The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Just realised I missed a story feature on Mantha becoming Alternate Captain for 2019/20 in my October Report. Now added

November Report should be up soon.

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Season 2018/19

November Report

Overall Record: 11-13-3
Month Record: 6-7-1

Home Record: 5-6-1
Away Record: 6-7-2
Last 10 Games: 3-6-1
Current Streak: 1W (after losing 5 straight)


League Standings:

Spoiler

The month of November:


The Players:

Leading Points: Dylan Larkin – 24
Leading Goals: Gustav Nyquist & Jeff Skinner - 10
Leading Assists: Dylan Larkin - 14

GM's Most Impressed Award: Evgeny Svechnikov

Player Stats:

Spoiler

Goalie Stats:

Spoiler

Rookie Watch:

Spoiler

League Leaders:

Spoiler

Points:

Goals:

Assists:

Goalies:

Rookie Scoring:

Plus / Minus (+/-):

PIM:

Game Results, News & Team Updates::

2nd November, Tampa Bay @ Detroit

The roof is lifted off Little Caesars Arena as Anthony Mantha scores the game winning goal with 20 seconds remaining in regulation to beat the Lightning 3-2.
The Red Wings looked hot early against the division leading Lightning, scoring 2 power play goals unanswered in the 1st period.
Larkin scored 1st, deflecting the puck into the net, followed by Luke Glendening, scoring his 1st for the season, on the power play.
The Lightning slowly creeped their way back into the game with a late 2nd period goal from Ondrej Palat, followed by the game tying goal from Nikita Kucherov, only 51 seconds into the 3rd period.
The 3rd period remained scrappy and physical, it appeared the Bolts were gaining the upper hand, very nearly scoring on a number of occasions, however Wings goalie, Bernier, stayed solid throughout.
With over 20 seconds remaining, Mantha seized control of the puck & with 2 defenders in front, nailed a slap shot, beating Vasilevsky over his stick side, ultimately handing the Red Wings a big win.
Tonight’s win at home snaps a 5 game losing streak which is a very welcome sign for the team and fans alike.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics:























3rd November, Detroit @ Philadelphia

Despite the Red Wings dominating the time of possession & the Flyers only managing 16 shots on net the whole game, Detroit are beaten 5-2 in an average net minding display.
Bernier had a real shocker in net, allowing 4 goals from only 15 shots faced, with the last goal coming to the Flyers as an empty netter.
On the opposite side, Flyers Goalie, Steve Mason had a monstrous night making 35 saves that surely won the game for the home team.
Detroit trailed 4-0 going into the 3rd period and it appeared the visitors might get shutout, until Michael Rasmussen netted one off the post. His goal was then closely followed by a goal from Andreas Athanasiou to make the score 4-2 with only 3:20 remaining.
With Bernier pulled, the Red Wings went for broke with 6 men on the ice, however the game was put to bed with Ivan Provorov stealing the puck and scoring on the empty net.

3 Stars of the Game:


7th November, Detroit @ Ottawa

The Red Wings manage to turn around their misfortune of Sunday night and hand Ottawa a 6-3 shellacking on the road.
It wasn’t smooth sailing however as Ottawa piled on the 1st 2 goals of the game, with tallies going to Tierney & Nelson. The Red Wings rally came from veteran Center Frans Nielsen, who has struggled to produce all season. Nielsen scored twice followed by a goal from Jeff Skinner which had the game tied at 3-3 going into the 2nd period.
The Red Wings then took the game by the horns with Larkin, Nyquist & Zadina all tallying majors to give the visiting side the final 6-3 victory.
Jimmy Howard was in net tonight and although it was a tough start through the 1st period, he kept the Sen’s scoreless through the remainder of the game to notch a win.

3 Stars of the Game:


9th November, Anaheim @ Detroit

The Red Wings move into positive win territory with a sound 4-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.
Luke Glendening had a massive game for the Wings tonight, scoring the 1st 2 goals of the game.
Ducks’ Brandon Montour netted one to reduce the gap to 2-1, however last year’s Stanley Cup finalists had no answer for the home side.
In the final period Dylan Larkin & Tyler Bertuzzi scored to give the Wings the comfortable win.
It was another very good night for Jimmy Howard, who made 35 saves.

3 Stars of the Game:


12th November, Toronto @ Detroit

The Red Wings nearly pull off another upset, however are beaten 3-2 after the shootout against the Maple Leafs.
Gustav Nyquist keeps his good season ticking along, scoring his 10th goal for the season, 4:22 into the 1st period, to put the Wings in front.
The lead did not last long however as Tavares scored to level it at 1-1.
Evgeny Svechnikov then scored in the 2nd period, however the Leafs countered with a quick reply goal from Austin Matthews.
The rest of the game, including Overtime, went without score & during the shootout, it was Jonathan Tavares again who won the day, scoring the lone shootout goal, beating Howard who gave a solid performance.
The Red Wings now have a road double header coming up, they take on the Blackhawks on the 15th & the Predators on the 16th

3 Stars of the Game:

Breaking News….

Hronek Assigned to Grand Rapids
Blashill encourages young defenseman to use time in AHL to refine his game.
15th November 2019

15th November, Detroit @ Chicago

Detroit gives up 2 goals in the last 4 minutes of play to lose tonight’s road game 3-2 to the Blackhawks.
Detroit appeared to be all but hanging on for dear life as they were worked off their feet in the last period, defending their 2-1 lead.
Artem Anisimov levelled the scores at 2-2, whipping the puck past Howard’s pads when he collected the rebounded puck off a Ducan Keith slap shot.
Adam Boqvist then bought Chicago’s United Centre’s ceiling down when he nailed the go ahead goal with only 30 seconds remaining in regulation, ultimately stealing Chicago the victory from a luckless Detroit.
Tonight’s loss certainly hurt and you could tell from the demeanour of the Wings players who left the ice for the showers.
The Wings appeared to have the game in control early on with goals from Skinner & Frk, but hockey games go for 60 minutes and the Wings did not make the distance.
Howard faced 21 shots in the final period as he received very little support from his teammates. In total, Howard made 37 saves from 40 shots.
Andreas Athanasiou left the ice late with what appeared to be a lower body injury.

3 Stars of the Game:


16th November, Detroit @ Nashville

It was very nearly Groundhog Day for the Red Wings, however they manage to hold on & score in overtime to beat the Predators 4-3.
In what was almost the same scenario as last night’s game in Chicago, the Red Wings were clinging onto a 3-2 lead in the 3rd period and were being put under pressure by the Nashville offensive push. With 3:18 remaining, what felt inevitable happened. Right wing Craig Smith sailed home a wrist shot out by the blue line that beat Bernier over the shoulder to tie the game.
Overtime ensued, however just 1:25 into extra time, Dylan nailed the game winner from the centre of the left faceoff circle.
After the defeat from the night before, this win appeared very special to the Wings players as the bench crashed the ice to pile onto the star Center.
Tonight’s majors earlier in the game were scored by Svechnikov, Frk & Rasmussen, with Smith scoring 2 goals & Fiala the other for the Pred’s.
Athanasiou missed tonight’s game & Rasmussen & Svechnikov we’re elevated to the 2nd line with Zadina, which appears to have worked well.

3 Stars of the Game:


18th November, Detroit @ Washington

The Red Wings have pulled off a 3-1 away victory over the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Capitals.
Michael Rasmussen continues a good run on the 2nd line in the absence of Andreas Athanasiou, scoring in the 1st period to put the visitors in front. It is his 2nd goal in 2 games.
Niklas Backstrom then found a hole in Howard’s defenc,e scoring from the boards above the left hand circle.
However that was soon answered by a goal from Veteran Center, Frans Nielsen to put the Wings back in front.
Finally the game was put beyond doubt with a goal from Jeff Skinner in the 3rd period.
Howard was brilliant in net tonight, making 37 saves for the game, whilst Braden Holtby is possibly wishing he could have the game re-run, only making 25 saves.

3 Stars of the Game:


Breaking News….

Mantha Signs 1 year deal to stay with Red Wings for 2020/21
The rumour mill is officially shut down as star wingman Signs Extension for $7.8M
19th November 2019


Detroit fans can sigh a breath of relief for at least one more year with today’s news emerging that Anthony Mantha has successfully negotiated a 1 year extension with the Red Wings.

“Theres so much I like about being a Red Wing and I get to play at least another year here. Ultimately I want to be on a long term contract playing the game I love, next year that might happen here or somewhere else later, but really all I want to do now is focus on helping this team get to realise its full potential all while I am trying to realise my own.
These last few seasons have been tough, real tough. When nothing is paying off, it really eats at you and it’s a tough gig to get through to the end of the season. I feel a little refreshed, we have a decent list that is only going to get better, and we’ll take it as it comes.”

Jeff Blashill was definitely happy to have some consistency remain in his 1st line for at least another year.
“Moe’s turning into quite the dominant force out there, I don’t think he has reached his full potential yet. It will be up to him ultimately as to how much of a complete player he can be.
Moe is quite the inspiration in the locker room and he gels well with a number of the guys which is huge for the teams chemistry.” Said Blashill today.

Steve Yzerman was asked this morning about the successful signing - “Mantha is a big building block of this franchise’s future – I’m glad he’s a Red Wing for at least another season past this one. He shows true grit out there, he’s a big body in front of net & he stands up for his teammates. You have to respect that.”
“I hope that once we get past this season & we get back to the negotiation table, Anthony will want to discuss longer term plans rather than go year by year. This could work really well for him as a young man, or it could work out really bad for him. I’m sure his agent has the best interests of Anthony at heart – I hope he does.”

With the signing of Mantha, Steve Yzerman can now focus his attention back to an ailing defensive core. D-men Mike Green & Jonathan Ericsson both come out of contract this season & with game experience lacking outside of the team’s top 4 pairings, something drastic needs to happen.

“We are looking at a lot of different avenues with how to structure our top 6 defensemen moving into the future. It really is an area of focus for us which will mean some big changes. Contract extensions for Mike & Jon are of interest, we are talking to their agents currently.”
Said Yzerman.

20th November, Pittsburgh @ Detroit

The Red Wings are pulled back to earth with a 3-0 loss at home to the Penguins.
As has been the case for a number of games, the Red Wings were outshot on the ice and could not make anything work with the 24 shots they did take.
Olli Maatta, Zach Aston-Reese & Sidney Crosby scored the goals for the visitors.
Matt Murray finishes tonight with a shutout, it was well deserved although a quiet game.

3 Stars of the Game:


22nd November, Ottawa @ Detroit

Detroit drops its 2nd consecutive home game with tonight’s 6-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
Although being outshot 30 to 33, the Senators managed to find the holes past Jimmy Howard easily and were in control of the game from start to finish.
Wings’ Mike Green, Dylan Larkin & Anthony Mantha each scored tonight whilst the Senators sources goals from 6 individual players to make this a rout.
Detroit will recollect as they hit the road for tomorrow nights away game at the BT&T Center against the Florida Panthers

3 Stars of the Game:

???How does Detroit get all 3 stars of the game - I Am just as confused about the awards as you are on this one.....

