem possible that the Red Wings would consider keeping him. That’s not Yzerman’s history. He respects the development process.

William Wallinder (Drafted 32nd overall in 2020)

The Red Wings probably want to see Wallinder, 21, play a full season in Grand Rapids. Don’t forget that even Moritz Seider played a season in Grand Rapids.

You could tell by the way Watson used Wallinder that he believes he can be an impact player in Grand Rapids. Wallinder played in all situations, and logged plenty of minutes The Red Wings gave up too many goals in this tournament and the 6-foot-4 was only -1. He boasts strong offensive potential.

This is a player who will be a top four defenseman.

Antti Tuomisto (Drafted 35th overall in 2019)

Tuomisto has moved up in Detroit’s prospect rankings because of how well he performed in Finland in 2022-23. He’s big, and makes a strong first pass. Like Wallinder, he can kill penalties and play on the power play. Tuomisto and Wallinder fit well together.  Tuomisto is also a right shot, which makes him more valuable. His play in the Traverse City demonstrated his potential to be an effective North American pro player.

The post Where Red Wings’ Prospects Stand After Rookie Tourney appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Here are six things going on with the Detroit Red Wings that may have escaped your notice:

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.

The post Six Facts You May Have Missed About the Detroit Red Wings | DHN+ appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.