Detroit Red Wings fans will be tuning into tonight’s game with Toronto to see if their team can keep their playoff hopes alive. But they could end up seeing Auston Matthews accomplish an NHL feat that hasn’t been seen in 31 years.

Matthews needs two goals to become the NHL’s first 70-goal scorer since the 1992-93 season when Teemu Selanne (Winnipeg) and Alexander Mogilny (Buffalo) both scored 76 goals. Mogilny did it in 77 games and Selanne, then a rookie, played all 84 of his team’s games.

Matthews owns a seven-game scoring streak during which he has scored nine goals to get to 68. The Maple Leafs are motivated to help him to arrive at 70 in this game because they want to rest some of the Toronto veterans in their final two games before the playoffs begin. A motivated Toronto squad is not good news for the Red Wings who need to win this game to have a fair chance to qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

The Red Wings have severely damaged their odds by losing 2-1 to Washington on Tuesday and falling 6-5 in overtime to Pittsburgh this week.

Leafs Auston Matthews scores his 68th goal of the season.

He's now on pace to record the 15th 70-goal season in NHL history pic.twitter.com/ej7mnSREGS

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 12, 2024

Game Time

Thursday: Detroit at Toronto

Where: Scotiabank Arena

TV/RADIO: Bally Sports Detroit/97.1 FM

Time: 7 p.m.

Maple Leafs Preview

Max Domi missed yesterday’s practice, but he did participate in this morning’s optional skate. He’s officially day to day. Defenseman Timothy Liljegren (upper body) is expected to play today…Matthews has 18 multiple-goal games this season, including six hat tricks… Earlier this season, goalie Ilya Samsonov was struggling to the point that the Maple Leafs sent him to the minors. He cleared waivers to arrive there. Samsonov worked on his game, came back to the team, and he’s 18-4-1 in his last 23 decisions…The Maple Leafs are lined up to play the Florida Panthers in the first round. But the Panthers are only one point behind the Boston Bruins for the No. 1 spot in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins do have a game in hand.

Red Wings Preview

The Red Wings are going with James Reimer in net. Reimer has won three of his last four starts and he beat Toronto Jan. 14, giving up only two goals on 30 shots. . .  Other than in net, same lineup as last game. Forwards Andrew Copp (broken cheekbone) and Michael Rasmussen (upper body injury) are still out…Alex DeBrincat has scored one goal in his past 20 games…Lucas Raymond has five goals and three assists for eight points in his past five games.

The post Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs: Lines, Notes & How to Watch appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Red Wings fans were certainly excited to see Alex DeBrincat netting the game winner on Saturday against Tampa Bay in his Detroit hometown debut. Imagine then how excited Toronto Maple Leafs fans are about the work Auston Matthews is doing in the NHL’s red light district.

Two games, two hat tricks for Auston Matthews (@AM34). #NHLFaceOff

Is that good? pic.twitter.com/TjLthxcWN7

— NHL (@NHL) October 15, 2023

Netting three goals in Saturday’s 7-4 win over the Minnesota Wild, Matthews became just the fifth player in NHL history to record consecutive hat-tricks in the first two games of the season. Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin did it in 2017-18. The other three players all did it in 1917-18, the NHL’s inaugural season – Joe Malone, Cy Denneny and Reg Noble.

Of that group, Noble is worthy of note, for he would go on to play for and captain the Red Wings. A Stanley Cup winner with the Toronto Arenas (1917-18), Toronto St. Patricks (1921-22) and Montreal Maroons (1925-26), Detroit coach-GM Jack Adams was a former teammate of Noble’s. He acquired the veteran in 1927 to bring some experience to his second-year Detroit squad.

#WaybackWednesday 96 years ago today ON THIS DAY in hockey history (October 4, 1927):

The Detroit Cougars purchase the contract of Reg Noble from the Montrel Maroons for $7,500 cash pic.twitter.com/vCyrNeb9R7

— Vintage Hockey Showcase (@hockey_vintage) October 4, 2023

While playing for Detroit during the 1929-30 season, Noble became the NHL’s all-time leader in assists. He finally left the league in 1933, retiring as the last active original NHLer to skate in the league. Noble would earn enshrinement into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Detroit goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa made 40 saves in his AHL season debut for the Grand Rapids Griffins
• Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond was a big hit in their win over Tampa Bay
• Detroit 2023 first-round draft pick Axel Sandin Pellikka is continuing to light red lamps in Sweden

Red Wings Next Game

Hitting the road again, Detroit is in Columbus to face the Blue Jackets on Monday (7 p.m. ET). The Red Wings won both games at Nationwide Arena last season by a combined scored of 10-3. Detroit was swapping veteran minor-league forwards prior to this game. Going back down to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins was Zach Aston-Reese. Rising to Detroit is Austin Czarnik.