23rd November, Detroit @ Florida

Despite going goal-for-goal for most of the game, the Red Wings pull up short losing tonight’s fixture on the road to the Panthers 6-4.
Mike Hoffman scored a hat-trick for the home team, with goals also coming from ex-Wing Thomas Vanek, Alexei Barkov & Vincent Trochek.
Frk, Skinner, Larkin & Nielsen scored the majors for the visitors in tough matchup.
Johnathan Bernier’s night was one to forget, conceding the 6 goals & also made 33 saves.

3 Stars of the Game:


26th November, Vancouver @ Detroit

Jake Virtanen scores 2 goals for Vancouver to drive the visitors to a 3-1 victory over the struggling Detroit Red Wings.
Detroit, now on a 4 game losing streak, had very few answers to Vancouver’s aggressive style of play, being outshot 39 to 26.
Jimmy Howard still made 36 saves in a firm effort, however the lack of offensive presence hurt the home team the most.
Alex Edler was the Wings’ lone scorer tonight nailing one between the hash marks past Thatcher Demko.

3 Stars of the Game:


28th November, Detroit @ Toronto

The Red Wings slide continues with a 6-1 loss on the road to the Maple Leafs.
Detroit were the 1st to score only 2:48 into the 1st period, thanks to a sneaky wrist shot that beat a blindsided Fredrick Andersen.
It would be the only blemish to Andersen’s name as he went on to make 29 saves for the game.
At the other end, Howard again was subjected to 41 shots on net, allowing 6 goals.
The home team’s goals came from Tavares with 2, Matthews, Marner & Johnsson.
The defensive efforts from Wings players was very noticeably lacking tonight.
To make matters worse, Wings Captain Niklas Kronwall left the ice in the 2nd period to the locker room and did not return. The status of the injury was unclear, however he appeared to be holding his back as he left. From tonight’s loss, coach Blashill has a lot to think about to dig this team out of its current hole.

3 Stars of the Game:


Breaking News….

Kronwall hurt in 6-1 loss to Leafs
Captain may miss up to 1 week. Instructed to rest.
29th November 2019

29th November, Montreal @ Detroit

Detroit have ended their 5 game slide with an overwhelming 4-0 over the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Center.
Although outshot 30 to 25, the Red Wings looked like a completely different side to what the last 2 weeks had on offer as they got down & dirty, putting together good defense as well as offensive plays that worked well.
Blashill’s shuffling of the lines appeared to sparked some chemistry, with Bertuzzi back on the 1st line with Larkin & Mantha, plus Skinner on the 2nd line with Athanasiou & Nyquist.
In the 1st period, Mantha & Zadina scored, followed by Mike Green in the 2nd period.
In the 3rd period, Frans Nielsen scored to push the Visitors well beyond Montreal’s grasp.
For Bernier, tonight is the 1st shutout for the season, making 30 saves in a stellar effort.

3 Stars of the Game:


Wrap up:

Talk about a month that was different from the 1st half to the 2nd half!
The Wings were 5-2-1 in the 1st 8 games of the month & there was plenty to be happy about with big wins against last season’s Presidents trophy winners, the Lightning, plus they beat both Stanley Cup Finalists, the Capitals & the Ducks.
The last 6 games of the month were terrible, with the team going 1-5-0 and during the 5 game losing streak, the team gave up 24 goals versus 9 goals scored.
Coach Blashill & I discussed the problems & he made the choice on a shakeup of the lines against the Canadiens which seemed to finally pull the team out of it’s flat spin.
The team will be going into next month with a very similar makeup & it is not going to be any small challenge with the game on the 2nd December being against league leaders, St Louis, who are really carving up the competition right now, led by Vladimir Tarasenko.
I have in my boys and I hope we at least compete well to command some respect.

What is going on at Buffalo? tanking ?
Seriously they have a team loaded with current and upcoming stars. The Sabres collected the 1st pick in last year’s draft (thanks to a terrible trade executed by LA Kings) to select Joakim Nurminen, an Elite LW who plays on the 2nd line with a start up rating of 80, not to mention taking out the 2018 1st pick to select Rasmus Dahlin. Add in Jack Eichel, Rasmus Ristolainen, Kyle Oksposo, plus one or 2 others. Currently sitting in 2nd bottom on the NHL ladder, the Sabres are in a very commanding position to get yet another number one pick.
They would be a GM’s wet dream in a couple of years.


Head Scout:
Sounds like it is a lean year as far as injectable talent goes…

Injuries:
15th November, C Andreas Athanasiou - fractured jaw - missed 3 game.
29th November, D Niklas Kronwall - Back Spasms - our until December 6th.

Contract Extensions:
19th November, RW Anthony Mantha – signed 1 year extension - $7.8M

Call Ups/ Assignments:
15th November, D Filip Hronek – assigned to Grand Rapids
30th November, D Dennis Cholowski - Called up to Detroit

Projected Lines - 2nd December, Detroit @ St Louis

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Season 2019/20

December Report

Overall Record: 19-16-5
Month Record: 8-3-2

Home Record: 11-8-1
Away Record: 8-8-4
Last 10 Games: 5-3-2
Current Streak: 1W


League Standings:

Spoiler

Half way through the season & the back to back Champions, the Washington Capitals sit 7 points out of the top 8. Some serious work is required by Ovechkin & his men.

The month of December:


The Players:

Leading Points: Dylan Larkin - 41 (tied 6th NHL)
Leading Goals: Gustav Nyquist - 17
Leading Assists: Dylan Larkin - 27

GM's Most Impressed Award: Jonathan Bernier

Player Stats:

Spoiler

Goalie Stats:

Spoiler

Rookie Watch:

Spoiler

League Leaders:

Spoiler

Points:

Goals:

Assists:

Goalies:

Rookie Scoring:

Plus / Minus (+/-)

PIM

Game Results, News & Team Updates::

2nd December, Detroit @,St Louis

The Red Wings have beaten league leaders, the St Louis Blues 5-1 in an outstanding performance.
If you saw the score at the end of tonight’s game, you could be forgiven for thinking that the scoreboard was the wrong way around, however the Red Wings played a brilliant form of hockey tonight and deserved the huge win.
Anthony Mantha scored 2:41 into the 1st period, which appeared to rattle the Blues, as they did not look comfortable for the rest of the game. Only another 5 minutes after Mantha’s goal, Dylan Larkin netted his 10th for the season, followed by Jeff Skinner with 5:02 remaining to put the visitors up 3-0.
Blues Defenseman Vince Dunn scored early in the 2nd period and it appeared there might be a comeback brewing.
However the Wings resettled and only 2 minutes after Dunn’s goal, Filip Zadina scored, changing momentum back in the visitor’s direction.
Mike Green then finished off the Blues with his scorcher from near the blue line to give the Wings the 5-1 lead all by the end of the 2nd period.
In the final period, the Blues were able to curtail the Wings attack, however they still had no answers of their own & they incurred their 5th regulation loss for the season to date.
Bernier started for the 2nd straight game and gets his 2nd straight win, making 23 saves.
Anthony Mantha had great presence tonight & earned the 1st star of the game with a goal & 2 assists.
The Wings now make the trip back home and will play the Bruins tomorrow night.

3 Stars of the Game:


3rd December, Boston @ Detroit

Detroit picks up their 3rd win in a row as they defeat a struggling Boston Bruins outfit 2-1.
The game went scoreless over the 1st period as well as most of the 2nd, with both teams keeping on parity with shots on net & time of possession.
Dylan Larkin then found the net 7:03 into the 2nd period to put the home side up 1-0. No score would follow for the rest of the period.
Play resumed in the 3rd period and 4:28 in, Mike Green, as sharp as a razor, sliced another puck into the net from out near the blue line to give the Wings a 2-0 lead.
Boston upped their offensive effort & were finally rewarded with 6:20 remaining, when David Backes tipped in the puck past Bernier, to get the visitors within 1 goal.
This was enough to give most Red Wings fans high blood pressure during the last 6 minutes of play, however the home team held on and take home their 3rd straight win.

3 Stars of the Game:


7th December, Pittsburgh @ Detroit

Close game! The Detroit Red Wings have won a great 1-0 tussle against another powerhouse team in the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Only one goal was scored all game & it was from Wings rookie centerman, Michael Rasmussen, who was able to backhand the puck into the net past Penguins Goalie Matt Murray.
The Penguins did keep pushing, however once again the Red Wings defensive core stayed resolute & Bernier records his 2nd shutout for the season, making 35 saves for the game his 4th straight win.
Tyler Bertuzzi has certainly proved he can almost play anywhere & with anyone over the last 4-5 games, with tonight’s effort on the 2nd line, assisting Rasmussen’s goal.
The previous 3 games the left winger had been on the 1st line with Larkin & Mantha to great success.

3 Stars of the Game:


10th December, San Jose @ Detroit

The big wins keep coming as the Red Wings defeat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 at home.
It was a big night for Wings Rookie, Michael Rasmussen, who takes home the 1st star award with his goal, plus an assist, which were both tallied in the 1st period to help Detroit get out to a 2-0 lead early.
The Sharks got themselves back into the game, early in the 2nd period, with a goal from captain, Joe Pavelski. However the Sharks rejuvenation was short lived, with Filip Zadina scoring off a neat slap shot, which beat goalie, Martin Jones over the shoulder.
The 3rd period looked to be in control for the Red Wings carrying a 3-1 lead. With 1:20 remaining the Sharks, pulled Jones of the ice and went with 6 skaters on the ice. The move paid off, with 21 seconds remaining, Thomas Hertl crashed into an out of the crease Bernier, which saw a very slow moving puck enter the net to give the Sharks their 2nd goal, reducing the Wings lead to 1, giving the home team’s fans plenty to worry about.
The Sharks won the next faceoff, however Tyler Bertuzzi was able to steal the puck and the Wings were able to suppress any Sharks offensive bid until the clock ran out. This was yet another big win for the Red Wings.
Tonight was Bernier’s 5th start & 5th win in a row, the veteran goalie has been in impressive form over this expanse. It’s a sure fire bet the veteran will get the start in the next game.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics:





















12th December, Calgary @ Detroit

The Calgary Flames destroy the home team 4-1, ending the Red Wings win streak at 5. This was a game where the Flames dominated both offensively and defensively.
Calgary blasted 42 shots on goal to Detroit’s 16 for the entire game. If it wasn’t for Mantha scoring from an angle, almost impossible to comprehend with only 39 seconds of game time remaining, the Flames would have recorded a shutout against their hosts also.
Artemi Panarin scored 2 goals for the Flames along with James Neal & Johnny Gaudreau in the convincing win.
Bernier who started in his 6th consecutive game did not play bad at all, still making 38 saves for the game, however he did not receive much in the way from what appeared to be a tired defense.

