Detroit Red Wings Clips January 30, 2015redwings.nhl.com/v2/ext/DRW_Clips_PDF/DRWClips013015.pdf ·...

Detroit Red Wings Clips

January 30, 2015

Detroit Red Wings PAGE 2 Tampa Bay 5, Detroit 1: Why the Red Wings lost PAGE 4 Red Wings fall from first in 5-1 loss to Lightning PAGE 6 Hopes high for Jurco as he returns to Wings' lineup PAGE 7 Wings trying to 'get our game back' in battle for 1st PAGE 8 Wings' foibles rear head in ugly 5-1 loss to Bolts PAGE 10 Competitiveness propeling Glendening past expectations PAGE 12 Wings' Jurco set to return, rediscover scoring touch PAGE 14 Quick Q&A with Red Wings forward Joakim Andersson PAGE 15 Detroit News NHL Power Rankings PAGE 17 Lightning 5, Red Wings 1: Lack of details, poor defensive play finally catch

up to Detroit PAGE 19 Second-period analysis: Lightning 5, Red Wings 1 PAGE 20 First-period analysis: Lightning 2, Red Wings 1 PAGE 21 Detroit Red Wings Gameday: Team's season outlook is much better than

a year ago today PAGE 23 Red Wings' lineup vs. Lightning: Tomas Jurco returns, looking to provide

speed, physicality PAGE 25 Red Wings-Lightning matchup has the makings for a good rivalry in the

not-so-distant future PAGE 27 Red Wings struck by Lightning in 5-1 loss PAGE 28 Yzerman's Lightning beat Wings with Detroit blue PAGE 30 Wings' Kindl ready to play, but healthy scratch against Lightning PAGE 31 Wings to upgrade cell service starting Saturday PAGE 32 Wings, Lightning face off in Atlantic Division showdown Thursday PAGE 34 Grand Rapids Griffins expect changes following major AHL franchise shift,

but extent not yet known PAGE 36 Griffins 6, Wild 0: Pulkkinen's hat trick, Coreau's 38 saves pace Grand

Rapids in shutout

2

Tampa Bay 5, Detroit 1: Why the Red Wings lost

By Helene St. James,

10:59 p.m. EST January 29, 2015

From Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida

Game action: Cedric Paquette scored at 2:03 when he was left uncovered down low long enough to see one shot stopped but still had time to backhand his rebound for a 1-0 lead.

Kyle Quincey leveled J.T. Brown into the boards only to be challenged by Brett Connolly, landing each in the box, but Connolly for two extra minutes, giving Detroit a power play at 5:43.

Darren Helm carried the puck from behind the net out and out front and scored through traffic at 11:59, with assists to Jonathan Ericsson and Pavel Datsyuk.

Ben Bishop successfully challenged Riley Sheahan on a breakaway, catching Sheahan's shot. Paquette scored again with 37 seconds left, striding in from the boards and using a screen to beat Petr Mrazek.

In the second period, Joakim Andersson went for holding at 3:30, giving Tampa Bay its first power play. Steven Stamkos converted at 4:18 with a slap shot from the left circle.

Justin Abdelkader went for goaltender interference at 8:31 after crashing into Bishop, but with 27 seconds to go in that penalty, Ryan Callahan went for boarding Quincey, eventually sending the Wings on a 1:33 power play. Abdelkader came out of the box and got a good shot on Bishop from the right wing. It was the Lightning that did score, however, with Paquette breaking into Detroit's zone and gliding up the wing for a short-handed goal to complete his hat trick.

Mark Barberio scored off a faceoff at 17:39 to make it 5-1 to Tampa.

In the third period, Tom McCollum took over for Mrazek, who departed with a .667 save percentage. The Lightning didn't let up, with McCollum making back-to-back saves on Connolly near the midpoint.

The Bolts had a 10-3 edge in shots the first 10 minutes of the third period.

McCollum made another great save on Tyler Johnson, dropping forwards to deny Johnson a good rebound attempt.

Game reaction: Henrik Zetterberg said, "even coming in after the first, we felt good about ourselves, we just needed a goal and to play good. We didn't do that. They're good. Obviously we gave them a lot of free chances. It was a big game, division game, they won this one. We'll see them again." ... Tomas Tatar, "whatever they shot, it went in. It's tough to respond. They have a good team, and it's tough to play against them."

McCollum stands tall: Tom McCollum was Detroit's lone bright spot, making 17 saves in relief in the third period. "I was pretty busy," he said. "I could see a lot of the shots, so

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that makes it easier for me. I felt great out there." It has been an emotional few days for McCollum, who lost his grandfather Tuesday morning.

Special teams report: The Wings went 0-for-2 on power plays, allowed one short-handed goal, and went 1-for-2 on penalty kills.

Shot report: The Wings had 28 shots (8-7-13) and the Lightning had 32 (8-7-17).

Next game: Saturday hosting the New York Islanders.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 01.30.2015

4

Red Wings fall from first in 5-1 loss to Lightning


11:41 p.m. EST January 29, 2015

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Detroit Red Wings capsized like a rowboat in a storm.

Their bird's-eye view of the Atlantic Division looked like a mirage after tonight's schooling by the Tampa Bay Lightning, which used a rookie to strike three times en route to a decisive 5-1 victory at Amalie Arena. The Bolts leapfrogged Detroit to retake first place in the division just two nights after the Wings had snuck up there.

"First period, actually, not bad," captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "We come out and play good, and then second and third, we can just scratch from our memory. Didn't go our way. They come in and score three goals, one short-handed and then in the third, it's game over."