Atlantic Division

Boston: Would it ever be possible for the Boston Bruins to work out a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning for disgruntled center Steven Stamkos?

Buffalo: In agreeing to terms with defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power and forwards Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens on long-term deals, the Buffalo Sabres have locked up their core players for a very long time.

Florida: The Florida Panthers are off to an 0-2 start to the NHL season.

Montreal: Joy over the Montreal Canadiens win against Chicago was tempered by an injury to forward Kirby Dach.

Ottawa: The Ottawa Senators continue to be without forwards Josh Norris (shoulder injury) and Shane Pinto (contract holdout).

Tampa Bay: Captain Steven Stamkos was absent from Sunday’s game at Ottawa due to a lower-body injury.

Toronto: Auston Matthews insists that there was never any substance to rumors that he was considering leaving the Maple Leafs.

Hockey Now Network

Pittsburgh: The early bottom line on the bottom six forwards for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Philadelphia: Philadelphia Flyers GM Daniel Briere is ready to talk trade with other NHL teams.

Washington: New dad Darcy Kuemper was back in the Washington Capitals net at practice on Sunday and is expected to play Monday.

Islanders: For better or worse, the season opener for the New York Islanders was indicative of who they are as a team.

New Jersey: Former Red Wings forward Tomas Nosek is day-to-day for the New Jersey Devils with a lower-body injury.

Carolina: The Carolina Hurricanes won a nine-round shootout to beat the Los Angeles Kings.

Chicago: As much fun as it is to see Connor Bedard in action, there’s little joy in watching the painful rebuild of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Colorado: Colorado Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev won his 100th NHL game.

San Jose: The story behind MacKenzie Blackwood’s San Jose Sharks goalie mask.

Vegas: Defining the Vegas Golden Knights season so far – injuries, a suspension and great goaltending.

The post The Daily: Matthews on Unique NHL List Alongside Former Red Wings Player; Could Bruins Find a Way to Land Stamkos? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

There were rumblings last summer – some of them from people familiar with the situation with the Detroit Red Wings organization – that GM Steve Yzerman was planning to go all-in in an attempt to sign Auston Matthews.

The Toronto Maple Leafs 60-goal scorer would’ve become an unresticted free agent following the 2023-24 NHL season. Matthews and Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin are close friends from their time together with USA Hockey’s national team development program. It was during this time that Matthews was also developing a fondness for Michigan.

I feel fortunate to continue this journey as a Maple Leaf in front of the best fans in hockey! I will do everything I can to help get us to the top of the mountain. GLG! #LeafsForever

— Auston Matthews (@AM34) August 23, 2023

It was those factors, coupled with salary cap space in Detroit that was supposed to be creating the perfect storm for Yzerman to open the vault in pursuit of the 2021-22 Hart Trophy winner.

Alas, we’ll never know. On Wednesday, Matthews was agreeing to a four-year, $53-million contract extension with the Leafs that is making him the NHL’s highest-paid player.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Detroit has made 12 second-round draft picks since Steve Yzerman was named GM in 2019. Not one has played an NHL game
• The Red Wings were signing center Joe Veleno to a one-year contract
• Detroit draft pick Kiril Tyutyayev is joining the ECHL Toledo Walleye
• Red Wings draft pick Albert Johansson is looking forward to finally getting his NHL chance

Red Wings Offseason

In the KHL Puchkov Tournament, SKA St. Petersburg was rallying from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Sochi 4-3.

#BuchSZN
#LGRW Dmitri Buchelnikov
3-2 SKA #Puchkov pic.twitter.com/h9FIkxE4Zc

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) August 23, 2023

Red Wings draftee Dmitri Buchelnikov was among the scorers for SKA.