3 Stars of the Game:


14th December, Detroit @ Carolina

Despite the Red Wings holding a 3-0 lead by the end of the 1st period, the Hurricanes recover to win the game 4-3 in overtime.
The Wings had the best start to the game as possible, scoring all 3 goals from their 1st 7 shots on net, however they could not add from there as net minder Petr Mrazek, replacing Mike Smith, closed the net down for business.
The Wings 1st period goals came from Mike Green, Jeff Skinner, who breaks his scoring drought & Gustav Nyquist.
In the 2nd period Canes forward, Yanni Gourde got one back for the home team, to put them within striking distance.
Then in the 3rd period, the Canes got their 2nd goal from Justin Williams in only the 1st 17 seconds of play. With only another 4 minutes of play down, the Canes had the game tied, thanks to a goal from talented skater, Andrei Svechnikov.
Overtime would only last 43 seconds when Brett Pesce scored the game winner for the home side. Tonight was a tough one to watch when the Red Wings were in such a commanding position at the 1st intermission.
Be sure to tune into tomorrow night’s game when the Red Wings take on the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.

3 Stars of the Game:


15th December, Detroit @ Buffalo

The Red Wings hold on to a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, whose season just keeps going from bad to worse.
Larkin, Svechnikov & Rasmussen each scored goals for the Red Wings, giving the visitors a 3-0 lead going into the final period. Buffalo mounted a comeback, scoring twice within the 1st 3 minutes 30 seconds to pull the home side within 1 goal.
Solid as a rock, Anthony Mantha then scored for the Red Wings to take them back out to a 2 goal lead. Kyle Okposo, very nearly single handed, carried his team back into the game, scoring his 2nd goal with only 56 seconds of regulation time remaining to put the heat on Detroit.
Detroit held on & Buffalo couldn’t get it done to lose yet another game as this season slips further away.

3 Stars of the Game:


16th December League Trade News:
Buffalo continue to build their side with the acquisition trade of Goaltender Juuse Saros


17th December, Montreal @ Detroit

Detroit mount a nice comeback through the 2nd & 3rd period to earn a hard fought 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens at home.
The win has come at a dire cost to the Red Wings when in only the 2nd minute of play, Jeff Skinner was knocked unconscious & stretchered off the ice after a sickening stone wall check delivered by Shea Weber near the center circle.
Shea’s actions sparked an all bench clearing altercation between the two teams with several players receiving 5 minute penalties from both sides, plus a game misconduct to Shea Weber.
The incident sparked Detroit into action, with Tyler Bertuzzi scoring to put the home team up by 1. This lead was short lived as the Canadiens seized control of the game midway through the 2nd period piling on 3 goals from Frolik, Scherbak & Danault, giving the visitors a 3-1 lead. However with 13 seconds left in the same period, Anthony Mantha scored to bring the Red Wings within 1.
Late in the 3rd period Gustav Nyquist tallied a goal to tie the game and ultimately force overtime.
It was rookie center, Michael Rasmussen, who would become the homecrowd hero during the 3 on 3 extra time period, breaking away with the puck to score the game winner on world-class goalie, Carey Price.

3 Stars of the Game:


Breaking News...

Jeff Skinner hospitalised in wild game with Canadiens
Wingman taken to Detroit Medical Center after losing consciousness.
18th December 2019

The crowd fell silent only minutes into the start of last night’s game at Little Caesars Arena, as Jeff Skinner lay on the ice unconscious, with team doctors and trainers around him.
About to receive the puck on what would have been a breakaway play, Skinner sustained a sickening upper body check from Habs defenseman Shea Weber. The wingman, who had his eye on the puck at the time, was knocked clean of his skates, with the back of his head, thankfully protected by his helmet, hitting the ice.
Chaos ensued temporarily with Skinner’s linemate, Anthony Mantha, immediately dropping the gloves & taking to Weber in a frenzied attack, which also sparked several other fights, as well as clearing both benches onto the ice to take part in the melee.
It would take several minutes for the ref’s to take back control of the game as Skinner was being attended to by medical staff & trainers.
Moments later Skinner regained consciousness on the ice and as a precaution, a neck brace was fitted before being loaded onto a stretcher & wheeled off, with the home crowd giving their man a cheer as he was led into the Detroit locker room.
Skinner was then taken to Detroit Medical Center for precautionary reasons, spending last night under observation, before being released this morning.
“It was tough to see, that’s for sure. It’s scary when you have that moment of wondering if he’s OK. But I’m extremely proud of the boys for finding that extra something else out there to take the win for Jeff. It was a big moment.” Coach Blashill said during last night’s post-match conference.
“I hear Jeff is OK and doing fine in hospital, he’ll be staying overnight just to be sure.”
The resulting penalties dished out after the ensuing scrap were 5 minute penalties to Wings players, Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi & Calvin de Haan & to Canadiens Players Andrew Shaw & Max Domi. Shea Weber received a game misconduct, ejecting him from the game.
Detroit went on to win the game 4-3 which elevates the team to 4th place in the Atlantic Division, 1 point out of a Wild Card position.
When Steve Yzerman was approached about the potential length of time that Skinner will be out of the side he commented:
“Number 1 priority is that Jeff is OK. Concussion is a serious injury, I visited him his morning at the Medical Center before he was discharged, he’s definitely not looking good but the doctors were happy enough to let him go home today.”
“He will definitely be out for a good week or two, we’ll keep a good close eye on him to make sure he is fit to play before putting him back out there”
In 35 games, Skinner has 12 goals & 14 assists, totalling 26 points. It will be a big gap to fill for Red Wings coaching staff as they make preparations for their next game on the 20th December in Carolina.

20th December, Detroit @ Carolina

Detroit lose a tough one against Carolina 4-3 in the Shootout.
The Red Wings quickly found themselves trailing by 3 goals in the 1st period after goals from Victor Rask, Jason Williiams & former Red Wing Justin Abdelkader.
The Red Wings then managed a comeback. Gustav Nyquist was brilliant, scoring 2 goals which forced the game into overtime and then to the shootout.
Evgeny Svechnikov scored on the 1st shootout attempt, however he was quickly countered by goals from Teuvo Teravainen & Sebastian Aho, giving the Canes the win.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics:























Griffins News...

Cholowski out with Separated Shoulder
Up & coming defenseman out for 4 weeks, 5 days after reassignment
21st December 2019

21st December, Arizona @ Detroit

The Wings go into the Christmas break with a 3-2 victory over the Coyotes.
Dylan Larkin opened the scoring only 3:38 into the 1st period, with a wrist shot beating goalie Antti Raanta under his blocker.
Jordan Eberle responded for the visitors with a goal, closely followed by another Coyotes goal from Richard Panik, closing out the 1st period 2-1 in front.
In the 2nd period Michael Rasmussen then tied the game with his goal & with 10:18 remaining, Anthony Mantha netted his 14th goal of the season to put Detroit in front.
The Wings held the visiting Coyotes in the 3rd, producing the win.

3 Stars of the Game:


Breaking News...

Skinner out indefinitely with Post-Concussion Syndrome
Massive blow for Red Wings who sit 4th in Atlantic Division standings
22nd December 2019

News today has emerged from Red Wings HQ that this year’s star recruit, Jeff Skinner will sit out of the side indefinitely after being diagnosed with Post-Concussion Syndrome.
Currently there is no date set for the 27 year old’s return.
Skinner was concussed after being checked by defenseman, Shea Weber, early during Tuesday night’s dramatic 4-3 win over the Canadiens & has not been able to shake the symptoms over the last few days. At one point readmitting himself back to hospital on the 19th December.
With Skinner’s addition to the lineup this season, the Red Wings have improved dramatically on offense & have been sitting close on the Wild Card bubble for a number of weeks after a slow start.
With no date yet in mind for Skinners return, Detroit will have to shuffle its forward lines to fill the big gap that is exposed & to stay within grasp of a playoffs berth.

26th December, Detroit @ Winnipeg

Detroit tried to take away a late Christmas present from Bell MTS Place, however they fall short in the 3rd period, going down 5-3 to the Winnipeg Jets.
The Red Wings surprised many by sticking with the Jets throughout the first 2 periods, with the game tied at 3-3.
Dylan Larkin scored in the 1st period to be within 2 goals of the home team, however Gustav Nyquist then netted 2 goals during the 2nd period to tie it up.
By this time the Red Wings had spent everything they had in the tank, so in the 3rd period, Winnipeg stormed home with goals from Vesalainen & Kyle Connor to round out with the 5-3 victory.
The clear indication of the Red Wings lag was on offense with the Jets outshooting the Wings 12 - 2 in the final period.
Despite the loss, Dylan Larkin was still awarded the game’s 1st star with 1 goal & 2 assists.

3 Stars of the Game:


28th December, Buffalo @ Detroit

The Buffalo Sabres have collected just their 10th win for the season shutting down the Detroit Red Wings 3-0 at Little Caesars Arena.
The Red Wings had plenty of chances tonight with 28 shots on net to Buffalo’s 24, however recently acquired goalie from Nashville, Juuse Saros, was just too good for his new team tonight.
Antoine Vermette & Alexander Nylander both scored early in the 1st period, with the rest of the game going scoreless until Nylander slotted his 2nd from distance on the empty net to give the Sabres the 3-0 win.

3 Stars of the Game:


30th December, NY Rangers @ Detroit

The Red Wings see out 2019 with a close 2-1 victory over the Rangers at home.
Despite scoring the game’s first goal in the 2nd period by Tony Deangelo, the Rangers could not hold the Red Wings back in the final period, with Nyquist scoring 2:44 in to tie the game. Then at only 4:57 into the period, Anthony Mantha netted a freak goal with a wrist shot on the goal line near the boards that bounced off Rangers goalie, Henrik Lundqvist’s back and into the net.
The Rangers pulled Lundqvist with a couple of minutes to spare however the 6 on 5 play did not execute and the Red Wings chalk another well earned victory.
Tonight was Jimmy Howard’s 1st start since mid-month and was a great success for the veteran, having made 33 saves for the night & earning the game’s 1st star.
Anthony Mantha’s great month continued with a goal and an assist, whilst Dylan Larkin tallied 2 assists.

3 Stars of the Game:


Wrap up:
Real proud of the team’s effort this month, the 8 wins has put us 1 point out of a Wild Card spot behind Montreal.
The loss of Skinner, after his injury on the 17th against Montreal, is a huge gap to fill, but we have to press on without him. I expect that within a cple of months he should be right to play again. Even without him though, the team still strung together a few good wins.
And would you know it, the next game we play is against none other than Montreal.
If we win, we are at the very least, temporarily inside the top 8.
I remain cautious, I am almost contemplating chasing the finals this season, however I hate to say it but we are kind of overachieving this season.
But perhaps chasing playoffs this season is not all bad, considering the talent pool for the upcoming 2020 draft is possibly not going to yield the type of player, namely an elite defensive prospect that we so badly need.

