DENVER —You can’t blame the Detroit Red Wings for being glad to be rid of the Colorado Avalanche.

That team’s three top players, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, were simply too much for the Red Wings in a 7-2 loss at Ball Center on Wednesday night.

Each registered four points as Colorado scored five unanswered goals in the second and third periods.

Makar recorded his first-ever hat trick and the first by a Colorado defenseman since Sandis Ozolinsh did it in 1999. He also had an assist.

MacKinnon had a goal and three assists to lift him to 40 goals and a league-high 109 points. Rantanen added four assists.

Red Wings Fall Silent on Offense

After skating to a 2-2 tie in the first period, the Avalanche put a blanket on the Wings in the second, outshooting them 23-6 and scoring three unanswered goals. The Avalanche added two more in the third to beat the Wings for the seventh time in a row at home. In those seven losses, they have been outscored 38-16.

Robby Fabbri and David Perron both scored for the Red Wings. Alex Lyon was replaced by James Reimer in the third period.

The Red Wings lost for the third game in a row, remaining in an Eastern Conference wild card spot, four points ahead of the New York Islanders.

Time is a flat circle: tempers are flaring up between the Avs and Red Wings pic.twitter.com/j0Pv2EWI9a

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 7, 2024

Along with the anticipation and suspense that has been part of this rivalry for more than a quarter-century was speculation possible deals going into Friday’s trade deadline. The Red Wings hadn’t made a deal going into Wednesday night, but the Avalanche were busy on Wednesday.

Colorado received forward Casey Mittelstadt from Buffalo for defenseman Bowen Byram. The Avalanche also got  defenseman Sean Walker and a 2026 draft choice from Philadelphia. The Flyers got Ryan Johansen and a top-1o protected first-round pick.

Colorado GM Chris McFarland hinted more deals might be in store.

The NHL trade deadline is at 3 p.m. Friday.

Ex-Red Wing Darren Helm was honored in a pregame ceremony. Helm retired after last season after 16 seasons, He played 14 seasons in Detroit and the last two in Colorado, winning Stanley Cups with both teams.

The Red Wings are at Arizona on Friday and at Las Vegas on Saturday.

The post Red Wings Buried By Avalanche As Trade Deadline Nears appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Ben Johnson, architect of the potent Detroit Lions offense, was at Little Caesars Arena as the Detroit Red Wings attack was exploding for a 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

Coincidence?

Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde thinks not.

“It was good karma there,” Lalonde said.

High-scoring offense is kind of his thing.#LGRW https://t.co/JdcXDBL4Gw

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) February 24, 2024

Each home game, the Red Wings invite an area celebrity to sound the arena goal horn prior to the opening faceoff. Lions offensive coordinator Johnson, operator of an offense that was good for 27.1 points per game during the 2023 NFL season, was Saturday’s guest.

Several Lions players have also taken a turn at pulling the ceremonial lever. On those nights, the outcome tends to go Detroit’s way.

“The Lions, we can probably credit them for a good 6-8 points this year,” Lalonde cracked. “Gotta thank them.”

Actually, on this afternoon, the Red Wings ought to thank everybody in their lineup. This was as complete a performance from start to finish as the club has turned in this season.

Red Wings Shelve Slow Starts

The slow start, a Detroit bugaboo all campaign, became a thing of the past on Saturday. Patrick Kane scored on the game’s first shot, 33 seconds following the opening faceoff. It was 3-0 Red Wings by the 5:24 mark of the opening frame. At that juncture, the Blues were still seeking their first shot on goal.

“Obviously our last three games out were not very good starts,” Lalonde said. “The boys were skating. It culminated in some finishes in the first.”

Queries of both teams post game led to each suggesting it was one of those days. In the case of the Red Wings, it was one of those days when everything was seemingly turning to goals.

A clearance attempt by Blues forward Kasperi Kapanen banked into the net off of Detroit’s Robby Fabbri for his first goal since Jan. 17. A net-front feed by Lucas Raymond wound up banking into the St. Louis net off the skate of J.T. Compher. Alex DeBrincat, with two goals over his previous 21 games, found the net twice on Saturday.