Box score: Lightning 5, Red Wings 1

Zetterberg said the game should serve as a reminder that "when you're winning a lot of games, sometimes you start to cheat a little bit. That's when you go away from your structure, and teams will score. We've got to learn from this and get to playing the way we should."

Coach Mike Babcock painted a different picture, delivering a short post-game analysis in which he said he didn't think the game reflected the lack of attention to details he'd talked about for two days. "I thought we had good attention to detail," he said. "I thought we played good. I thought that might have been our best first period in a while. The puck just went in the net, let's be honest. It was in the net every time they shot it. So you're down by, not quite a touchdown, but a chunk right off the get go.

"We just had a good run here, won six in a row, we got spanked here tonight, let's get regrouped."

Mike Babcock talks after the Wings' 5-1 loss at Tampa Bay. Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press

No Detroit player other than backup Tom McCollum had a good night as the Wings' six-game winning streak was effectively doused - not Petr Mrazek, who left after five goals on 15 shots, not the defense, which allowed a goal within the last half-minute of a period, not special teams, which allowed both a power play goal and a shorthanded one. Darren Helm scored a goal, but it's not one Ben Bishop is going to rue.

The damage began early, as Cedric Paquette started work on his hat trick just two minutes after the puck first dropped. Paquette had enough time to roam just outside the crease to try once and succeed on his second attempt, sending the puck behind Mrazek with a backhand. Helm balanced that with a nice move out from behind the net, firing a shot high behind Bishop 10 minutes later, but then Paquette scored a goal he should

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long remember, getting the puck off Pavel Datsyuk to burn the Wings with 37 seconds left before intermission.

Over the past four games, the Wings have allowed a combined 17 goals.

"We can only cheat ourselves for so long," Niklas Kronwall said. "There's a lot of things that need to be better and needs to be improved."

Niklas Kronwall talks after the Wings' 5-1 loss at Tampa Bay. Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press

They fell behind by two goals when their penalty kill came up short for a sixth straight game, though in fairness Steven Stamkos has scored on many an opponent. He did so in the second period not even a minute into a power play, winding up his cannonball shot from the left circle to score for the 27th time this season.

Paquette, a fourth-round pick from 2012, soon put a lid on what hopes the Wings might have had of salvaging the situation. During a Detroit power play, no less, he took advantage of a Henrik Zetterberg turnover to score shorthanded. Jason Garrison next won a short fight against Justin Abdelkader - who'd earlier run Bishop - to further hammer home the Lightning's dominance. Just in there was any doubt, Mark Barberio - who had no goals coming in - scored off a faceoff with minutes to go in what was as bad a second period as the Wings have had this season.

"It was bad, no doubt about that," Kronwall said.

McCollum came in for what can only be described as mop-up duty in the third period. He, actually, was the one Wing who did do well - but it was much too late to matter.


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Hopes high for Jurco as he returns to Wings' lineup


10:46 p.m. EST January 29, 2015

TAMPA -- Tomas Jurco has impressed the Detroit Red Wings with his size -- and his singing.

The young Slovak winger returned to the lineup for the first time in three weeks Thursday, playing 11 minutes in the 5-1 loss to Tampa Bay at Amalie Arena. Jurco had been out since back pain flared Jan. 6.

Jurco spent most of the game on the fourth line, but the end game for him is simple.

"He's a big guy, can really skate," Babcock said. "He's a guy who has to become a heavy, forechecking, puck-possession guy who plays great defensively but is one of the workers with top-six forwards -- if that makes sense. That's what he's got to become."

Jurco, 22, had gone 18 games without scoring a goal before getting hurt, and stood at just two goals and 10 assists after 37 games. Those aren't great numbers for a guy who often is in the top-six mix, not to mention getting time on the power play, but it's natural for young players to need time to find their niche at the NHL level. One thing Jurco doesn't lack is self-confidence, which is why his comeback approach was full of optimism.

"I want to score," Jurco said. "It just didn't go in for me, but it doesn't mean I didn't play good. I think I was getting better at other things, what Babs wants from me, I was doing what he wanted from me and I was really focusing on that. Now I have to do both of them, scoring and doing what he wants."

Jurco, 6-feet-1 and 200-plus pounds, has had a meteoric few years, from helping Detroit's AHL affiliate, Grand Rapids, win the Calder Cup in 2013 to making the 2014 Slovakian Olympic team. Now he's in the third and final year of his NHL entry-level contract, and better numbers, obviously, would be better to have at the negotiation table.

Not that Jurco is singing the blues. Think, rather, a 1990s girl-power band.

"I catch him singing Spice Girls every once in awhile, in his Slovak accent," teammate Riley Sheahan said. "I always find that pretty funny. The 'If you wanna be my lover.' He's a funny guy."


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Wings trying to 'get our game back' in battle for 1st


12:59 p.m. EST January 29, 2015

TAMPA -- Can the Detroit Red Wings overturn one trend to keep another?

The Wings take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena tonight (7:30, FSD), looking for a seventh straight victory. It should be a doozy, as the Wings (28-11-9, 65 points) lead the Atlantic Division by one point over the Lightning (30-15-4, 64 points). Tampa Bay, though, has won five of the past six matchups, dating to last season, most recently a 4-3 shoot-out victory in November in Detroit.

"You want to test yourself," Wings coach Mike Babcock said after the morning skate. "We've won, but we haven't played as good as we need to play. Ideally, this will get our attention, and we'll get buckled down and playing the right way. You've got to play the right way to have success night in and night out, and so we need to get our game back."