Dach Developing nicely in the WHL
Kirby Dach, currently with the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL is having a great season & is developing nicely. The big topic over next offseason will be whether we play him in the NHL next season or give him another year in Juniors?



Injuries:
17th December, LW Jeff Skinner - Post Consussion Syndrome - Out indefinitely
30th December, RW Luke Glendening, Bruised Hand - Out until 6th January 2020

Contract Extensions:
Nil
Call Ups/ Assignments:
15th December, D Dennis Cholowski - assigned to Grand Rapids

Projected Lines – 2nd January 2020, Montral Canadiens @ Detroit

[nolman29]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Sucks to lose Skinner for an extended time!
Keep up the good work!

[kinsmen7]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Fell behind on this for a couple of weeks. Nice to see the Ducks make a little run hahaha.

Panarin to Calgary was a shocker too!

Keep it up man!

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Sucks to lose Skinner for an extended time!

Keep up the good work!

Thanks! Yeh it should make the rest of the season interesting haha

Fell behind on this for a couple of weeks. Nice to see the Ducks make a little run hahaha.



Panarin to Calgary was a shocker too!



Keep it up man!

Thanks! Looks like Anaheim’s making another good run. I don’t think Washington’s going to be in their way this season if they keep losing.



Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Season 2019/20

Grand Rapids Griffins
Mid Season Report



Feature Game:
10th January, 2020
Grand Rapids @ Bakersfield Condors
We take a mid-season look at the Grand Rapids Griffins as they play the 1st game of an away double header against the Bakersfield Condors.


Projected Lines:


GAME RESULT & RECAP- See Pictures Inside

Spoiler

10th January, Grand Rapids @ Bakersfield

The Giffins defeat the Condors 4-2 at the Rabobank Area in the 1st of a 2 game weekend series.
Right winger, Chris Terry, led from the front for the Griffs, scoring 2 goals, with fellow linemate, Dominic Turgeon scoring his 49th career AHL goal. Also Kalle Kossila scored his 50th career AHL goal in the win.
The Condors were forced into damage control very early in the game, with the Griffins scoring two 1st period goals from Kossila & Turgeon.
Chris Terry added to the home side’s blues when he tallied his 1st goal 5:42 into the 2nd period.
The Condors did manage to turn the tide for a little while in the 2nd, when they added two goals from Van Stralen & Maksimov to pull within 1.
As it appeared the Condors were gaining control, Chris Terry intercepted the puck off a bad Condors pass, skated to the other end on the breakaway, and scored his 2nd for the night, giving the Griffins a 4-2 lead going into the last intermission.
In the final period, despite the Condors outshooting the Griffins 14 to 9, they could not capitalise on any opportunities, thanks to great goal tending from Harri Sateri, handing the Griffins the victory.
Sateri made 25 saves and finishes as the game’s 3rd star, with Dominic Turgeon earning the 2nd & Chris Terry earning the 1st for his 2 goal effort.
We're back here at the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield tomorrow night, when the Griffins play the Condors once again.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics:

GRIFFINS SEASON STATS:

Overall Record: 21-15-1 (4th Central Div.)

Home Record: 11-8-1
Away Record: 10-7-0
Last 10 Games: 6-4-0
Current Streak: 5W

League Standings:

Spoiler

The Players:

Leading Points: Dominic Turgeon - 30
Leading Goals: Chris Terry - 15
Leading Assists: Dominic Turgeon - 21

Player Stats:

Spoiler

Goalie Stats:

Spoiler

League Leaders:

Spoiler

Points:

Goals:

Assists:

Goalies:

Rookie Scoring:

Plus / Minus (+/-)

PIM

Wrap up:
The Griffins are playing a much better brand of hockey this season, although they have only recently moved into the Atlantic’s top 4 with the current win streak in hand.
Marek Mazanek has been a welcome backup goalie to the organisation & even led the way early, with a number of key starts whilst Sateri seemingly battled with his form. Sateri has now managed to turn his season around, finally boasting a positive win/loss record, thanks to 5 wins in a row.
Dominic Turgeon & Joe Hicketts have really stood out this season & we have toyed with the idea of moving the pair into the Red Wings lineup.
Both players had a few games with the Wings last season, amongst playing mostly in the AHL. The biggest risk is sending them up to the NHL & then taking the chance of losing them to waivers when inevitably they had to be reassigned here to Grand Rapids.
Turgeon, I believe, the Red Wings could use as a regular 4th line Center, however Frans Nielsen currently fills that role & Nielsen is has that leadership presence in the locker room, making it very difficult to leave Turgeon as a healthy scratch.
Hicketts is currently another bubble player that could be on the Wings roster now, however he too would be sitting as a healthy scratch of much of the season or fighting for ice time with Chris Bigras, who currently holds the last top 6 spot.
With half a season to go and the team now seemingly settled in, let's hope the Griffins can push further into the top 4 and make a good run at the playoffs this season.

Injuries:
20th December – Dennis Cholowski – Seperated Shoulder – Returning 17th January

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Season 2019/20

January Report

Overall Record: 23-21-7 (5th Atlantic Div)
Month Record: 4-5-2

Home Record: 13-9-2
Away Record: 10-12-5
Last 10 Games: 3-5-2
Current Streak: 1W


League Standings:

Spoiler

The month of January


The Players:

Leading Points: Dylan Larkin - 51
Leading Goals: Anthony Mantha & Gustav Nyquist - 19
Leading Assists: Dylan Larkin - 36

GM's Most Impressed Award: Dylan Larkin

Player Stats:

Spoiler

Goalie Stats:

Spoiler

Rookie Watch:

Spoiler

League Leaders:

Spoiler

Points:

Goals:

Assists:

Goalies:

Rookie Scoring:

Plus / Minus (+/-)

PIM

Game Results, News & Team Updates::

2nd January, Montreal @ Detroit

Detroit have stolen a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, who incurred 2 late penalties in the last 3 minutes of play.
The Canadiens had the game all but firmly in control leading into the dying minutes of the game with a 2-1 lead. However the game turned on its head when Max Domi was sent to the penalty box for a tripping minor with 3:03 remaining. To make matters worse, Kirk Alzner was then called for tripping with 2:31 remaining, giving the Red Wings a 5 on 3 power play.
From the faceoff circle, Dylan Larkin won the drop and pushed the puck out to Niklas Kronwall, who immediately shot for goal. The puck hit Price’s pad & dropped between his legs, slowly heading for the goal. Anthony Mantha, who was at the goal face by himself tapped the puck in as insurance, awarding him the Power Play goal & tying the game at 2-2.
With just under 2 minutes to go, the Wings, still with a 5 on 4 power play, capitalised again when Evgeny Svechnikov broke away to the Hab’s net with the puck. Filip Zadina, also on the break, received a perfect pass across the face of the net, and scored, beating Carey Price once again to take the lead 3-2 and giving the Red Wings an uncanny win.
The buzz of the home crowd was electric for the Red Wings, they had seen something special tonight.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics – See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

4th January, Detroit @ Buffalo

Buffalo continue their recent winning trend with a 5-3 defeat of the Detroit Red Wings.
The Sabres had the Red Wings on the ropes by mid-way through the 3rd period, leading 4-1. The Wings put in a late rally with goals from Filip Zadina & Chris Bigras which reduced the lead to 4–3. However the run came to an end, when Buffalo got the steadying goal from veteran Center Antoine Vermette against the flow of momentum. This put the result beyond doubt at 5-3.
Matt Puempel was best on the ice for the Red Wings, showing up most of his better paid teammates earlier on, with a goal & an assist to earn the 3rd star of the game.

3 Stars of the Game:


Breaking News...

Anthony Mantha to represent Red Wings at All Star weekend.
Power Forward earns his 1st career All Star Jersey,
5th January 2020

7th January, NY Islanders @ Detroit

Detroit loses a heartbreaker, 3-2 in overtime, against the bottom placed Islanders at home.
The bottom team in the league has been an Achilles heel for the Red Wings over the last 2 seasons and tonight was no different, as the Wings gave up a 2-1 lead, with Tom Kuhnackl scoring with 1:33 remaining in the 3rd period to force overtime.
The 3 on 3 overtime period ensued and although the Red Wings dominated possession & made 10 shots on goal to the Islanders 5, it was Johnny Boychuk who found the net, giving the visitors what seemed to be an unlikely victory.

3 Stars of the Game:


10th January, Detroit @ Columbus

Martin Frk scores twice to lift the Detroit Red Wings to a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Columbus seized the early lead with Patrick Dubois scoring in the 1st period, however it would be the only goal the home team would score all game.
Frk scored his 1st goal in the 2nd period to level the scores. Then finally the right wingman nailed the go ahead goal in his 1st shift of the 3rd period to give the visitors the win.
Howard had a solid night in the net, making 30 saves, bringing home the 2nd star award behind Frk, with Sergei Bobrovsky taking the 3rd star with 29 saves, still a big effort from the all- star goalie.

3 Stars of the Game:


11th January, Toronto @ Detroit

The Maple Leafs continue their utter domination over the Red Wings, giving the home side a huge hockey lesson with an 8-2 thrashing.
The Leafs attack was relentless, Nazem Kadri piled on 5 points to his stats, with a hat-trick, plus 2 assists & William Nylander scored 2 goals for the visitors. Plus Morgan Reilly, Jake Gardiner & Mitch Marner all tallied a goal each for the Leafs, who couldn’t do anything wrong.
By the end of the 1st period the Leafs had blown the game out to a 4-0 lead, a clear statement to the Red Wings, who had only tallied 6 shots on net in the 1st 20 minutes.
The Wings elected to replace Howard with Bernier but it didn’t get better.
Dylan Larkin scored 1st in the 2nd period to give the Wings some hope, however not long after, Kadri scored his 2nd goal to give the Leafs a 5-1 lead by the 2nd intermission.
Anthony Mantha was the Red Wings’ other goal scorer, notching one in the 3rd period, however once again, the Leafs commanded the game scoring 3 goals, including Kadri’s hat-trick goal.
With both Howard & Bernier each conceding 4 goals, it did not matter who was in net for the Red Wings, the Leafs were way too good tonight.

3 Stars of the Game:


13th January, Detroit @ Vegas

The Vegas Golden Knights have defeated Detroit 2-1 in a tight game.
The Knights who have struggled all season, pick up win 17 for the season, almost keeping the Red Wings scoreless, until a late Anthony Mantha goal with 5:38 remaining in the 3rd period, giving the visitors a real chance. However time was not on the Wings’ side & they lose their 2nd consecutive game.
Vegas’s goal scorers tonight were Eric Haula & Reilly Smith.
Marc-Andre Fleury was excellent in net, with 27 saves, earning the 1st star award.