J.T. with the redirect! pic.twitter.com/ALj6hMb4hu

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 24, 2024

“It’s nice to see those go in,” DeBrincat said. “It doesn’t happen every day. Got to take them when you get them.”

Red Wings Offensive Balance In Evidence

Detroit players continually preach depth as being the key to this season’s challenge for a playoff spot. It was certainly on display Saturday. The Red Wings got goals from three of their four lines. Four players – DeBrincat (2-1-3), Kane (1-1-2), Michael Rasmussen (1-1-2) and Raymond (0-2-2) –  would enjoy multi-point outings. Kane’s point streak is now at seven games as he’s heading back to play in his old home of Chicago on Sunday.

Impressively, the Red Wings would pot six goals without a single point from captain Dylan Larkin. He’s leading the team in scoring with 51 points.

“He contributed a lot tonight,” Raymond said of Larkin. “I think he could have had a couple.”

That being said, the Wings were showing that they don’t always need a couple from Larkin in order to get a couple of points in the standings.

“That’s a big thing for our team, the depth we have,” Raymond said. “Different players who contribute every night.”

The post Lions Karma Launches Red Wings Explosion appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Detroit Red Wings will be without forward Robby Fabbri for at least the start of the club’s current four-game road trip.

At Monday’s practice, the veteran forward was an absentee.

“Personal reasons,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde explained. “I don’t expect him to be away from our team long. So, he’s not going to go on the front end of the trip.”

Derek Lalonde said Robby Fabbri will miss the beginning of this road trip for personal reasons. Expect him to join the team in Vancouver. #LGRW

— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) February 12, 2024

Fabbri will likely only miss Tuesday’s game at Edmonton.

“We expect to have him in Vancouver (on Thursday),” Lalonde said.

Husso To Play On Road Trip

Out of NHL action since suffering a knee injury Dec. 18 against Anaheim, the chance for Ville Husso to again guard the net for the Red Wings is looming.

Could it be Turesday against the Oilers? Lalonde insists he hasn’t made that decision yet.

“Yep, I’d expect to see Husso on this trip,” Lalonde said. “I just don’t know when but we’ll get him the net here soon.”

Husso did post a shutout in a 3-0 AHL win recently for the Grand Rapids Griffins while on a conditioning assignment.

Griffins, Stevens Part Ways

The Red Wings and center Nolan Stevens on Monday mutually agreed to terminate his NHL contract. This move makes Stevens an unrestricted free agent.

The 27-year-old is a veteran of six AHL seasons, playing 289 games in the league. Originally a 2016 draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, in his first season with the Red Wings organization, Stevens was good for 3-8-11 numbers and a plus-nine rating through 31 games for the Griffins.

UPDATE: The @DetroitRedWings and center Nolan Stevens on Monday mutually agreed to terminate his NHL contract #GoGRG

DETAILS >> https://t.co/TELhbiN4hf pic.twitter.com/5mEFr8NsM5

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) February 13, 2024

Due to the AHL rule limiting the number of veteran players enable to suit up for a game, Stevens has been a healthy scratch on several occasions this season.

He originally signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with Detroit on July 3. Stevens spent last season on an AHL contract with the Utica Comets.

The post Red Wings Notebook: Fabbri Taking Personal Leave appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

It’s been a long time since the Detroit Red Wings could boast of the balance and depth that exists up and down the club’s current roster. This season, it’s also been awhile since the Detroit squad was able to load all of their firepower up and aim it directly at the opposition.

Not only does Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde boast of a wealth of talent among his forward lines, suddenly he is also awash in depth. He has more forwards than he has available spots in his lineup.

Boys are back! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/tVGwhjfs7q

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 8, 2024

“We’re going to have some tough decisions for scratches,” Lalonde said. “But that’s all part of it. Those are good problems to have.”