DETROIT FREE PRESS

Detroit Red Wings in first, but Mike Babcock not happy with the details

The only personnel change is on the fourth line, where Tomas Jurco bumps Daniel Cleary to play with Joakim Andersson and Drew Miller. The super-hot Stephen Weiss-Riley Sheahan-Luke Glendening group stays intact, which makes sense, given that they contributed three goals and four assists two nights ago.

Defenseman Jakub Kindl is ready to return, but rookie Xavier Ouellet is staying in the lineup -- for now and the foreseeable future. He already has been told to go ahead and invite his dad, Robert, on next week's fathers trip.

The Wings beat Florida, 5-4, on Tuesday to earn a six-game winning streak, Detroit's longest since Feb. 8-19 in 2012. That the Wings are in this good of a position is, quite frankly, a surprise to their coach.

"I've said this a number of times," Babcock said. "If you'd asked me July 5 where we'd be, I didn't think we'd be near where we're at. People can tell you different, but all the experts said we weren't going to make the playoffs. I thought, ourselves, we weren't sure. So we've had great growth on our team. We've gotten better, and we've got to keep getting better."


8

Wings' foibles rear head in ugly 5-1 loss to Bolts

Ted Kulfan,

12:30 a.m. EST January 30, 2015

Tampa, Fla. — The Red Wings had been finding ways to win during a six-game win streak, even when they weren't playing their best.

Thursday, the Red Wings couldn't overcome the things that went wrong and the result was a predictable 5-1 loss to Tampa Bay.

The victory vaulted the Lightning (31-15-4, 66 points) past the Red Wings (28-12-9, 65 points) into first place in the Atlantic Division.

But with the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Islanders skating into Joe Louis Arena Saturday, the Red Wings know they have to play better hockey.

"When you're winning a lot of games, sometimes you start to cheat a little bit," captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "That's when you go away from your structure. We have to learn from this and get back to playing the way we should and we'll be fine."

The Lightning scored with 37 seconds left in the first period, then exploded for three second-period goals, breaking the game open.

Petr Mrazek stopped only 10 of 15 shots through two periods and was replaced by Tom McCollum to begin the third (McCollum stopped all 17 shots he faced).

Mrazek won five of the six games in the winning streak while replacing the injured Jimmy Howard, but he's allowed 16 goals over his last four games.

"You have to give him credit, he's a kid who has gone 10-4-1," coach Mike Babcock said. "He has moxie, he has NHL moxie. His skill level, he still has to work on his skill level, he's a kid.

"Howie spent five years in the minors. That's just the process for a goaltender. But his moxie is so good, we just have to get his skill level to (match) and continue to battle and work on the details of his game and then it'll show more consistently."

Darren Helm scored the lone Red Wings goal.

By allowing five goals, the Red Wings have allowed at least four goals in four consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 17-23, 2011.

Cedric Paquette had three Tampa Bay goals (nine for the season), including a short-handed goal that gave the Lightning a 4-1 lead and essentially clinched the outcome. Steven Stamkos (power play) and Mark Barberio had the other Lightning goals.

"There's a lot of things that need to be better and improved," Niklas Kronwall said.

Paquette opened the game's scoring at 2:03 of the first period, backhanding a rebound near the crease past Mrazek.

But Helm answered with a nice goal at 11:59.

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Helm won a battle for the puck behind the Lightning net, skated toward the dot, and beat goalie Ben Bishop high for his ninth goal.

The Red Wings appeared to be in good shape heading to the close of the first period, but Paquette scored his second goal giving Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead.

Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin got control of the puck along the boards, fed Paquette near the dot, and Paquette whistled a shot past Mrazek with 37 seconds left in the period.

"Even when we came in after the first period we felt good about ourselves. We just needed to go out and play good," Zetterberg said. "We didn't do that."

Stamkos made it 3-1 with his 27th goal, a one-timer from near the top of the circle on the power play at 4:18.

The Red Wings earned a power play shortly after, but Paquette crushed whatever hopes the Red Wings had of rallying.

"It didn't help," said Kronwall of allowing the short-handed goal. "But you have to find a way to stick with it and keep doing the right thing. Unfortunately we didn't do that for long enough."

Detroit News LOADED: 01.30.2015

10

Competitiveness propeling Glendening past expectations

Ted Kulfan,

10:38 p.m. EST January 29, 2015

Tampa, Fla. — Mike Babcock spent time in Grand Rapids during the 2012 NHL lockout.

And it was during that time Luke Glendening caught the eye of the Red Wings coach. Babcock saw a hard-working, no-nonsense forward who could use his speed, work ethic and grit to help his team in a variety of ways.

"I knew he'd play in the NHL," Babcock said of the undrafted free agent. "But I thought he'd be a fourth-line winger. I didn't think he'd be as important as he is."

Few did.

But when the Red Wings came calling, the 5-foot-11, 194-pounder left Michigan for the bright lights of the NHL.

"It's amazing when you're competitive what can happen for you," Babcock said. "If you're competitive, and work hard every day and live in the weight room and do the right things, you get better, and that's just the way it is.

"He's maximizing his skill set and his attributes. He's a competitive guy. He's hard to play against."

Glendening has played in all 48 games this season, with nine points (six goals) and a plus-3 rating. He's one of the team's top penalty killers, and his 85 hits trails only Justin Abdelkader (94).

The East Grand Rapids High graduate entered Thursday's game against the Lightning ranked 13th in the NFL in faceoff win percentage (55.4), an area he wanted to improve heading into this season.

Still, Glendening isn't satisfied.

"I have a long way to go," he said. "I'm happy things are going in the right direction, but there is a lot of room for improvement to be made."

The fact Babcock has been a fan of Glendening's since Grand Rapids has helped.