Hockey Now Network

Pittsburgh: Now that Auston Matthews has signed with Toronto for an AAV of $13.25 million, what might Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby be worth when he becomes a UFA in 2025?

Philadelphia: Here are some betting odds on the Philadelphia Flyers for the upcoming NHL season.

Washington: Despite his struggles, center Evgeny Kuznetsov remains an important player for the Washington Capitals.

Islanders: What should the expectations be for center Bo Horvat in his first full season with the New York Islanders?

Carolina: Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns of the Carolina Hurricanes both cracked the NHL Network’s rankings of the top-20 defensemen.

Boston: An NHL source is indicating that the Boston Bruins would have interest if Calgary Flames forward Elias Lindholm were still on the trading block a month from now.

Buffalo: Assessing Buffalo Sabres prospect Stiven Sardarian.

Florida: Forward Carter Verhaeghe is becoming a legend with the Florida Panthers.

Montreal: Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach is doing offseason training to improve his shot mechanics.

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Colorado: A first look at forward Miles Wood in his new Colorado Avalanche colors.

Chicago: Is the roster of the Chicago Blackhawks truly brutal beyond the presence of No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard?

Nashville: These were the first worst free agent signings of the David Poile era with the Nashville Predators.

Vegas: If the Jack Eichel trade never happenend with the Vegas Golden Knights still have won the Stanley Cup? Would the Buffalo Sabres have made the playoffs if they’d kept Eichel?

San Jose: Are the pieces in place for the San Jose Sharks to ice a decent power play this season?

Los Angeles: Tyler Toffoli, who played for coach Darryl Sutter in Calgary and with the Los Angeles Kings, discusses the mind games Sutter would play with his players.

The post The Daily: Would Red Wings Have Made a Run at Matthews? Buchelnikov Tallies in Russia appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The NHL Network ranked Dylan Larkin 19th among NHL centers, just behind Evgeni Malkin (18th), Anze Kopitar (17th) and Sebastian Aho (16th).

He’s obviously in good company.

The only problem for the Red Wings is that five other Atlantic Division centers are ranked ahead of him in the NHL Network ranking. The Atlantic Division is a quality division with a deep collection of quality centers.

Here is our ranking of the Atlantic Division centers:

1. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

Matthews has netted 188 goals over the past four seasons. The NHL Network ranked him No. 3 among centers, behind Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.

The 6-foot-3 Matthews is a thick, strong forward with a quick release and a heavy shot. He works at his game, and he becomes a better all-around player every season.

Auston Matthews scored 40 goals last season, his fourth straight season with 40+

How many goals will the @MapleLeafs center score this year? #NHLTopPlayers | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/ecRcRtjiGm

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 8, 2023

2. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay

Point is coming off his best NHL season of 51 goals and 95 points in 2022-23. This is a guy who scores big goals in big games. He was drafted by Steve Yzerman when he was Tampa Bay’s general manager.

Point played a major role in helping the Lightning win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021. Yzerman has certainly been looking to draft another center like Point.

3. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers

Barkov is 27 and boasts a reputation as one of the best all-around centers in the game. He’s already won a Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward. He’s a beast.

He missed 14 games last season because of injury and illness and still managed to finish with 78 points. Barkov has finished with as many as 96 points in a season. In his career, Barkov shows 631 points in 664 games.

4. Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres

Red Wings fans understand what Thompson can do. Thompson put up three goals to help the Sabres crush the Red Wings 8-3 last Halloween. The Red Wings had no answer for Thompson who is 6-foot-7 with exceptional hands and instincts.

Thompson finished sixth with 47 goals and 15th overall with 94 points.  It’s harder to think of a player who grew his game as much as Thompson did last season.

5. Tim Stutzle, Ottawa Senators

The Senators drafted Stutzle at No. 3, one spot ahead of the Red Wings. Stutzle looks like he could end up the best player in that draft. He already has 177 points in 210 games. By contrast, Lucas Raymond, drafted at No. 4, boasts 102 points in 156 games.

Last season, Stutzle posted 90 points. The way Stutzle is improving he could be soon pushing for a higher place among the league’s best centers.

6. Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings

Now 27, Larkin is coming off his best NHL production of 79 points. He netted his third season of scoring 30 or more goals. He isn’t the premium scorer that some fans want him to be, but he can be a difference maker with his skating and skill. He’s a leader and he cares deeply about trying to get this team into the playoffs.