Red Wings Dropping Fabbri To Fourth Line

With Patrick Kane returning from a lower-body injury, the Red Wings have 13 healthy forwards. Currently, it’s Klim Kostin who’s the odd man out.

Kane is slotting in on the second line alongside J.T. Compher and David Perron. Despite the history of chemistry between Kane and Alex DeBrincat, Lalonde is opting to maintain the trio of Dylan Larkin with DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond. Fabbri drops from the second line down to a fourth-line spot with Joe Veleno and Daniel Sprong.

The only line remaining intact from prior to the club’s Feb. 1 break is the unit of Andrew Copp, Michael Rasmussen and Christian Fischer. Arguably, they’ve been Detroit’s most effective 200-foot line during the club’s current 9-2-2 run.

“Hopefully like Copp’s line, we can build chemistry and start to click offensively again,” Larkin of the Red Wings top two units.

Firepower On All Four Lines

The Red Wings boast 10 players with 10+ goals and you’ll find them populating all four foward units. Few NHL teams can boast of Detroit’s scoring depth.

The scoring balance of the squad was among the mitigating factors convincing UFA Kane to be choosing the Red Wings as his next team.

“That was one of the things I liked about the team here from the start of the season was just the depth on the team,” Kane said. “You can really count on different guys throughout your lineup to step up every night.”

guess I've been sleeping on the Red Wings offence this season. Tops in the Eastern Conference. #Canucks better not doze in Detroit like they did in Boston especially with Wings getting Patrick Kane back from injury pic.twitter.com/bGAOSTh24C

— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) February 9, 2024

Even fewer teams can count on the kind of scoring that Detroit’s new-look fourth line is capable of delivering. Between them, Sprong (13), Fabbri (13) and Veleno (nine) have illuminated 35 red lamps this season.

“Guys like Spronger and Fabbs, they can score, they can put the puck in the net when they get their chances,” Larkin said. “When you get late into the season, you get in tight games. You need goals like that. You need goals from each line.

“Someone needs to be a hero at different times. That’s why good depth teams make it far.”

Lalonde finds himself with options, and that’s position every coach loves. It also bodes well for Detroit making a strong run to the finish line and ending the club’s seven-season postseason drought.

His fingers adorned with three Stanley Cup rings, Kane has witnessed this formula work well in the past.

“Every team that I’ve been on that’s won had a lot of depth,” Kane said. “We could really build our game here going into the playoffs.”

The post How Red Wings Lines Shake Out Going Forward appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Extending their point streak to seven games (6-0-1), the Detroit Red Wings exorcised another demon from their recent years of failure.

With captain Dylan Larkin scoring on the power play 1:09 into overtime, Detroit edged the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Wednesday. It was the first win by the Red Wings in 11 games against the Panthers and the team’s first win in seven games at Florida.

THIS. TEAM. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/9Xyy25p5zq

— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) January 18, 2024

“This team has had our number the past couple of years,” Larkin told Bally Sports Detroit. “It’s huge to get a win.”

Resilient Red Wings Battle Back Again

It was also the second game in a row that Detroit would rally from a 2-1 third-period deficit for a victory. On Sunday at Toronto, the Red Wings came roaring back for a 4-2 triumph over the Maple Leafs.

Very similar to the other night,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “We gave ourselves a chance going into the third down 2-1 and found a way.

“It’s very hard to win in this league, very hard to win when trailing going into the third, especially against some of these elite teams, so I give our guys a ton of credit for battling throughout. Just a really good road win against a top echelon team.”

Wednesday, Detroit put Toronto in the rear-view mirror. The win over the Panthers was also vaulting the Red Wings into third spot in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of the Maple Leafs. Detroit hasn’t qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs since the 2015-16 season.

Larkin Atones For Giveaway

Larkin’s game winner on the power play made up for his first-period giveaway on another Detroit power play, resulting in Sam Reinhart’s shorthanded tally.