"I felt he was in my corner, and obviously it's nice when the coach knows you and it gives you a little bit of confidence," Glendening said. "But I want to work hard regardless. It helps your game improve a little bit, you can play a little more relaxed. But you can't take your foot off the gas."

And he hasn't.

After scoring two goals against the Panthers on Tuesday — his first career two-goal game — Glendening was excited.

But teammate Stephen Weiss, who set up both goals, appeared more excited.

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"He battles so hard, and to see him get a couple (of goals) is awesome," Weiss said. "You probably saw the big smiles on my face and (linemate Riley) Sheahan's faces. He does all the little things that don't always show up on the scoresheet."


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Wings' Jurco set to return, rediscover scoring touch

Ted Kulfan,

12:35 a.m. EST January 30, 2015

Tampa, Fla. — No one was more excited to get through Thursday's morning skate than Tomas Jurco.

With no ill effects from a sore back, he was back in the Red Wings lineup Thursday against the Lightning.

"These first couple of games, I'm just going to try to get back into it and play hard and try to play physical," said Jurco, who was on the fourth line with Joakim Andersson and Drew Miller. "Just help out (whatever way possible)."

Jurco played 10 minutes, 59 seconds in his return for Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Lightning and was minus-1, while being credited with one shot and one hit.

Jurco had been bothered by a sore lower back since Jan. 6.

And now that he's back in the lineup, Jurco will attempt to snap out of a goal-less streak that has reached 19 games.

"It just didn't go in for me, but it doesn't mean I wasn't playing good," said Jurco, who entered Thursday's game with 12 points (two goals) in 38 games and a plus-6 rating. "Sometimes it just doesn't go in, and that's what's happened to me."

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock and his staff had Jurco concentrate on other parts of his game — defense, being physical and using his size (6-foot-1, 203 pounds) around the net.

"I was getting better at the other things that Babs wants from me," Jurco said. "It was a bad (offensive) slump for me, but I was doing what (the coaching staff) wanted from me and focusing on that.

"Now, I have to involve the scoring with what he (Babcock) wants. Hopefully it's going to get better."

Jurco replaced Daniel Cleary in the lineup.

Ice chips

Babcock has a unique relationship with Lightning forward Tyler Johnson (17 goals, 31 assists).

"His mom (Debbie Johnson) taught my kids to skate," Babcock said. "I just remember him being a little pip-squeak. For a little pip-squeak who was never drafted, I remember him playing in Spokane (junior hockey) and watching him in the World Junior (Championships) and following him in the American League, and he's turned himself into an unbelievable player.

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"It's unbelievable he's not a Red Wing. I could have hand-delivered him so easy it's not even funny."

... Babcock, on his team's recent play: "We've won but we haven't played as well as we need to. Ideally this will get our attention and we'll buckle down and play the right way. You have to play the right way to have success. We have to get our game back."


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Quick Q&A with Red Wings forward Joakim Andersson

Ted Kulfan,

11:57 a.m. EST January 29, 2015

Quick Q&A with Red Wings forward Joakim Andersson:

Question: You fulfilled one of your big sports dreams over the summer in going to England and seeing your favorite team (Arsenal) play, didn't you?

Andersson: "It was great. Very exciting. In England, they follow their soccer like Canadians do hockey, or something like that. Just walking outside of the stadium before the game, with all the people and the fans wearing the team's colors, it was pretty neat."

Question: Did you wear the jersey and the cap and just be a fan for the day?

Andersson: "Oh yeah. It was me, my dad, my two brothers, and a cousin. Yeah, we were the crew over there. We'll definitely do it again. It was so much fun. It's about 20 miles north of London by train and just the ride up there, the atmosphere was great."

Question: Is soccer your favorite sport next to hockey?

Andersson: "For sure. I played until I was 15, then I went to hockey school. But I love to play or watch whenever I can."

Question: What did you do for the (All-Star) break?

Andersson: "Went to some islands south of the Bahamas. There were about six of us that went down there. Awesome time, just awesome."

Question: What made it so nice?

Andersson: "The water was unbelievable. And I did some snorkeling."

Question: Have you ever tried snorkeling before?

Andersson: "No, my first time. I had seen pictures of it before and I wanted to try. And it was great. Just to see all the colors of the different fish down below, it was pretty neat.

"That's another thing I'm definitely going to do again."


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Detroit News NHL Power Rankings

Ted Kulfan,

3:28 p.m. EST January 29, 2015

(Records through Wednesday's games)

1. Anaheim (32-10-6): Overwhelmed Vancouver on the road to begin second half. Last week: 1.

2. Nashville (31-10-5): The Predators' defense is as good as any in the league. Last week: 2.

3. St. Louis Blues (29-13-4): Can Martin Brodeur make a difference in the front office? Last week: 3.

4. New York Islanders (32-14-1): Dismantled the Rangers to begin the second half — very impressive. Last week: 4.

5. Detroit (28-11-9): Petr Mrazek has filled in tremendously for Jimmy Howard. Last week: 8.

6. New York Rangers (27-14-4): Coaching staff not pleased with ugly loss to Islanders. Last week: 5.

7. Montreal (30-13-3): Carey Price's name being mentioned for MVP — deservedly so. Last week: 9.

8. Chicago (30-16-2): Still could use a little more depth up front. Last week: 6.

9. Tampa Bay (30-15-4): Young team still unproven in the playoffs. Last week: 7.

10. Winnipeg (26-15-8): Andrew Ladd is one of the NHL's underrated best players. Last week: 10.

11. Pittsburgh (27-13-8): Acquiring Patric Hornqvist last summer was a shrewd move. Last week: 11.

12. Washington (25-14-9): Impressive victory over Penguins is another indication this team is rolling. Last week: 14.

13. Boston (25-16-7): Getting healthier, but expected to make one more move before the trade deadline. Last week: 12.

14. Los Angeles (21-15-12): Demoting Mike Richards to minors was the correct, but expensive, decision. Last week: 16.

15. Vancouver (26-17-3): Losing defenseman Kevin Bieksa will hurt on a lot of levels. Last week: 13.

16. Calgary (26-19-3): Could this bunch seriously somehow sneak into the playoffs? Last week: 15.

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17. San Jose (25-17-6): Interesting team to watch at deadline. Do they rebuild or reload? Last week: 17.