3 Stars of the Game:


15th January, Detroit @ Edmonton

Detroit concede their 3rd consecutive loss with tonight’s 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
Connor McDavid dismantled the Red Wings defense scoring a hat-trick in the win – the 2nd player in 3 games to do so.
Nyquist scored in the 2nd period & Mantha in the 3rd, however the McDavid led Oilers were just too good tonight.

3 Stars of the Game:


17th January, Detroit @ Anaheim

The slide continues for the Red Wings, losing their 4th consecutive game to the Anaheim Ducks on the road 3-1.
Red Wings Coach, Jeff Blashill, gave the team a shakeup, elevating veteran Center Frans Nielsen to the 2nd line, which appeared to have immediate effect, assisting Evgeny Svechnikov’s goal giving the Red Wings an early lead.
However the good fortune would be short lived as Adam Henrique & Nick Ritchie both tallied majors to put the Ducks in front by the 1st intermission.
Once again, the Red Wings could not find a way to score, but for the Ducks it was all too easy, burying the axe into the visitors finally in the 3rd, when Hampus Lindholm scored to seal the game.
Ducks Goalie John Gibson was a brick wall, making 32 saves & earned the game’s 1st star.
Wings veteran Defenseman Alexander Edler left the game dazed in the 2nd period, with what appears to a Mild Concussion after heavy contact made by Henrique.
The Red Wings now get an 11 day break for the All Star weekend on the 24th – 26th January in St Louis. The only player to not get a break will be Anthony Mantha, who will be playing for Team Central.

3 Stars of the Game:


20th January - Griffins News....

Griffins Win Streak extends to 9
Victories in home double header elevates Griffins to 2nd in Central Division
20th January 2020,

24th - 26th January, NHL All-Star Weekend in St Louis


28th January, Detroit @ New Jersey

Detroit stop the slide & pick up a 3-2 win against the New Jersey Devils whose season continues to go off the rails.
The Wings previous 4 game slide pales in comparison to the Devils, who have now lost their 8th consecutive game.
The Wings scored all 3 goals in the 1st period, which was enough to hold on.
Filip Zadina & Frans Nielsen have combined well on the 2nd line in tonight’s game, with a goal each. Mike Green was the other goal scorer for the Wings with 1:02 left in the 1st.
Evgeny Svechnikov was brilliant, the young left wing tallying an assist in all 3 goals scored in his best performance, although the game was somewhat soured, spraining his ankle in the very late stages, when he tripped over teammate, Tyler Bertuzzi’s skate on a line change.
Devils forward, Nick Shore scored in the 2nd period to put the home team within striking range, however Wings Goalie, Jonathan Bernier, stayed composed, making 36 saves in a big performance.

3 Stars of the Game:


Breaking News...

Svechnikov likely to miss 1-2 weeks with ankle sprain
Young skaters best career performance slightly soured in closing stages against Devils
28th January 2020,

29th January, Detroit @ Minnesota

The Red Wings lose another tough one 4-3 in the shoot out against the Minnesota Wild.
It was another one that got away with the Red Wings conceding the game tying goal from Jonas Brodin with only 0:53 to spare in regulation.
Jimmy Howard was able to hold the Wild in Overtime however goals from Dumba & Granlund in the shootout cost the game.
Zadina, Glendening & Bertuzzi scored the Wings majors, with Mikko Koivu & Jason Zucker tallying the Wild’s other 2 goals.
Detroit will now embark on a massive 7 game home stand, beginning on the 31st January when they host the Colorado Avalanche.

3 Stars of the Game:


31st January, Colorado @ Detroit

The Red Wings tally another victory, beating the Avalanche 3-2 at home.
Gustav Nyquist scored the game’s opening goal to put the wings out to an early lead, though not long after, Av’s forward Ty Barrie scored to tie the game. The scored would stay at 1-1 through to the 2nd period.
Detroit then added another 2 goals from D-men Mike Green & Alex Edler to provide a nice buffer, though in the 3rd period, Colorado answered, with all-star centerman Nate McKinnon scoring to reduce the gap to 3-2. However the Wings held out from there, picking up win 23 for the season.
Jimmy Howard got the start in net tonight and didn’t disappoint, making 29 saves on his way to earning the game’s 1st star award.
Dylan Larkin also played extremely well, picking up a pair of assists & earning the 2nd star of the game.

3 Stars of the Game:


Wrap up:
The season is really starting to take shape & despite only 4 wins for the month, the Red Wings still sit just outside of a Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference.
Considering we were without Jeff Skinner, this was a better result than I was predicting. Skinner is recovering well, it is hoped that within 2-3 weeks he will be able to skate with the team at practice & work his way back to fitness. We won’t rush him, however the sooner he is back, the better for us.


February – The Trade Deadline Frenzy:
February is here and the league’s Trade deadline is looming.
Given the position the Red Wings are in - on the border of a Wild Card spot in the playoffs - it is very tempting to see if we could strengthen the team for a shot at making the big show.
Instead, I believe it will be in our best interest to throw caution at the wind & continue to develop the players we have, in the interest of the future years. If there was to be a trade or 2, to bring in some experienced, seasoned players (with the intention of building up the team for this year’s playoffs), it would be at the sacrifice/expense of trading future prospects, which no one in the organisation wants.
However I do have several 4th line & depth players that I am willing to put on the block, to see if we can get some late round draft picks. We will see what we can get.

Callan Foote – 21 year old Elite Prospect Defenseman on Tampa Bay’s Trade Block.
My old team at Tampa Bay have listed prospect Defenseman, Callan Foote on their trade block.
We are not interested in trying to acquire Callan during the Trade Deadline, however I am very interested in seeing if there might be a suitable deal we could negotiate during the next off season. I know what this kid can do, after all, I picked him when I was GM at the Bolts.
As long as no one else acquires him during Trade Deadline & pending where we finish in the overall league standings by the end of the season, we may very well be prepared to give up our current 1st round draft pick, plus another prospect or 2 for Callan’s services.
With an upcoming draft that is extremely shallow for prospect defensemen in the 1st round, this could be a very worthwhile exercise to pursue further.


Injuries:
17th January - D Alexander Edler - Mild Concussion - Missed no games due to All Star weekend
29th January - LW - Evgeny Svechnikov - sprained ankle - missed 2 games

Contract Extensions:
4th January 2020 – The following players have signed:
D Jonathan Ericsson - Signed Extension 2yrs @ $1.925M per yr
C Andreas Athanasiou - Signed Extension 3yrs @ $3.650M per yr
LW Tyler Bertuzzi - Signed extension 5yrs @ $1.7M per yr
RW Chris Terry - Signed 2way Extension 2 yrs @ $0.875M
LW Matt Puempel - Signed 2way Extension 2yrs @ $0.875M per Yr


Call Ups/ Assignments:
31st January - RW Carson Hathaway Called up to Red Wings

Projected Lines – 4th February, Nashville @ Detroit

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Season 2019/20

February Report

Overall Record: 30-26-8 (6th Atlantic Div)
Month Record: 7-5-1

Home Record: 17-13-2
Away Record: 13-13-6
Last 10 Games: 5-4-1
Current Streak: 1W

League Standings:

Spoiler

The Month of February


The Players:

Leading Points: Dylan Larkin - 59
Leading Goals: Gustav Nyquist - 25
Leading Assists: Dylan Larkin - 40

GM's Most Impressed Award: Jonathan Bernier

Player Stats:

Spoiler

Goalie Stats:

Spoiler

Rookie Watch:

Spoiler

League Leaders:

Spoiler

Points:

Goals:

Assists:

Goalies:

Rookie Scoring:

Plus / Minus (+/-)

PIM

Game Results, News & Team Updates::

4th February, Nashville @ Detroit

The Red Wings extend the Predators losing streak to 5, with a 3-2 victory at Little Caesars Arena.
The Predators took the game to the Red Wings early on, with team captain, Roman Josi scoring the 1st goal of the game, to put the visitors in front.
The Red Wings rallied, with Nyquist netting his 20th for the season and tying the game.
Anthony Mantha added the 1st of 2 goals to put the Wings in front 2-1, however his score was countered early in the 3rd period from a goal off a slap s to tie the game at 2-2.
With the 3rd period winding down, Anthony Mantha finally netted the go-ahead goal with 2:40 remaining,to give the Red Wings the win.
Tonight was the 2nd of 7 straight home games. The Red Wings get some vital time on their home ice & will not have to travel until the 16th February.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics – See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

6th February, Columbus @ Detroit

The Red Wings take another big scalp with a 2-0 shutout win over the Blue Jackets at home.
Despite being outshot 38 to 22, the Wings find a way with Bernier’s massive shutout effort in net & whilst at the other end, Martin Frk & Gustav Nyquist both scored to give the home team the edge.
The Red Wings are currently on a 3 game winning streak at home, with 4 more home games to follow in this current stand. The next game at home is on the 8th when they take on the Panthers in the 1st night of a double header.

3 Stars of the Game:


8th February, Florida @ Detroit

After recording a shutout victory in the previous game, the Red Wings have the tables turned & are shutout themselves in a 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers.
Jamie McGinn recorded 2 goals for the Panthers, including an empty netter nearing the end of regulation.
Aaron Ekblad was the other Panthers player to rain on Detroit’s parade, with his goal in the 2nd period.
Roberto Luongo had it relatively easy, only having to make 23 saves for the game to earn the shutout.
With 3 games to go in the current 7 game home stand, Detroit are 3-1-0.

3 Stars of the Game:


9th February, Chicago @ Detroit

The Red Wings tally late goals in the 3rd, however cannot match it with the Blackhawks & are beaten 4-3 at home.
Detroit drop both games in this weekend’s double header, however there was a spirited comeback mounted that fell just short of the mark.
Blackhawks forward, Brandon Saad showed everyone why he is currently leading the league in goals & points, scoring the 1st goal of the game. This was be followed by 2 further goals to put the visiting team up 3-0 by the 3rd.
Finally, Martin Frk scored the Wing’s 1st, to stem the tide, though it was short lived as Jonathan Toews lasered a wrist shot past Howard to give the visitors a commanding 4-1 lead.
Filip Zadina found something special in the final term, with 2 late goals to put Detroit back within 1, the last goal coming with 4:22 remaining. Time was the enemy & the Wings couldn’t complete the comeback.