Both the Panthers (Aleksander Barkov) and Red Wings (Patrick Kane) were missing key players due to lower-body injuries. In fact, when Larkin was netting the game winner, he was doing so while filling Kane’s role on the power play.

“With Kaner out, that spot where he likes to do his thing, I was put over there,” Larkin explained. “I was supposed to slide down to the goal line. But they were kind of playing a diamond. We were trying to get it through.

CAPTAIN CLUTCH! @Dylanlarkin39 buries the game-winning goal in overtime, completing the comeback! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/uZCpbZQP5m

— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) January 18, 2024

“We had some looks but I saw that the defenseman was kind of out of position, caught high and I could use him as a screen.”

Michael Rasmussen counted a goal and assist for Detroit. His tally was Rasmussen’s 10th of the season. It’s the third season in a row that he’s hit double digits in the goals column. Rasmussen also became the sixth Red Wings player with at least 10 goals so far this season.

Defenseman Olli Maatta was dishing out a pair of assists on the night.He also collected two assists Nov. 16 against Ottawa.

Red Wings Goalie Lyon Beats Old Team

Last season, Alex Lyon was helping the Panthers grab the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Wednesday with 32 saves, he was moving the Red Wings to within six points of Florida in the standings.

“Obviously, it always feel good to beat the team you played for last year, but a lot of respect for those guys and they got a fantastic team,” Lyon said. “They played really well tonight.”

Lyon improved to 6-1-1 in his last eight games. Meanwhile, the Red Wings were beating Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for jjust the second time over the last 22 games. It was the first time in 14 games that Detroit put more than two pucks behind Bobrovsky.

The post Red Wings Beat Panthers, Move Into Third in Atlantic appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity and in the case of the Detroit Red Wings, the benefactor will be Klim Kostin.

Detroit will be activating Kostin from IR and inserting him into the lineup for Wednesday’s road game against the Florida Panthers. He’ll be replacing the injured Patrick Kane (lower-body).

“Klim coming off IR, he’ll slide right in,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “Probably won’t have a lot of different looks with the lines. Obviously that (Dylan) Larkin line (wth Lucas Raymond and David Perron) has some chemistry, playing very well of late, as has the (Andrew) Copp line (with Michael Rasmussen and Christian Fischer).

from Florida!#RedWings, Panthers: 7pm tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/UhbUL0nQjO

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 16, 2024

“We have some depth. Put Klim in and go from there. Probably similar 12 and 6 to what we saw the other day.”

Kostin has missed the past 12 games due to an upper-body injury.

Lalonde is considering using both Robby Fabbri and Daniel Sprong alongside J.T. Compher and Alex DeBrincat in the spot left vacant by Kane’s injury.

“Both those guys have hot sticks right now, so I like where we can go with that,” Lalonde said.

Red Wings Walman Still Ailing

Defenseman Jake Walman, who performs in the top pairing alongside Moritz Seider, remains under the weather. He’ll be missing his third successive game on Wednesday.

“Jake Walman is still ill,” Lalonde said. “He won’t be available (Wednesday) but we’re hoping he’ll be able to go for Carolina (on Friday).”

Husso Back On The Ice

Another long-term absentee, goaltender Ville Husso hasn’t been seen in action since suffering a lower-body injury Dec. 18 against the Anaheim Ducks. Husso was back on the ice at practice on Tuesday. However, Lalonde was cautioning that the road ahead for the Detroit netminder remains long.

“Ville is probably still in that week to week range but obviously it’s a good sign that he’s able to take some reps here,” Lalonde said. “It’s a matter of him getting more strength to his lower body before he sees some action.”

With a 3 p.m. kickoff for Sunday’s Lions vs. Buccaneers game, the #RedWings vs. Lightning game at Little Caesars Arena will now start at 7 p.m!