18. Florida (20-15-10): Nice young team, but not ready to make a move upward in the standings. Last week: 18.

19. Columbus (21-22-3): Losing G Sergei Bobrovsky for a month smashes any playoff hopes. Last week: 20.

20. Dallas (21-19-7): Goaltending hasn't been as sharp as expected. Last week: 19.

21. Colorado (20-18-11): Jarome Iginla finally coming around offensively a little bit. Last week: 21.

22. Philadelphia (20-22-7): Have some veterans to unload at trade deadline if they're in position to do so. Last week: 24.

23. Minnesota (21-20-6): They paid a lot for forward Zach Parise two summers ago, but he may be worth it. Last week: 22.

24. Toronto (22-23-4): Nothing is going right for Maple Leafs, who are used to late season slides. Last week: 23.

25. New Jersey (18-22-8): Will Jaromir Jagr go anywhere next month at the trade deadline? Last week: 26.

26. Ottawa (19-18-9): Jason Spezza makes his return to Ottawa wearing a Dallas Stars sweater. Last week: 25.

27. Arizona (16-25-6): Goaltending, offense have been major disappointments. Last week: 27.

28. Carolina (17-25-5): Give coach Bill Peters credit, the Hurricanes aren't quitting at all. Last week: 28.

29. Edmonton (12-27-9): New coach Todd Nelson has straightened out this mess a bit. Last week: 29.

30. Buffalo (14-31-3): Incredibly, the Sabres really are worse than Edmonton. Last week: 30.


17

Lightning 5, Red Wings 1: Lack of details, poor defensive play finally catch up to Detroit

By Ansar Khan

on January 29, 2015 at 10:07 PM,

updated January 30, 2015 at 1:03 AM

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Detroit Red Wings' lead atop the Atlantic Division was short-lived. The Tampa Bay Lightning saw to that on Thursday, in resounding fashion.

Cedric Paquette notched a hat trick in just his 42nd career game to lead the Lightning to a 5-1 victory over the Red Wings at Amalie Arena.

The Lightning (31-15-4) snapped the Red Wings' six-game winning streak and moved one point ahead of them in the division.

The Red Wings (28-12-9), despite their recent run, haven't been as detail-oriented as coach Mike Babcock would like and haven't played well defensively. They have allowed four or more goals in four consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 17-23, 2010.

Young Petr Mrazek appears to be faltering under the heavy workload that was dropped in his lap due to injuries to Jimmy Howard (groin, out 1-2 more weeks) and Jonas Gustavsson (shoulder, day-to-day).

Mrazek allowed five goals on 15 shots through two periods in his worst career performance and was replaced by Tom McCollum at the start of the third. He stopped all 17 shots he faced in the third period.

Mrazek has surrendered 16 goals in his past four starts, getting pulled in two of them.

Darren Helm scored the Red Wings' lone goal at 11:59 of the first period, circling around the net and roofing a shot past Ben Bishop. It tied the game at 1-1. It was all Tampa Bay after that.

Paquette snapped the tie with 36.2 seconds to play in the first, when he emerged from a multi-player battle for the puck in the corner and fired in a shot from the faceoff circle.

The Lightning set a franchise record with their ninth home win in a row. They broke it open with three unanswered goals in the second period.

Steven Stamkos scored his 27th goal of the season, on the power play, at 4:18. He fired in a one-timer on a pass from Anton Stralman.

The Red Wings continue to falter on the penalty kill, having allowed at least one power-play goal in six consecutive games and killing only 23 of 36 chances (63.9 percent) during 11 games this month.

Paquette scored his third goal of the night while shorthanded at 11:03. Mark Barberio blasted in a shot off a faceoff at 17:39 to make it 5-1.

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The Lightning are 6-1 against the Red Wings since the start of the 2013-14 season, when they became division rivals with Detroit's move to the Eastern Conference.

Paquette opened the scoring at 2:03, when he backhanded in a rebound after Mrazek kicked out his left pad for the initial save.

Prior to the game, Babcock was asked if he was surprised to see his team in first place.

"For sure," he said. "I said this a number of times; if you would have asked me on July 5 where we'd be, I didn't think we'd be near where we're at. People can tell you different, but all the experts said we weren't going to make the playoffs and I thought ourselves we weren't sure.

"So we had great growth on our team. Our team has gotten better and we got to keep getting better."

That was apparent on this night.

Michigan Live LOADED: 01.30.2015

19

Second-period analysis: Lightning 5, Red Wings 1

Ansar Khan


updated January 29, 2015 at 9:57 PM

TAMPA, Fla. -- Cedric Paquette completed a hat trick by scoring a shorthanded goal in the second period, giving the Tampa Bay Lightning a 5-1 lead over the Detroit Red Wings after 40 minutes at Amalie Arena.

Prior to that, Steven Stamkos had scored his 27th goal of the season, on the power play, at 4:18. Mark Barberio blasted in a shot off a faceoff at 17:39 to make it 5-1.