3 Stars of the Game:


11th February, NY Rangers @ Detroit

The Red Wings catch a break with tonight’s 3-2 shootout victory over the Rangers.
If the game had have been judged on shots on net, then the Red Wings would have been huge winners, with a shot on goal tally of 42 to 21. Though by the end of the 2nd period, the Red Wings found themselves trailing 2-1.
Gustav Nyquist, as good as ever, saved the day for the Red Wings when he scored his game tying goal in the final period & forcing overtime. Overtime went without score, & it was Nyquist who scored in the shootout to win the game.
Having faced an inordinate amount of shots, Rangers backup goalie, Alexander Georgiev earned tonight’s 1st star, making 40 saves.

3 Stars of the Game:


Breaking News...

Mike Green expected to miss 2 weeks with Elbow injury
Fillip Hronek Called up from Grand Rapids
12th February 2020,

14th February, Philadelphia @ Detroit

The Red Wings lose a tight one at home 2-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Goals From James Van Riemsdyk & Wayne Simmond’s gave the Flyers the edge & it appeared almost likely that the Wings might be shutout again, until Dylan Larkin finally snapped his 6 game scoreless streak with a goal late in the 3rd .
The Flyers held on and the Red Wings finish their 7 game home stand at 4-3-0. Wins & losses aside, this has been a very good break for Red Wings players who have enjoyed a number of weeks at home.

3 Stars of the Game:


16th February, Detroit @ NY Islanders

The Red Wings reverse the Islanders curse with a commanding 4-1 victory at the Barclays Center.
It didn’t look good for the visitors when Josh Bailey scored to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead which carried through to the 1st intermission.
Whatever coach Jeff Blashill threatened his team with obviously worked, as the Wings came out looking like a rejuvenated side, to take full control & score the next 4 goals unanswered.
In the 2nd period, Chris Bigras was the 1st to break though with his shot on goal out near the blue line, followed by Andreas Athanasiou, giving the Red Wings the lead.
Anthony Mantha then scored twice in the 3rd period to give the Red Wings the victory.
It was a tough game for Islanders net minder, Linus Soderstrom who finished the night with 30 saves. At the other end, Wings net minder, Jimmy Howard made 22 saves

3 Stars of the Game:


18th February, Detroit @ Montreal

Another fierce rivalry game is in the books with the Red Wings toppling the Canadiens 4-3 in overtime.
Michael Rasmussen scores the game decider in the overtime period with 2:50 remaining, with a mean wrist shot between the circles.
Earlier in the game, Dylan Larkin continued his career best season, tallying another 2 goals, giving the young centerman 4 points (2g,2a) over the last 2 games.
The result was nearly certain early in the 3rd period with the Wings in control with a 3-2 lead. However ex-Detroit product, Tomas Tatar deflected the puck into the net from a Jonathan Drouin wrist shot, with only 2:49 remaining to force the game into overtime.
Howard had a busy night, facing 43 shots on net & stopping 40, whilst Montreal’s Finnish Backup goal tender, Kari Lehtonen, faced 35 shots, stopping 31.
Tonight’s win puts Detroit 1 point behind Montreal & 1 point out of a Wild Card position.

3 Stars of the Game:


Breaking News...

Jonathan Ericsson to miss a week with wrist sprain
Dennis Cholowski recalled from Grand Rapids
19th February,

20th February, Detroit @ Toronto

The Maple Leafs scrub the floor with the Red Wings, the final Score 4-0.
Leaf’s goalie, Frederick Andersen, was the centrepiece of the Leaf’s big win, recording 35 saves on his way to a shutout.
Austin Matthews, Kasperi Kapanen, Martin Letestu & Mitch Marner were tonight’s goal scorers, the Leaf’s firmly in command for most of the game.
The Red Wings have let the Leafs rattle them once again & to make matters worse in the loss, Centerman Frans Nielsen left the game late in the 3rd period, on one skate & clearly in pain, with what appears to be a knee injury.

3 Stars of the Game:


Breaking News...

Nielsen to miss up to 4 weeks with MCL sprain
Left ice late in 3rd period in last night’s game. Dominic Turgeon Called up from Grand Rapids
21st February 2020,

Skinner takes part in skating practice
Forward gets back onto the ice for 1st time since December 17th. Hoping for a return by end of month.
21st February,

22nd February, Carolina @ Detroit

Carolina make short work of Detroit, embarrassing the home side to a 6-3 loss at Little Caesars Arena.
Despite a spirited start to the game, with Andreas Athanasiou scoring a goal only 43 seconds in, the Red Wings were never in this one, with Carolina running away the game once they levelled.
Hurricanes Defenseman Jacob Slavin was stellar, amassing 3 assists to earn the game’s 1st star award, followed by Wings rookie Center, Michael Rasmussen with the 2nd Star, who tallied a goal and an assist in the loss.
Tuevo Teravainen also notched a goal plus and an assist, earning the 3rd star.

3 Stars of the Game:


24th February, Detroit @ Boston

The Red Wings claim an all important 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
With the Bruins just inside the top 8 and the Red Wings just outside, whoever won this match helps their efforts in making playoffs.
Luke Glendening scored off a wrist shot in the 1st period, beating Tuuka Rask under the glove.
In the 2nd period with 6:07 remaining, Boston forward Torey Krug scored to tie the game, however the Red Wings quickly responded with a goal from Gustav Nyquist on the very next play, to put the visitors up 2-1.
No one would score for the rest of the game & Johnathan Bernier is tonight’s 1st star, making a solid 35 saves in a busy night. Bruins’ Tuuka Rask is tonight’s 2nd star making 25 saves in the loss. Gustav Nyquist earns the game’s 3rd star with the game winning goal.
The Wings head for Pittsburgh in the morning to play the Penguins in tomorrow night’s clash.

3 Stars of the Game:


25th February, Detroit @ Pittsburgh

The Red Wings fail to hold off a fast finishing Penguins with a 5-4 shootout loss.
The Red Wings had a blazing 2nd period with 4 straight goals, giving the visiting side a commanding lead. However slowly but surely, the Penguins found their way back in, shutting down the Wings offense & commanding the play in their own zone to eventually tie the game with less than a minute to go in the 3rd period.
In overtime neither team would give an inch with Bernier & Murray in their respective nets stopping everything shot at them.
In the shootout, Patric Hornqvist scored on the very 1st attempt, ultimately giving the Penguins a great comeback victory.
Wings Captain, Niklas Kronwall earned the 1st star of the game, scoring his 1st goal of the season, plus an assist.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics – See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

Breaking News….

Trade News: Darren Helm traded to Edmonton
Red Wings Receive 2 Picks in Exchange for Helm, prospect Lane Zablocki & a pick.
27th February 2020,

Steve Yzerman held out until 2:45pm, 15 minutes to spare, on the last day of the NHL Trade Deadline to execute a deal that sees veteran Center / Left Wing, Darren Helm, headed for the Edmonton Oilers.
As a sweetener for the deal, the Red Wings retain $1M per year for the remaining 2 years of Helm’s current contract. Helm’s total contract is worth $3.825M per year.
Accompanying Helm to the Oilers is this year’s 5th Round draft pick & 21yr old Right Wing prospect Lane Zablocki, who was pick #79 in the 3rd round of the 2017 Entry Draft.
In exchange, the Red Wings receive Edmonton’s 3rd Round & 6th Round picks in this year’s draft.
Steve Yzerman had the folllowing to say about the deal.
“We don’t believe this is going to be a super great draft for us, but we have our eyes on a number of players who we feel may go in the 3rd to 4th rounds, so the idea was to position ourselves to be able to obtain who we want to pick. Plus, from this deal we get an extra pick in the 6th round, which is a total of 9 picks in this year’s draft.”
I’d like to thank Helmer for his time with the organisation, he has been with us since 2005 and has been a big part of the good times & monumental in this team’s recent rebuild.
Helmer was struggling for ice time this season, largely due to the need to play some of the younger guys. In the very least, we know Edmonton, who are serious contenders this year, will draw on his abilities full time, which is a great opportunity for him.” Said Yzerman.
“We very nearly didn’t make a deal at all leading up to the deadline this season. This opportunity came up last night when I was on the phone to Peter Chiarelli at the Oilers. Suddenly here we were, making a deal right on the deadline.”
When asked about what the trade done for the Red Wings playoffs chances -
“We’re 5 points out of the 8. We will continue to require some big luck on our side to make playoffs this season. At the start (of the season) no one would have predicted that we would be this close. We lose a little bit of depth, but given Helmer’s struggle of late to make it into the top 12 forwards & get a consistent game, I believe the impact is minimal. Plus we have Skinner only days away from coming back, so that’s a huge amount of talent regained right there.”

Detroit’s next game is at home on Saturday night, 29th February, against struggling back to back champions Washington (63gp 29-30-4), who sit 7th in the Metropolitan Division and in serious doubt of their Championship defense.

Darren Helm & Lane Zablocki now Edmonton Oilers:

27th February @ 3pm - Trade Deadline

*See next post for all of the trades made during the month of February leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline.

Breaking News....

Skinner Passes Fitness Test
Wingman ready to return to Detroit lineup. Will play against Capitals in first game since December 17th
28th February,

29th February, Washington @ Detroit

Detroit rallies from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Washington Capitals 3-2, after the shootout, in tonight’s game at Little Caesars Arena.
It’s another one that gets away from the Caps as they can now almost kiss this season goodbye.
It looked promising early for the back-to-back Champs as they took a 2-0 lead into the 1st intermission with goals coming from Backstrom & Stephenson.
However a 2nd period goal from Filip Zadina & then the 3rd period equaliser from Gustav Nyquist, sent the game into overtime, then the shootout, where Anthony Mantha buried the puck in the net past Brayden Holtby to secure the win.
Both goalies played an exceptional game in tonight’s fixture, with Holtby named the game’s 1st star & Bernier the game’s 2nd star.
Both Zadina & Nyquist tallied a goal & an assist each in the win.
Tonight was Jeff Skinner’s 1st game back for the Red Wings since recovering from Post-Concussion Syndrome. Skinner played 20:21, easing back into the roster.
Veteran Wings defender, Alex Edler, left the game late with a suspected Elbow injury and did not return.
The Red Wings now head to Boston to play the Bruins tomorrow night.

3 Stars of the Game:


Wrap up:
Considering the injuries to 3 defensemen, Nielsens knee injury & Skinner’s absence all month, the Red Wings had a brilliant month, winning 7 from 13 games. It will be very tough to make the top 8 in the Eastern Conference, however with 18 games to go & only 3 points behind the 2nd Wild Card team, the Boston Bruins, anything could happen.

Trade deadline came & passed, it was tempting to move some players around to better arm ourselves for the post-season, however I thought it to be a better approach to stay with what we have & possibly make some moves in the lead up to the 2020 player draft. I am still very interested in 21yr old defenseman prospect Callan Foote from Tampa Bay & prepared to move assets come draft day to make it happen. However any deal has to be in the best interests of the team - if it’s not tenable, then it’s not tenable & we move on.