At this point of the Red Wings’ rebuild, Larkin plays a major role in whether they succeed or fail on a nightly basis.

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7. Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens

Suzuki has shown improvement each season and he’s still only 23 years old. Would project he will register 70 or more points this season.

His acquisition from the Vegas Golden Knights was certainly among the team’s best decisions in recent years.

8. Charlie Coyle, Boston Bruins

With Patrice Bergeron retiring and David Krejci headed back to Czechia, Coyle is the best center they have. He’s a first-rate No. 3 center, an occasional No. 2 center, but not a first-line center. He’s dependable, strong on his skates, can contribute offensively. But over 11 seasons, he has been a 20-goal scorer only once.

The Bruins don’t have the cap space to acquire a top-six center, but if they end up with someone on the long-term injured reserve, they undoubtedly will look for a skilled center.  The Bruins may also be looking at a hockey trade to fill the hole.

The post Where Dylan Larkin Fits Among Atlantic Division Centers appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The celebration of Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews’ 60-goal season as the first by an American-born player is both accurate and appropriate.

But it is also confusing.

Brett Hull is a proud American and scored 70 or more goals in the NHL in three different seasons. His best season was 1990-91 when he netted 86 goals for the St. Louis Blues. Here’s the issue: Hull, son of NHL great Bobby Hull, was born in Belleville, Ontario. His mother is American. He grew up playing hockey in Canada. Brett Hull came to America to play college hockey at Minnesota-Duluth and he still lives here today. He started playing for U.S. National teams in 1986. He’s in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

Hull, who helped the Red Wings win a Stanley Cup in 2002, still holds the record for most goals in a season by an American player. But Matthews, born and raised in Arizona, holds the record for most goals by an American-born player.  There’s a difference.

Here is every NHL season where an American has reached both 50 goals and 100 points:
1988 Jimmy Carson
1989 Joe Mullen
1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993 Brett Hull
1990 and 1993 Pat LaFontaine
1992 and 1993 Kevin Stevens
1992 and 1993 Jeremy Roenick
2022 Auston Matthews

— Jake Baskin (@jakebaskinpxp) April 22, 2022

It’s a distinction not a controversy.  USA Hockey spokesman Dave Fischer said the organization happily celebrates both players.

“We embrace Brett,” Fischer said. “We love him. He’s an American through and through.”

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Celebrating the Grassroots

But Fischer said Matthews’ season offers a different level of accomplishment. “Auston is the first American-born player who grew up playing in the U.S. and we can celebrate the grassroot contributions (to his development),” Fischer said.

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The fact that Matthews grew up in Arizona, which is a non-traditional market, provides another reason for USA Hockey to trumpet his success.  In recent years, the NHL has been mining hockey talent out of several states that were not considered hockey areas 25 years ago. Matthews’ success speaks to that growth.

But USA Hockey hasn’t forgotten about Brett Hull. Fischer said Hull has told USA Hockey he is always willing to do what he can to help the program. Hull played three seasons for the Detroit Red Wings from 2001-04.

The post Don’t Forget Ex-Red Wing Brett Hull on the American 60-Goal List appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Carolina Hurricanes boast the NHL’s best goals-against average and Auston Matthews scored twice against them earlier this month. Calgary is second in GAA and Matthews netted a goal against the Flames earlier in the season. The Colorado Avalanche own the NHL’s best record and Auston Matthews registered a hat trick against them the last time he faced the Avs.

Even the best teams struggle to contain Matthews.

Over the past two seasons, Arizona native Matthews has scored 76 goals in his past 100 games. He has 29 in his past 31 games.

“(Matthews) has a great release on his shot,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “He can really, really shoot it. He can change the angle. Shoots it way different than Alex Ovechkin. Alex overpowers you with his shot. Matthews has a great ability to release it in different spots, can almost trick goaltenders.”

That's a lot of goals for Auston Matthews pic.twitter.com/VqXyEch9Rg

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 25, 2022

The Red Wings are particularly vulnerable to Matthews because they give up too many high danger scoring chances. According hockeyreference.com, the Red Wings have given up 359 high danger scoring chances this season. That’s 26 more than the league average. To put that into perspective,  consider that the Boston Bruins, the team just above Detroit in the Atlantic Division standings, have given up 293 high danger changes. That’s 66 fewer than Detroit. Opponents convert 12.2% of the high danger scoring chances into goals against Detroit.