Petr Mrazek has allowed five goals on just 15 shots in the worst game of his brief NHL career. He has yielded 16 goals in his past four starts and his team has surrendered four or more goals in four consecutive games.


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First-period analysis: Lightning 2, Red Wings 1

Ansar Khan



TAMPA, Fla. -- Cedric Paquette scored a pair of goals to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 2-1 lead Thursday over the Detroit Red Wings after one period at Amalie Arena.

Paquette snapped a 1-1 tie with 36.2 seconds to play, when he emerged from a multi-player battle for the puck in the corner and fired in a shot from the faceoff circle.

Paquette had opened the scoring at 2:03, when he backhanded in a rebound after Petr Mrazek kicked out his left pad for the initial save.

Darren Helm tied it at 11:59, circling behind the net and roofing a shot past Ben Bishop for his ninth goal.


21

Detroit Red Wings Gameday: Team's season outlook is much better than a year ago today

Brendan Savage



GAME INFORMATION

Who: Detroit Red Wings (28-11-9) at Tampa Bay Lightning (30-15-4)

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where:

TV: Fox Sports Detroit

Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1), WXYT-AM (1270) and Red Wings radio network

Facebook: Like our Detroit Red Wings Facebook page

Twitter: Follow Ansar Khan and Brendan Savage

Live coverage: Join the MLive open thread/live updates at 6:30 p.m. ET.

GAME NOTES

• One year ago today, the Red Wings had a 23-19-11 record for 57 points and were tied for eighth in the Eastern Conference standings with Carolina after allowing more goals (141) than they had scored (135). Today? In five fewer games, they've got eight more points (65), have scored three more goals (141) and allowed 12 fewer goals (123) to share first in the East with the Islanders. They're five points behind Anaheim, which leads the NHL's overall standings.

• The Red Wings are on pace for 111 points. They haven't recorded that many since racking up 112 in 2008-09, when they lost to Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Finals. ... With a 19-4-1 record at home, Tampa Bay's 39 points at Amalie Arena are tied for the NHL lead at home with Nashville (19-2-1) and Anaheim (18-5-3). ... The Red Wings are 12-7-3 on the road.

• During his four-game point streak, Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg has five goals and four assists. ... Gustav Nyquist also has a four-game point streak. He has three goals and four assists in that stretch. ... Justin Abdelkader has had an assist in three straight games. ... Goalie Petr Mrazek is 5-0-0 in six starts since Jimmy Howard got hurt and has won seven of his last eight decisions.

• Tampa Bay is 1-for-15 on the power play in its last five games. ... Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin is tied for fourth among rookies in assists (17) and sixth in points (19). ... The Lightning won a 4-3 shootout Nov. 9 at Joe Louis Arena in the only other meeting between the teams this season. ... Tyler Johnson, Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov

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- Tampa Bay's top three scorers with a combined 136 points - have one assist in the last three games.


23

Red Wings' lineup vs. Lightning: Tomas Jurco returns, looking to provide speed, physicality

Ansar Khan



TAMPA, Fla. - Tomas Jurco returns to the lineup tonight for the Detroit Red Wings, anxious to snap his goal-scoring drought but also determined to keep improving in other facets of his game.

Jurco will be skating on a line with Joakim Andersson and Drew Miller when the Red Wings, winners of six in a row, face the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena (7:30, Fox Sports Detroit).

"First couple of games I'm just going to try to get back into it, play hard," Jurco said. "I'm going to try to play physical. Just help out and put a little offense in."

Jurco missed eight games with lower back pain.

Coach Mike Babcock said he just wants Jurco to "get going."

"He's a big guy, can really skate," Babcock said. "This game should be going 100 miles an hour. He's a guy who has to become a heavy forechecking puck-possession guy who plays great defensively but is one of the workers with top-six forwards, if that makes sense."

Jurco has gone 18 games without a goal, since scoring on Nov. 26 against Philadelphia. He has five assists during that stretch.

"I always want to score. It just didn't go in for me," Jurco said. "It doesn't mean I didn't play good. It just didn't go in."

Overall, Jurco has two goals and 12 points in 37 games. He had eight goals and 15 points in 36 games last season as a rookie.

"I think I was getting better at other things, what Babs wants from me," Jurco said. "I've been focusing on that. Now I've got to do both of them, scoring and doing what he wants. It's going to take me sometime, but hopefully after I come back it's going to get better."

Babcock said Jurco is replacing Daniel Cleary in the lineup and that's the only change from the previous game.

Here are the lines the Red Wings will use to start the game:

Gustav Nyquist-Henrik Zetterberg-Justin Abdelkader

Tomas Tatar-Pavel Datsyuk-Darren Helm

Luke Glendening-Riley Sheahan-Stephen Weiss

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Drew Miller-Joakim Andersson-Tomas Jurco

On defense:

Jonathan Ericsson-Niklas Kronwall

Kyle Quincey-Danny DeKeyser

Brendan Smith-Xavier Ouellet

Petr Mrazek (starting)

Tom McCollum

The power-play units are: Nyquist-Zetterberg-Weiss, Abdelkader (net front), Kronwall, and Tatar-Datsyuk-Sheahan, Jurco (net front), DeKeyser. Helm rotated in with Jurco.


25

Red Wings-Lightning matchup has the makings for a good rivalry in the not-so-distant future

Ansar Khan

on January 29, 2015 at 6:02 AM,

updated January 29, 2015 at 6:05 AM

TAMPA, Fla. - The Detroit Red Wings' move to the Eastern Conference in 2013 rekindled historic rivalries with Toronto, Montreal and Boston.

The Red Wings share no history with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who've been around for only 22 seasons. But this matchup has the potential to develop into good rivalry.