Restaurants open at 11:30 a.m.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Reserve parking at https://t.co/V81RwmumED
https://t.co/jdsGTK4m9r pic.twitter.com/KtKB6DzYjf

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 16, 2024

Ice Chips

Sunday’s Red Wings game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Little Caesars Arena has undergone a starting time change. The puck will now drop at 7 p.m. ET, instead of the originally-scheduled 5 p.m. The move was made so as not to clash with the 3 p.m. kickoff at Ford Field for the NFL Playoff game between the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers . . . The Red Wings and the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL are extending their affiliate agreement for another three years.

The post Red Wings Notebook: Kostin Back in; Walman Still Out appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Slowly but surely, the Detroit Red Wings are finding the formula for success as an NHL club. And it isn’t by outscoring the other team.

It’s all about keeping the other team from scoring.

“We’v e been trending in the right direction, so it’s nice to kind of get rewarded for it,” Detroit forward Patrick Kane said after Saturday’s 5-3 home-ice win over the Los Angeles Kings.

The Red Wings can put the puck in the net. Of that there is no doubt. With 151 goals scored, they lead the Eastern Conference are situated fourth overall in the NHL.

It's Showtime for Patrick Kane! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/YPbvKVkbM1

— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) January 14, 2024

It’s been their defensive player that’s holding the Red Wings back from climbing steadily in the standings. However, Saturday’s win saw them improve to 5-1-1 over the past seven games. In the last five outings, Detroit has held opponents to three goals or less in each of them.

“Our five on five play, we’re defending much better,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “Still some moments within our game but those first 40 minutes of five-on-five, I think we had many only 2-3 chances (against) total. One was on the power play.

“I think things we’ve been trying to translate from practice have been working. Obviously, it’s been a very good run for us here.”

In the seven games previous to this five-game stretch of tighter, more consistent defensive play, the Wings gave up more than three goals six times.

Red Wings Putting Emphasis On Defense

“I think just the emphasis on playing well defensively,” Kane listed as the biggest difference he’s seen in the team during their recent run of success.

“They were scoring a lot of goals in front of our net, just getting tips on pucks. We’re doing a better job of getting on their sticks to make sure that’s not happening.”

ROBBY FABBRI MAKES IT 3-1 #LGRW pic.twitter.com/geR1IwzkJD

— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) January 14, 2024

He’s not the only one in red and white seeing this turnaround in disciplined play without the puck. Captain Dylan Larkin, who was pacing the offense with two goals on Saturday, was echoing Kane’s sentiments.

“There’s a lot of emphasis on it,” Larkin said of improving their defensive game. “That was a 1-1 game for awhile tonight. We played well and then we got our offense going and scored in bunches.”

By the end of the second period, it was 5-1 Red Wings.

“We still have things we can get better on But I feel the last five games we’ve been really good at clearing out the front of the net,” Larkin said. “Kinger’s (goalie Alex Lyon) been making some big saves for us.”

Lyon is giving Detroit reliable netminding, and that’s another element in formulating the turnaround in fortunes. The Wings went 3-for-3 on the power play while beating the Kings.

“We’ve kind of had some consistency in our lineup and the lines,” Kane said. “We’re starting to develop chemistry and just understanding our roles out there.”

The post Red Wings Beat Kings For Fifth Win in Seven Starts appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

LOS ANGELES — You can lose a lot of money while betting and trying to chase streaks.

And four games isn’t a reliable indicator of a streak.

But the Detroit Red Wings showed more signs Thursday of emerging from a funk that began a month ago.

Patrick Kane scored the game-winner in a shootout, lifting Detroit to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. It was the Red Wings’ second win on a three-game California road trip and ended a six-game losing streak to the Kings.

Robby Fabbri scored twice for the Red Wings, and Lucas Raymond set up Kane’s heroics with a goal earlier in the shootout.

Alex Lyon had 40 saves for the Wings, who won their second in a row and third in their last four.

“He just did what he’s been doing every start this year,” Fabbri said of Lyon. “You know, kicking, making big saves. When he makes that extra save that we need, that gets the bench going. He was a big spark to our team tonight.”

Eastern Conference Playoff Race Tighter

The win lifted the Red Wings (19-16-4) into a four-way tie for ninth in the Eastern Conference with New Jersey, Washington and Pittsburgh.