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Those numbers would suggest Matthews has a good chance to score against Detroit. The Maple Leafs have beat the Red Wings twice this season, racking up 12 goals in the two wins.

Matthews No Goals vs Red Wings

But oddly, Auston Matthews didn’t score in Toronto’s 5-4 or the 7-4 win. He did manage two assists in the most recent 7-4 Toronto triumph

“He’s a playmaker and a transporter of the puck, more similar to Connor McDavid,” Blashill said. “Obviously McDavid is an elite transporter of the puck, at high speed he can make plays. Matthews doesn’t have that same level of speed. But he has speed, and a big big body. He has a pretty unique combination.”

Matthews has been such a force this season that he is in the discussion for the Hart Trophy.

This release from Auston Matthews (@AM34) is something else. pic.twitter.com/KP6fK0ysFX

— NHL (@NHL) February 25, 2022

Blashill recently tweaked the Detroit defense, breaking up the Moritz Seider-Danny Dekeyser pairing. Nick Leddy is now playing with rookie sensation Seider. Expect to see Seider out against Matthews quite a bit. Plus, Dylan Larkin will match-up against Matthews as well.

Toronto-Detroit games are always special in Detroit because Maple Leafs fans are close enough to Detroit to make their presence felt.

“Yeah. I’d like it to be all red but the fact that it’s filtered with some blue in there makes for a raucous crowd for sure,” Blashill said. “They go back and forth and it’s an awesome environment, one of the best environments we play in every year and I expect it to be the same tonight.”

The post How Can the Detroit Red Wings stop Toronto’s Auston Matthews Tonight? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

In what seems like almost an annual event, there is speculation that the Arizona Coyotes franchise could once again be on the move. In essence, they’ve been evicted from Gila River Arena by the city of Gendale, which terminated the Coyotes’ lease. The team owes the city nearly $1.5 million.

Are they going to Kansas City? Is a rebirth of the Quebec Nordiques in the cards?

In reality, something will probably worked out. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has a history of moving whatever obstacles are in the way of the Coyotes’ continued life in the Arizona desert, so in all likelihood, they’ll find a way to smooth things over and keep the team in the Phoenix area. But let’s play Devil’s advocate for a moment. How could a Coyotes relocation impact the Red Wings?

Suppose they go to Quebec. The NHL already has 16 teams in the Eastern time zone. Some club would need to head to the Western Conference to balance the books and the budget.

Logically, that team would probably be the Red Wings. In 2013, the Wings were moved from the West to the East. Going back to the West would increase the team’s travel budget but considered the dearth of quality clubs on that side of the NHL, might improve their playoff chances during the current rebuild.

Defending Mr. Wilson

Washington: Bettman appeared on New York radio station WFAN on Thursday. Along with reassuring all that he wasn’t a bit concerned about the Coyotes season he also took time to defend the work George Parros and the Department of Player Safety during last season’s Tom Wilson fiasco between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers.

Ex-Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith of the Rangers, who challenged Wilson for his attacks on Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin, also appeared on Sirius-XM and discussed the Wilson epside very cryptically. “To be honest, once my career is over, there’ll be more info that will come to fruition about the whole incident,” Smith said. “All I can say at the moment is that I personally wish the league handled it a little bit differently. I think that we had to take care of our superstars 100 percent and then it wouldn’t have hit the fan like it did.”

Vancouver: Canada solve the USA and win the upcoming IIHF women’s world championship?

Chase Boston Reunion Unlikely

Boston: While the St. Louis Blues hold discussions with Zdeno Chara, there appears to be little chance of a Chara reunion with the Boston Bruins.

Detroit: Look Frans – no team. The Red Wings took advantage of the CBA-induced buyout opportunity offered by the Adam Erne arbitration case to shed themselves of the horrible free-agent contract the team’s previous regime tendered to forward Frans Nielsen.

Yahoo!: EA Sports says it was Auston Matthew’s charisma that made him the choice to be the cover boy for NHL 22. Is that what they’re calling mooning a female security guard through a car window these days?

The post Duffer’s Dabbles: Could A Coyotes Move To Quebec Send Red Wings Back Out West? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.