Tampa Bay is a talented, young team that appears well-positioned to be good for many years. The Red Wings believe they have enough young talent to help them remain competitive for the foreseeable future.

Red Wings-Lightning probably won't develop into a heated rivalry until the teams meet at least once in the playoffs. But for a regular season game, Thursday's matchup at Amalie Arena (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit) certainly is buzzworthy.

The Red Wings have won six in a row to take a one-point lead over the Lightning in the Atlantic Division.

"I think once you start playing them in the playoffs, that's when the rivalry starts," Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "When you go six or seven games against them, that's when you really start playing against them tough. That's when you get the anger. It gets a little more heated."

In one sense, these teams have met in the playoffs - in the 2013 Calder Cup final, when the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit's AHL affiliate, defeated the Syracuse Crunch, Tampa Bay's top farm club.

Ten current Red Wings played in that series: Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, Riley Sheahan, Tomas Jurco, Luke Glendening, Joakim Andersson, Danny DeKeyser, Brian Lashoff, Petr Mrazek and Tom McCollum.

Nine current Lightning players participated: Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Alex Killorn, Cedric Paquette, Brett Connolly, Radko Gudas, J.T. Brown, Andrej Sustr and Mark Barberio.

"I think that's probably the rivalry, the players that played each other in the Calder Cup," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "I think true rivalries in the NHL don't start until you play each other in a playoff series. If it comes down to it this year, then you're probably going to see something special."

Then he added, "It's funny, the NHL rivalry is based on a bunch of guys who played in the American League against each other."

26

Johnson, Tampa Bay's leading scorer with 48 points, said, "I think we have a lot more respect for each other because of (the Calder Cup finals). I know those guys. I respect them a lot for their battle. They're fun to play against and obviously they took something from us (the AHL championship)."

Tampa Bay, under fifth-year general manager and long-time Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman, has a lot of good players who weren't in that series, including elite sniper Steven Stamkos, former Red Wing Valtteri Filppula and 6-foot-7 goaltender Ben Bishop.

"They play with a lot of speed. Their first two lines are real dangerous," Nyquist said. "We want to play with speed, too. It's going to be a fast-paced game. We're excited to play."

Valtteri Filppula not surprised by former team Lightning forward Valtteri Filppula is impressed by the Red Wings' play this season. Jan. 28. 2015.

The Red Wings haven't won seven in a row since Jan. 12-23, 2012. Filppula isn't surprised by their success.

"Guys are really fast, a lot of skill and I think that's normally how the Wings are playing, good with the puck," Filppula said. "New guys always bring something different to the table, but they're looking like the team to beat right now."

The coaches were effusive in their praise for each other's team.

"Good speed, good goaltending; active, mobile back end, really talented and deep up front, really skate well," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said of the Lightning. "Lots of high-end skill. As skilled a team as we got in the Eastern Conference."

Cooper said the Red Wings are "deep in all areas."

"They've done a great job with their D corps," Cooper said. "They've got a good veteran mix with the (Pavel) Datsyuks and the Zetterbergs and the (Johan) Franzens (who's out indefinitely due to headaches). (Stephen) Weiss has come back from his injury and seemed to give them a bump, and then you mix in all these young guys. It's very much the same as to what's gone on in the room right down the hall. Two, what I consider, fairly similar teams."

That's where Babcock disagreed.

"We're a team that's been good for a long time and trying to regain being good," Babcock said. "They're a team that's built on young kids going in the right direction and obviously they've done a real good job drafting. They look like they got a good team for a long period of time."


27

Red Wings struck by Lightning in 5-1 loss

By MARK DIDTLER,

Posted: 01/29/15, 10:50 PM EST |

TAMPA, Fla. >> Cedric Paquette had three goals, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-1 on Thursday night for their franchise-record ninth consecutive home win.

Steven Stamkos and Mark Barberio also scored for the Lightning, who leapfrogged the Red Wings into first place in the Atlantic Division by a point. Jonathan Drouin and Alex Killorn had two assists apiece.

Tampa Bay took a 4-1 lead at 11:03 of the second when Paquette completed his first hat trick from the right circle during a short-handed 2-on-1. The center has four goals in the past two games after going 29 straight without one.

Darren Helm scored for Detroit, which had won six in a row.

Paquette opened the scoring 2:03 into the game when he used his backhand to beat Petr Mrazek on a rebound. His right-circle goal gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead with 36.2 seconds left in the first.

Stamkos made 3-1 on his 27th goal, a drive from the left circle during a power play at 4:18 of the second.

Helm tied it at 1 when he beat Ben Bishop from the slot at 11:59 of the first. Pavel Datsyuk got his 553rd assist on the play, lifting him into a tie for 100th place on the NHL’s career list with Mike Bossy and Thomas Steen.

Bishop made a glove save on Riley Sheahan’s breakaway late in the first. The goalie is 6-1-0 against the Red Wings.

Barberio stopped a 26-game goal drought, dating to March 8, late in the second.

NOTES: Paquette had five goals over five games before his 29-game drought. ... Datsyuk tied Ted Lindsay for 11th place on the Red Wings games played list with 862. ... Detroit RW Tomas Jurco returned after missing eight games with an injured back. ... Red Wings D Jakub Kindl, who missed 12 games due to an elbow injury, was activated from injured reserve but was scratched.

Macomb Daily LOADED: 01.30.2015

28

Yzerman's Lightning beat Wings with Detroit blue

KEITH GAVE

JAN 29, 2015 10:21p ET

The Red Wings' perch atop the Atlantic Division standings didn't last long. Just 48 hours or so after they had clawed their way to the top, they were struck by Lightning. And it wasn't pretty.