Every point is precious for the Red Wings, who are five points out of fourth place.

“I just think it’s a little fight and the bounce back after a poor first period,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “I loved our second (period). It’s probably one of our best periods in a while. Especially after playing that poorly in the first on the road against a very good team. Then a good third, obviously, getting the lead and giving it up hanging in there in the end and got her done in the show.”

The numbers weren’t kind for the Wings going into Thursday’s game.

As in, the Wings had lost six in a row to the Kings.

As in, the Kings got 18 shots on goal in the first period, beating Lyon twice in the first 4:18, the second goal by Detroit native Matt Roy.

But the Wings tightened up on defense after that, and the Kings reverted to recent form which had seen them lose three in a row.

The second period saw more of the same from Detroit. Fabbri ended a recent slump by scoring at the midpoint of the period and Jeff Petry scored from near the blue line to tie it late.

Fabbri gave the Wings the lead on a wrister  5:24 into the third period. Adrian Kempe, who scored the Kings’ first goal, tied it with 4:17 remaining in regulation.

Earlier in the day, Alex DeBrincat was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team, while L.A. goalie Cam Talbot, who did not play Thursday, was named to the Western Conference All-Stars.

Andrew Copp, dealing with a upper-body injury, was scratched for the first time this season.

The road trip ends Sunday at Anaheim.

The post Red Wings End Kings’ Reign With 4-3 Shootout Win appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron got off the snide in Tuesday’s win over the San Jose Sharks. His two-goal performance marked the first time that Perron was denting twine sinice a similar two-goal outburst Nov. 26 against the Minnesota Wild.

Now that he’s going ahead, here’s a look at five other Red Wings players who need to shake the doldrums and get back to doing what they do best in order to help the club move back into the NHL playoff picture.

Red Wings Copp Goalless For 25 Games

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s have come and gone since Detroit forward Andrew Copp last scored a goal. For that matter, so have Veterans Day, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

It was Nov. 7 at Madison Square Garden when Copp scored for the second game in a row against his old club the New York Rangers. That was 25 games ago.

After Copp was posting a career-high 21-goal season in a campaign split between the Winnipeg Jets and Rangers, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was opting to sign Copp to a five-year, $28,125,000 UFA contract.

FIRST SHARKS GOAL OF 2024@FabianZetterlun | #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/1YqdjsOCwA

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 3, 2024

It’s not looking like money well spent. Last season, his first in Detroit, Copp was limited to nine goals. Part of the reason for his decline in production was chalked up to offseason core surgery.

There’s been no such health issues this season, yet Copp is on pace to score just 11 goals. He was minus-three in Tuesday’s 5-3 win at San Jose. Copp diod manage to accidentally push the puck into the Red Wings net for what the soccer folk call an own goal.

A lower-body injury is leaving Copp as questionable for Thursday’s game at Los Angeles, which at this point, could be looked upon as a blessing in disguise.

Fabbri Fading Fast

There was a buzz of excitement when forward Robby Fabbri netted seven goals in his first 11 games coming back from his latest injury. Lately, he’s dried up like skin in winter.

Fabbri has gone 10 games without a goal. He’s dished out one assist in that span and is minus five.

Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde played Fabbri as his fourth-line center against the Sharks.

Gostisbehere A 5-on-5 Nightmare

Here are two stats that will give you pause. Over his past eight games, Red Wings defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has accounted for 2-3-5 totals. Through his last six games, Gostisbehere is also minus-11.

Advanced stats and eye test confirming how I’ve felt about Gostisbehere lately https://t.co/SjMvThrBk8

— Buschy – Red Wings Report (@buschyRWR) January 3, 2024

When it comes to being a reliable 5-on-5 performer, the Ghost is ghosting Detroit. He was a minus-three at San Jose, dropping him to a team-worst minus-17. He’s proving to be what Gostisbehere’s reputation says he is – a guy who will make your power play click, but can’t be trusted defensively at even strength.