The 1 move we did make was Darren Helm to Edmonton. Effectively, we wiped $2.8M (we retained $1M) off our books for more salary cap space, advanced our spare 5th round pick to a 3rd & gained a 6th round pick. Helm’s contract, along with a few others on the roster was no longer worth the space it was taking up. It was a big factor in moving Abdelkader at last season’s draft.

18 games to go, let’s go Red Wings.

Injuries:
17th December, LW Jeff Skinner - Post Consussion Syndrome – Missed 28 games (Returned 29th Feb)
12th February, D Mike Green - Elbow - Missed 7 games
18th February, D Jonathan Ericsson - wrist sprain - missed 5 games
22nd February, C Frans Nielsen - MCL sprain - Missed 3 games & Out until 20th March
29th February, D Alex Edler - Elbow injury - out for 1 week

Contract Extensions:
2nd February - D Mike Green - Signed Extension Contract - 2yrs @ $4.7M per yr
2nd February - LW Evgeny Svechnikov - Signed Extension Contract - 5yrs @ $5.325M per yr
2nd February - C Wade Megan - Signed 2way Extension Contract - 2yrs @ $0.7M per yr
2nd February - C Axel Holmstrom - Signed 2way Extension Contract - 1yr @ $0.825M
2nd February - LW Kalle Kossila - Signed 2way Extension Contract - 1yr @ $0.875M
23rd February - D Brian Lashoff - Signed 2way Extension Contract - 1yr @ $0.8M
28th February - RW Zac Rinaldo - Signed 2way Extension Contract - 2yrs @ $0.725M per yr

Big month with 7 extensions executed. The biggest clearly the signing of Evgeny Svechnikov to a 5 year deal for a total of $26.625M

Call Ups/ Assignments:
12th February - D Filip Hronek Called up to Detroit Red Wings (Reassigned 27th February)
16th February - D Dennis Cholowski Called up to Detroit Red Wings
22nd February - RW Garnet Hathaway reassigned to Grand Rapids

Projected Lines - 1st March, Detroit @ Boston
3 Points Separate the Red Wings & the Bruins, who sit as the EC’s 2nd Wild Card. 18 games to go, this a vital game for both teams.

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Trade Deadline - 3pm, 27th February 2020

Here are all of the trades that occurred in the month lead up to the NHL Trade Deadline:

Not a huge year in terms of blockbuster trades.
Perhaps the 2 most significant trades were Philadelphia acquiring Jared Spurgeon & the Rangers picking up Connor Sheary.

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Am I reading that right? Did the Rangers trade a 3rd round pick to Buffalo only to trade to get the same pick back two days later? lol

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Am I reading that right? Did the Rangers trade a 3rd round pick to Buffalo only to trade to get the same pick back two days later? lol

Lol yes you’re right!


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Season 2019/20

March Report

Overall Record: 35-36-8
Month Record: 5-10-0

Home Record: 18-19-2
Away Record: 17-17-6
Last 10 Games: 3-7-0
Current Streak: 4L


League Standings:

Spoiler

The Month of March


The Players:

Leading Points: Dylan Larkin - 67
Leading Goals: Gustav Nyquist - 28
Leading Assists: Dylan Larkin - 38

GM's Most Impressed Award: Michael Rasmussen

Player Stats:

Spoiler

Goalie Stats:

Spoiler

Rookie Watch:

Spoiler

League Leaders:

Spoiler

Points:

Goals:

Assists:

Goalies:

Rookie Scoring:

Plus / Minus (+/-)

PIM

Game Results, News & Team Updates::

1st March, Detroit @ Boston

The Red Wings lose a vital game against current 2nd Wild Card holders, Boston 5-2.
With only 3 points separating these 2 teams leading up to tonight’s game, the winner of this encounter made a serious case for their playoffs hopes.
In the 1st period, Boston gained the advantage when Brad Marchand scored a wrap around goal that beat Jimmy Howard between his left pad and the post.
Neither team could capitalise through the rest of the 1st or for the entire 2nd period, however Boston then went on to score 4 goals to Detroit’s 2 in the final period to round out as easy winners.
Jeff Skinner scored his 1st goal since his return from injury & Niklas Kronwall scored his 2nd goal for the season in the loss.
For the Bruins, tonight’s win provides a little extra breathing space with the Red Wings falling further behind.


3 Stars of the Game:


3rd March, Vegas @ Detroit

The Red Wings make short work of the Vegas Golden Knights with a 3-0 shutout victory at home.
Vegas, who continue to struggle this season, had little to no offensive structure & fail to make an impact, with not near enough pressure on Detroit net minder, Jonathan Bernier, who records the Shutout to his stats.
The Red Wings tallied a goal in each period from separate player. The goals came from rookie Center Michael Rasmussen, Anthony Mantha & Evgeny Svechnikov.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics – See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

6th March, Detroit @ Colorado

Detroit loses a high scoring affair, 5-4, to the Colorado Avalanche on the road.
The Av’s, led by Gabriel Landeskog who tailed 2 goals & an assist, managed to keep the Wings scoreless during the final period.
Despite only putting 22 shots on net for the entire game, the Red Wings still netted 4 goals from Filip Zadina, Michael Rasmussen, Evgeny Svechnikov & Tyler Bertuzzi.
Landeskog was awarded the 1st star of the game in a superb effort, with teammate Nate McKinnon earning the 2nd Star with a goal & 2 assists.
Svechnikov, who continues to grow this season, comes in as the 3rd star with a goal and an assist.

3 Stars of the Game:


8th March, Detroit @ Dallas

Detroit has put on a clinic at the American Airlines Center, defeating the Dallas Stars 4-1.
Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice, with Martin Frk & Niklas Kronwall also contributing 1 goal each, much to the disappointment of the Dallas crowd. Jimmy Howard finished just shy of a shoutout, keeping the Stars scoreless until 3:25 remaining, when Finnish Defenseman, Elsa Lindell scored a freak of a goal, from just outside of the Blue line to at least give the home team something to be positive about.

3 Stars of the Game:


11th March, Minnesota @ Detroit

A defensive meltdown costs the Red Wings 2 goals in the final 2 minutes of play, resulting in a 4-2 loss at home to the Wild.
The Red Wings had the game level at 2-2 in the 3rd period, after a goal from Defenseman Chris Bigras. The rest of the period would go back and forth offensively, slowly building up to the finish. However 2 poor turnovers in the Red Wings defensive zone saw a goal from Nick Seeler and then only 48 seconds later, Wild Center, Charlie Coyle found the puck from a rebound, who then scored to make the final result certain at 4-2.

3 Stars of the Game:


13th March, Washington @ Detroit

A 3 goal final period from the Capitals has resulted in a 6-4 whitewash of the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena.
The Red Wings held a 4-3 lead going into the 3rd period, however the Capitals knuckled down, applied pressure on the forecheck and the results followed with the 3 goals scored each by Ovechkin, Vrana & Carlson with his 2nd for the night.
Rasmussen, Zadina, Bertuzzi & Svechnikov each scored for the Wings in the 1st 2 periods, however no one could capitalise on their opportunities in the final, allowing the defending Stanley Cup Champs to pick up a much needed win.
Caps D-man John Carlson played spectacularly with 2 goals & 2 assists in tonight’s win, earning the 1st star of the game.
Rookie Wings Center, Michael Rasmussen, notched a goal and an assist. The young power forward has a goal in each of the last 4 games.
Also to note, rookie Center, Dominic Turgeon finally scores his 1st career point, an assist, after 17 NHL career games over 3 seasons.

3 Stars of the Game:


15th March, Detroit @ Columbus

The Red Wings prevail 4-2 in a close game with the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road.
Mike Green led the box score in tonight’s match, with the ultra-experienced D-man pocketing 2 goals including the game winner which was the result of a perfect pass laid out to Green whilst wide open.
Columbus kept the game close right through to near the end of the 3rd period with goals from Cam Atkinson & Alex Wennberg, to keep the game tied at 2-2, until Greens goal.
In the last minute of play, the Blue Jackets pulled Jonas Korpisalo to try their luck with the extra man advantage. The play back fired, with the 1st line of Nyquist, Larkin & Mantha breaking out & ultimately handing Mantha an open empty net goal.
The Red Wings now head home to play the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow night at Little Caesars Arena.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics – See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

16th March, Winnipeg @ Detroit

Winnipeg get the better of Detroit with a 3-0 shutout victory at home.
Matthieu Perrault scores 1 & Dustin Byfluglien scores twice in the 2nd period to give the Jets the big win with the season winding down & sorely needing point to stay in the playoffs race.
Jets goalie, Eric Comrie earns the 1st star with 23 saves and a shutout. Tonights loss hurts, as the Red Wings slip further behind and the chance of playoffs appearing to slip away.

3 Stars of the Game:


19th March, Boston @ Detroit

The season slips even further away for the Red Wings shutout 4-0 by the Boston Bruins.
For the 2nd straight game, the Wings forward’s fail to find any offensive flare. Tonight only managing 18 shots on net.
David Pastrnak scored the game’s 1st goal in the 2nd period to get the Bruins started. It was then followed by a big 3rd period with the Bruins stacking on 3 more.

3 Stars of the Game:


22nd March, Detroit @ Ottawa

Gustav Nyquist tallies a hat-trick to dig Detroit out of their scoreless hump & defeat the Ottawa Senators 5-2.
It looked almost dire for the Red Wings early on, with Ottawa’s Jacob Silfverberg scoring in the 1st, without much sign of any Detroit offense once again.
Enter Gustav Nyquist in the 2nd period, who received a laser pass from Filip Zadina, for a brilliant one-timer that jammed the Wings into action.
Nyquist went on to score twice more a brilliant hat-trick, with Martin Frk later following up with a long overdue goal, then Alex Edler finished off the Senators with an empty net goal with 0:32 remaining.
Filip Zadina certainly deserves big praise in the Wings win, setting up Nyquist on all 3 of his goals.

3 Stars of the Game:


24th March, Detroit @ NY Islanders

The Red Wings clutch onto their playoffs hopes with a resounding 5-1 victory over the Islanders.
Filip Zadina Pocketed two goals in the 1st period, followed by Larkin to give the visiting team a handy 3-0 lead going into the 2nd period.
Rasmussen then added a 4th with new 3rd line partner, Jeff Skinner, tallying the Wings 5th goal.
Both Rasmussen & Skinner assisted each other in the other’s goal.
Josh Ho-Sang was the Islanders lone scorer, with a late one to give their game some creditability, however it is another loss for what has been a very lack-lustre season for the Islanders
The Red Wings will play the Lightning on the road tomorrow night.

