The Daily: Red Wings Must Shake Off Rust; Do Flyers Want Another Bryzgalov?

The Detroit Red Wings created considerable playoff momentum in January by going 9-2-2. Moneypuck.com says the Red Wings have a 50.7% probability of playing in the postseason. However, the Red Wings are coming off an eight-day break. They haven’t played or practiced since Jan. 31. They are concerned about where their game is at.

Detroit Hockey Now’s story this week laid out what Coach Derek Lalonde‘s team must do to give themselves a better shot to make the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons.

It starts with continuing to play with the defensive commitment they showed in January. They have given up two or fewer goals in regulation in eight of their last 11 games. That’s not a standard we had seen earlier in this season.

The Red Wings are hoping that Patrick Kane and Ben Chiarot will return from injury to rejoin the lineup this week.  Lalonde likely will provide more information about their timetable after today’s practice.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Former Detroit player Igor Larionov seems to be the favorite to become the first Russian to be a head coach with an NHL team.
• Janne Niinimaa has a place in Winged Wheel lore because he was the defenseman Darren McCarty beat on Detroit’s 1997 Stanley Cup-clinching goal. Now, Niinimaa is in trouble with the law.
• The Detroit Red Wings have 10 players with 10 or more goals. They are on pace for a franchise record.
• Paywall story: Tim Robinson writes about the difficulty of building through the draft. Key prospects, such as Filip Larsson, don’t always make it.

Red Wings Next Game

The Detroit squad resumes practice today for the first time in eight days. They are preparing to play the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday at home (1 p.m. matinee). The Red Wings were 9-2-2 in January, but the Canucks have the NHL’s best record this season. The Canucks have already played once this week and have a game tonight against Boston. Can the Red Wings shake off the rust.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Rookie forward Matthew Poitras had surgery to repair his injured shoulder and he will be five months.  Boston Bruins.

Calgary: It appears a decision about defenseman Noah Hanifin’s future with the Calgary Flames will soon be made.  If no deal on a new contract is reached, Hanifin will be traded before the March 8 NHL trade deadline.

Florida: Colby Guy writes that the Florida Panthers stumbled out of the break and looked listless when they fell to Philadelphia Flyers. We can guess that the Red Wings coaching staff took note of that.

Nashville: Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon already leads the NHL in hits, but his lead grew by 29 after the NHL audited its hitting statistics. Nashville Predators. 

Philadelphia: Will the Philadelphia Flyers consider taking Ilya Bryzgalov’s son in the 2024 draft? That would be a fun story.

Pittsburgh: Dan Kingerski’s thoughts on the Pittsburgh Penguins include some fair criticism of a couple of important players.