Veleno Has Vanished

Like Fabbri, Veleno was turning heads early on when he scored five goals during a five-game span in October. The 2018 first-round pick was even earning minutes skating on Detroit’s top forward line.

Tuesday, Veleno found himself skating alongside Fabbri on the fourth line. He’s tallied twice over the past 27 games. Veleno is minus-11 in his past 12 games.

Red Wings Need More From Moritz

It would be wrong to suggest that Moritz Seider’s overall game has been poor. However, what’s been entirely noticeable lately is that Detroit’s No. 1 defenseman is making some very un-Seider-like errors.

In the New Year’s Eve loss to Boston, Seider sought to skate the puck out of the Detroit zone past two defenders when he was literally the only Red Wings player on the ice who was involved in the play. There have been ill-advised pinches leading to odd-man rushes the opposite way, and soft clearance attempts that were easily intercepted. He endured a run from Dec. 7-27 in which he was minus-eight.

No one expects Seider to be perfect. However, with Detroit’s lack of depth of quality defenders, the Red Wings need to be able to count on him to be making wise decisions with the puck.

The post Five Red Wings Who Need to Get Going appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The script was familiar for the Detroit Red Wings and so was the outcome. They fell behind early to the Minnesota Wild and then completely collapsed in the third period.

A 6-3 road loss to the Wild on Wednesday was fashioned through the usual self-inflicted wounds that have become commonplace in Detroit’s game during the club’s 2-8-1 current slide.

“I think all game we didn’t do a good job of managing the puck,” Detroit forward Alex DeBrincat said. “We had way too many turnovers.

“I think we gave them all they had. We gave them all their chances.”

No. 10 for Bolds is a BEAUTY! #mnwild pic.twitter.com/0KhC74xG5i

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) December 28, 2023

For the sixth time in seven games, the Wings fell behind, this time just 38 seconds following the opening faceoff. A neutral-zone collision between Detroit forward David Perron and defenseman Moritz Seider created chaos in the team’s defensive zone, leading to a goal from a wide-open Matt Boldy.

Minnesota goals resulting from Detroit miscues was a recurring pattern on the night. Marcus Johansson gave Minnesota a 2-1 lead following an ill-advised pinch by Red Wings rearguard Ben Chiarot.

An absolute howitzer from @Brinksy97 on the power play ties things up once again for Detroit! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/XVfapkun7f

— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) December 28, 2023

In the third period, after DeBrincat’s power-play goal made it 2-2, a bad Seider pinch led to a Ryan Hartman goal. Detroit defenseman Simon Edvinsson lost a puck battle along the boards to Pat Maroon, resulting in a Marcus Foligno tally. then Johansson stripped the puck from Red Wings forward Robby Fabbri for his second of the night.

In a span of 2:07, it was 5-2 Wild.

“We gave them everything,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “Inability to manage the game. Turnovers, and they cost us.”

Different-Looking Red Wings

A significant element in the 15-9-4 start by the Red Wings was a much more diligent commitment to defense. That part of their game has evaporated during their current 2-9-1 skid.

“It’s mind-boggling to play right for 6-7 minutes and then have a high turnover or a careless play, not getting a puck deep, and giving up easy offense,” Lalonde said.

“This is all self-inflicted. This is not the team over the first 25 games. The turnovers and the carelessness, this was not our DNA at all, and of late, it’s changed.

“It better change back if we want to give ourselves a chance to get back into this.”

Sick Bay Getting Crowded

While both forward Christian Fischer and defenseman Jeff Petry were out following their head-on-head collision in Saturday’s 3-2 loss at New Jersey, there was a suprise addition to the injury list. Forward Joe Veleno was a scratch with an undisclosed injury.

None of that trio is expected back in time for Friday’s home date with the Nashville Predators. However, goalie Alex Lyon (lower-body injury) and defenseman Olli Maatta (upper-body injury) could be back in action Friday.

The post Red Wings Suffer Wild Setback in Minnesota appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.