3 Stars of the Game:



25th March, Detroit @ Tampa Bay

Nikita Kucherov’s Hat-trick spurs 5-1 victory to the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Detroit Red Wings.
It is always a tough job for the Red Wings to contain the super Lightning offense, again being outplayed on many fronts, in particular, time of puck possession.
Larkin scored the Wings lone goal. More is required from the list if the Red Wings want to get back to being a successful franchise.
With only 6 games left in the regular season & now 8 points behind 2nd Wild Card, season 2019/20 is more or less cooked for the Red Wings.

3 Stars of the Game:


27th February, Florida @ Detroit

Detroit lose 3-0 to Florida. It their 3rd consecutive home game without a score.
The Red Wings are not keeping many home fans happy, now having been shutout in 3 straight games.
Evgeni Dadanov, Keith Yandle & Vincent Trochek scored for the visitors in another shocker for Detroit.

3 Stars of the Game:


29th March, Detroit @ NY Rangers

A 3 goal burst in the 3rd period for the Rangers has boosted the side to a 5-2 victory over the Red Wings.
After a 1st period goal from Rangers Wingman Brandon Tanev, the Red Wings seized control for a while, with 2 goals coming from Jeff Skinner & Martin Frk, however with only 1:32 remaining in the 2nd period, the Red Wings defense faltered allowing Chris Kreider to zing the puck past Jonathan Bernier’s face mask to tie the game.
The 3rd period, the game completely fell apart for Detroit, as Connor Sheary scored 1 for the Rangers to go ahead, then Mika Zibanejad netted 2 within 30 seconds to give the Rangers a huge win & keeps them still in the race to make playoffs.

3 Stars of the Game:


30th March, New Jersey @ Detroit

The Red Wings snap their home scoreless streak , but not their home losing streak. Going down to the New Jersey Devils, 2-1.
Tonight’s home game loss is Detroit’s 4th in a row, now with only 1 goal scored during this stretch.
The Wings lone goal came from Jeff Skinner early in the 1st, which at the time, tied the game 1-1 after an earlier Trent Zajac goal.
Damon Severson scored the Devils 2nd goal in the 2nd period, with the rest of the game going scoreless.
It has been a bad month for the Red Wings who seem to be hanging out for the season to end.

3 Stars of the Game:


Breaking News...

Pavel Datsyuk’s Number 13 to be retired at season closing game vs Tampa Bay.

Fans get to pay homage to the Magic Man for a brilliant career
31st March 2020

Wrap up:
With 3 games to go in the season, the Red Wings languish in 6th place, 12 points behind Montreal & Boston.
Although there weren’t any injuries, the length of the season on a number of younger players has clearly taken its toll. Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha & Jeff Skinner are just not producing like they should.
On the other hand, Rasmussen, Svechnikov & Zadina have picked up a notch, which shows some sound development in their natural games.
The last 3 games of the regular season to be played, coincidently happen to be against the top 3 teams in the league, with St Louis (1st Central 113pts), Tampa Bay (2nd Atlantic 101pts) & finally Florida (1st Atlantic 106pts).
The big message to coach Jeff Blashill & his players is to forget about the bad month that was March, to finish the season out with some heart like we know they have & make the fans as proud of their team as possible.

Injuries:
Nil

Contract Extensions:
Nil

Call Ups/ Assignments:
Nil

Projected Lines - 1st April, St Louis @ Detroit

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Season 2019/20

Last 3 Games of the Regular Season

Overall Record: 36-37-9
Month Record: 1-1-1

Home Record: 19-19-3
Away Record: 17-18-6
Last 10 Games: 3-6-1
Current Streak: 1L


League Standings:

Spoiler

The Last 3 Games


The Players:

Leading Points: Dylan Larkin 67
Leading Goals: Gustav Nyquist 30
Leading Assists: Dylan Larkin 45

GM's Most Impressed Award: Michael Rasmussen - 14 points in last 18 games

Player Stats:

Spoiler

*Includes players that have been sent to minors

League Leaders:

Spoiler

Points:

Goals:

Assists:

Goalies:

Rookie Scoring:

Plus / Minus (+/-)

PIM

Game Results, News & Team Updates::

1st April, St Louis @ Detroit

A heartbreakingly close final decision at Little Caesars Arena, with the Detroit Red Wings going down in the shootout to the St Louis Blues. The Final Result 3-2.
The Wings nearly had an upset victory over the already crowned Presidents Trophy winning Blues, leading 2-1 late in the final period. That was until Jaden Schwartz scored the game tying goal with only 2:24 left.
The game was forced into overtime with no score, bringing on the shootout.
Wings’ Jeff Skinner scored 1st in the shootout to put the Wings up, however Brayden Schenn answered with his own immediately, then followed by Alex Pietrangelo to finalise a big come from behind victory for the Blues.
Michael Rasmussen & Gustav Nyquist tallied the Red Wings goals during regulation time & Jonathan Bernier made 32 saves in the loss.
We’re back here on Friday for the final home game of the season against the Lightning. It is also the official retiring of Pavel Datsyuk’s number 13.

3 Stars of the Game:


3rd April, Tampa Bay @ Detroit

Final home game of the season & the crowd were treated to a Red Wings legend’s number hoisted to the rafters & a 3-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The game was much closer than the final score suggests, with Detroit scoring 2 empty net goals in the last minute of play.
Tampa Bay bought it hard to the Wings however Jonathan Bernier was brilliant earning a modest shutout victory with 21 saves.
Alex Edler was the only player to score with even players on the ice, midway through the 1st period.
The empty net goals belonged to Gustav Nyquist, for his 30th goal of the season & Filip Zadina, for his 20th goal of the season.
During the pre-game events, Red Wings great, Pavel Datsyuk, had his number 13 raised to the rafters to join the other greats of the Detroit franchise.
Datsyuk was drafted

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics – See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

Breaking News...

Skinner suffers hamstring injury in last night’s 3-0 victory over Bolts
Winger’s streak of bad luck continues, will miss final game of the season against Florida.
"Disappointed in my season here. Not how I wanted this to go"

4th April 2020,

More Breaking News...

Dominic Turgeon claimed on waivers
Plan to play Turgeon in AHL backfires as Buffalo stake their claim on centerman
5th April 2020

*I’m really starting to hate Buffalo lol

5th April, Detroit @ Florida

The Red Wings finish out the 2019/20 season with a 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.
Luke Glendening was the Wings lone goal scorer in the 1st period, with the Panthers having it all just too easy.
It has been a long season for the Red Wings, moreover a tough finish with the record over last 18 games 6-11-1.

3 Stars of the Game:


Wrap up:
That’s another season run and done. Although we are in a rebuilding mode, it was a pretty disappointing final run over the last 18 games, expecially from the likes of Dylan Larkin (3g,5a - 8 points in 18games), Anthony Mantha (2g,6a – 8 points in 18 games) & Mike Skinner (3g,4a – 7 points in 17 games), who did not impact in enough games when needed.
Keeping the rebuild in mind, we are still putting the right pieces into the organisation to make it successful in the future. Although the players have been sent on break, we in the front office will now get to work on evaluating what additions & changes are needed to keep the our organisation going in the right direction.
I have a feeling I have failed my primary objective of running the franchise to 89% of the targeted profit margin, let’s see how that pans out for my career later.

Injuries:
3rd April - LW Jeff Skinner - hamstring strain missed 1 game.

Contract Extensions:
Nil

Call Ups/ Assignments:
4th April - Dominic Turgeon claimed on Waivers by the Buffalo Sabres.

We rolled the dice to send Turgeon to Grand Rapids for AHL playoffs and lost. Honestly I didn’t believe Turgeon would get claimed, yet he was taken by the very 1st team to get the option in Buffalo.
Turgeon’s contract expires at the end of this season. If Buffalo do not offer him a contract extension, we will try to pick him up again. Sorry Dom!

The Stanley Cup Playoffs Begin – The Playoff Picture, Round 1
Whilst the Red Wings are busy packing their suitcases for the end-of-season trip to Hawaii, the business end of the season has just begun.
Can the St Louis Blues continue their league best run and bring home Stanley?
Can the Anaheim Ducks find redemption after a heartbreaking Finals series loss to the Caps last season?
Can the Steven Stamkos help break the Lightning’s finals curse?

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Season 2019/20

Grand Rapids Griffins
End of Regular Season Report



Feature Game:
14th April, 2020
Grand Rapids @ Ontario
The AHL post season is only days away & the Griffins have played outstanding, locking themselves into a playoffs spot. Here we join the Griffins at their last regular season game on the road against Ontario Reign.


Projected Lines:


GAME RESULT & RECAP- See Pictures Inside

Spoiler

14th April, Grand Rapids @ Ontario Reign

The Griffins have pulled off one of the unlikeliest of victories, winning 6-4 over the Ontario Reign.
Trailing for almost the entire game, the Griffins managed to level the scores at 4-4 with 5 minutes remaining in the 3rd.
With 50 seconds remaining on the clock, Reign centerman Gabriel Vilardi, was Called for a slashing penalty to put the Griffins on an extremely handy power play.
With 28 seconds remaining, Chris Terry snuck the puck under Cal Peterson’s pads at close range, finding the back of the net, to put the Griffins in front for the 1st time in the game.
It was Terry’s 2nd goal of the night in a 1st star performance from the veteran forward.
The very next play, and only 8 seconds after Terry’s go-ahead goal, Jake Chelios found an open lane off the face-off & sizzled the puck past Peterson for a 2nd time, to give the Griff’s a 2 goal lead and a certain win.
It was a great way to finish out the regular season for the Griffins who have placed 2nd in the Central Division and will have home ice advantage in the 1st round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, when they take on the Texas Stars.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics:

GRIFFINS SEASON STATS:

Overall Record: 47-26-3

Home Record: 22-13-3
Away Record: 25-13-0
Last 10 Games: 7-2-1
Current Streak: 2W

League Standings:

Spoiler

The Players:

Leading Points: Kalle Kossila 64 ( Tied 7th AHL)
Leading Goals: Chris Terry 33 (2nd AHL)
Leading Assists: Kalle Kossila 46 (Tied 1st AHL)

Player Stats:

Spoiler

Goalie Stats:

Spoiler

League Leaders:

Spoiler

Points:

Goals:

Assists:

Plus / Minus (+/-)

PIM

Wrap up:
The Griffins rounded out the 2nd half of the season with a record of 26-11-2 which was extremely impressive. Although neither Terry or Kossila saw any NHL action this season, they both stood up for the Griffins to finish amongst the league leaders for Goals, assists & points.
Barring the injury to Givani Smith, the Griffins have a healthy list heading into playoffs.

Injuries:
14th April - LW Givani Smith - Hip Injury - Out until 27th April.

The Calder Cup Playoffs Picture – Round 1:
The Griffins have a big task in front of them now as they take on the Texas Stars in the best-of-5 1st round of the playoffs.

*sorry its been a while, have been very busy with work & other stuff. All of the playoffs posts should be up in the next few hours.