The Detroit Red Wings aren’t slowing down. In fact, the team is gaining momentum. Detroit beat St. Louis, 5-2. Their record improved to 7-3-0. The Wings haven’t started the season that well since 2010, and the team is feeling it right now.
Detroit had a tough start, in which St. Louis scored just 47 seconds into the contest. Fortunately, the team was able to come together and take hold of the momentum. The Red Wings answered with four unanswered goals, with Larkin adding an empty net for good measure at the end. The team needed a strong start on the road, and it looks like they’ve found it.
Dylan Larkin continues to impress
Dylan Larkin scored two goals and one assist, hence the captain now has 16 points through 10 games. Larkin’s points per game stand at 1.6, while scoring an impressive .8 goals per game. Larkin continues to push the pace, both on and off the ice for this team.
For now, #71 seems very pleased with the stability he’s obtained with his current linemates. Lucas Raymond continues to produce on Larkin’s right, while rookie Emmitt Finnie is still holding down the left wing. This lack of consistency was the source, rightfully so, of a lot of frustration the past couple of season. The emergence of of Finnie as a top six forward has been a surprise, albeit a most welcome one.
The team seems to have solidified
The Red Wings had a difficult, if not horrific road trip to New York. The team addressed those struggles, including a move that sent MBN down to Grand Rapids. Players like Jonatan Berggren and Travis Hamonic seem to have earned the trust of the coaching staff in the meantime.
John Gibson is gaining confidence, although his early struggles were a poor sampling of his ability. Gibson’s past two wins have shown an ability to make important, as well as timely saves to keep the team going. The journey to California will be an important test, however right now the team seems ready for the challenge.
Mazur injured in practice… ughhhh… He’s out again. So my best guess is that John Leonard will get the call-up since he’s earned it with six goals in 5 games. He’s 27, so he’s still got some shelf life if he becomes a true NHL player. He got 36 goals last season in the AHL, so it looks like he’s got some scoring touch.
Danielson hasn’t missed a beat… getting a goal last night. He should get a call up and they can trade Rasmussen… who should only play Wing, not center. Time for him to go. Danielson would slot in nicely centering the 4th line to start things out in Detroit.
My heart breaks on Mazur. The past 2 seasons they’ve wanted him in Detroit and injuries keep messing it up for him. Leonard for sure has been on fire. Danielson was really noticeable all through the Iowa game. He’s everywhere on the ice. Incredible break away at the end, 200 ft playmaker. No reason he shouldn’t be wearing red by the Spring
Vlady!! Always a good read from you. And, as usual, you entice your readers to check out what you’re talking about. To that point….Danielson’s really looking good. Like, really good. His 20p’ game is solid, but may take a bit of a dip if/when he’s called up….just adjusting to the speed of closure and how quickly lanes close at the NHL level. I agree though, kid’s really going to be special. Leonard’s suprising but not. He’s got a great game in the ‘A’, and I think it’ll convert more quickly. Either would be a good call-up.
Mazur, man 😮💨 That kid works his tail off but can’t out-run the zInjured list. Hopefully he won’t be out too long, but it does call into question his injury luck. I want that kid to be playing with the Big Club….if he could stay healthy, he’d be a game-changer in the 3d or 4th lines. Get healthy, kid….don’t get frustrated!!
Always good to see your insights, Vlady.
Good game. We stayed with it, overcame some rough defensive patches, and Gibby stole this one. He’s kinda like The Cat, but with a goalie mask; hotter than a $2 Rolex, then colder than my ex (not really, she’s a good person, just not a match…..but I digress…..).
That leads me to something we strughle with: Consistency. We don’t string together a solid 60min of hockey. I know there are ebbs n flows, I got that. But we stink the joing up in period 1 then have to fight to compete for the W. Bodies need to fly in the first 5min. Period. Set the dang tone and don’t let up. We’ve only potted FOUR period 1 goals this season!! C’mon 😮💨😮💨
I will say, I can see 2 really good F lines (Rayzor, Fins, Lark; Cat, Kane, Kasper). The 4th line last night, I’d offer, won the game. They were brutal defensively and just owned the boards. Tickle Me Elmer is figuring out that mass x velocity = brutality and goals. Once it really clicks for him, the kid’s going to be a beast.
But we cannot make the SCPO as a viable threat if we’re sleeping in period 1. There needs to be an onslaught of speed and physicality right out of the gate. We’ve figured out how to adapt to losing Kane, now we need to figure out how tostart a dang game…..
Mike you’re dead on. Every game has “bail out” moments where if the goalie can’t work alone, the team is sunk. before the season i talked about the goalie numbers. Essentially, if the team can get around a combined .910 SV% they have a real shot at the post season. Last year Talbot was at .909, but you had .897 with some of the other performances. Last night, Gibby hits .909. 22 saves on 20 shots, and some were really big. The team found their scoring to cover that. But these lapses they are concerning for sure. Great drop in Mike!
100 % agree on these comments. With the condensed games, I cannot see a lot but glad to read that the D looks solid (how lucky you are to watch the game for real !).
Detroit is enjoying a good start (we would have signed for that in the summer, let’s not forget it !), it’s so nice to appreciate it at the moment but they will have to go on after whatever break (olympics or all star), something they didn’t do last year (no more Larkin). It must be difficult to come back from such games and focus again on the season (“oh, yes, I almost forgot : the season is not finished, when are the holidays ? Ok, let’s go then…”) but it is the same for every team.
Hope Kasper’s points are coming soon.