The Wings have proved a lot of doubters wrong by essentially securing a playoff spot for the 24th straight season in January, but they also proved they were no match for a team that has ranked near top of the overall NHL standings all season. General Manager Steve Yzerman's high-scoring Tampa Bay club won, 5-1, ending Detroit's six-game win streak -- and made it look easy.

Darren Helm scored Detroit's lone goal. Rookie Cedric Paquette led the way for Tampa, scoring his first career three-goal hat trick. So with a franchise-record ninth straight home victory, the Lightning reclaimed first place in the Atlantic, where it's been most of the season.

"Stevie Y. has done a fabulous job building his team," Wings General Manager Ken Holland said.

How has Yzerman done it? Credit "the Red Wing way."

You hear that term popping up in conversations a lot these days in conversations with folks Holland, Wings coach Mike Babcock, Grand Rapids coach Jeff Blashill and others involved in building one of the most consistently excellent franchises in recent NHL history.

Yzerman, the former Wings captain and Hall of Famer as the first player drafted by Detroit after Mike and Marian Ilitch bought the club in 1982, personifies the genesis of the Red Wing way. But there is little doubt that Yzerman has used the blueprint he learned so well in Detroit -- 23 seasons on the ice and three more as a front-office executive -- to build an impressive NHL power since taking the job nearly five years ago.

As in Detroit, Yzerman leads a franchise dedicated to building through the draft and developing players in a strong minor-league system. Holland recalled how in 2013, Detroit's top farm club, Grand Rapids, met Tampa Bay's, Syracuse, in the American Hockey League playoffs.

The Grand Rapids Griffins won that series four games to two. But less than two years later, 18 players who played in that series were on the ice Thursday night at Amalie Arena -- 10 on the Wings' side and eight on Tampa's.

On this night, though, the young Wings were no competition, getting outskated, outworked and generally roughed up by the NHL's highest-scoring offense. And anyone who has been paying attention couldn't have been surprised. The Wings have played

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some of their poorest hockey of the season in their recent six-game win streak, and arguably were lucky to win against Minnesota and Buffalo at home, and at Florida on Tuesday night.

Detroit's calling card all season has been its defense. But opponents have scored a whopping (21) goals in the last four games. Until Thursday, an offensive surge has helped to overcome far too many defensive breakdowns. The special teams have been anything but in recent weeks. The penalty-killing unit gave up a goal for the sixth straight game and ninth in the last 11 games. The power play didn't score, but allowed Tampa Bay a shorthanded goal.

"I think when you're winning a lot of games, sometimes you start to cheat a little bit," captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "When you go away from your structure, teams will score on you. We've got to learn from this and get back to playing the way we should."

Most alarming, perhaps, has been the play of goaltender Petr Mrazek, who performed so well earlier in his rookie season. He has been roughed up in each of his last four starts, giving up 21 goals and failing to finish for the second time in those four games, and his confidence appears to be eroding with each start in place of the injured Jimmy Howard.

But coach Mike Babcock says he loves what he's seen to date from his young goalie.

"He's 10-4-1. I'd say that's outstanding, no question about it," Babcock said of Mrazek. "He's got NHL moxie. He knows how to play. He knows how to compete. He just has to work on his skill level, just like all young guys."

Babcock chose to emphasize that he appreciated how his team reacted after losing its All-Star goalie.

"They fed us our lunch tonight, but we had a good run," he said. "When Howie went down, if I'd have said we'd go 6-0, now 6-1, I don't think anybody would have believed me.

"We'll flush this and keep going. We just gave up too much. The puck can't go in the net like it's been going in. We've just got to keep grinding."

It doesn't get any easier. The Wings return home for a Saturday matinee game against the New York Islanders -- the team they were tied with atop the Eastern Conference standings until the flop in Tampa. The Islanders lost, 5-2, to Boston at home on Thursday, so they'll arrive in an ornery mood. If they can't clean up their act quickly, the Wings will be in danger of losing their second straight game in regulation -- for the first time all season.

So as bad as it looked against the Lightning, as Babcock noted, the sky isn't exactly falling in Hockeytown. Look for his team to bounce back. It's the Red Wing way.

foxsports.com LOADED: 01.30.2015

30

Wings' Kindl ready to play, but healthy scratch against Lightning

KEITH GAVE

JAN 29, 2015 4:54p ET

Jakub Kindl has been out since an elbow injury suffered Dec. 29 at Boston.

Red Wings defenseman Jakub Kindl has been cleared to play, but will probably be a healthy scratch tonight when Detroit faces off against Tampa Bay in the battle for Atlantic Division supremacy, according to General Manager Ken Holland.

Kindl has been out since an elbow injury suffered Dec. 29 at Boston. His return gives the Wings eight healthy defensemen with Brian Lashoff, who has appeared in just 11 games this season -- and not since late December. That's a luxury the Wings won't be able to afford when Johan Franzen returns. He's been out since Jan. 7 with an upper body injury. Holland indicated that rookie Xavier Ouellet, who has played well (two goals among three points and plus-7 rating in 20 games) since he was promoted from Grand Rapids, would be the likely candidate to return to the minors when that happens.

Holland had hoped to have a better read on his goaltending situation by today, but the Wings will return to practice Friday at Joe Louis Arena with four goalies. Jimmy Howard and Jonas Gustavsson, the organization's top two goalies when the season started, are both rehabbing injuries. Gustavsson dislocated his left shoulder on Nov. 5 and has practiced with the team since Monday, when players returned from their five-day break for the NHL All-Star game.

The Wings are waiting for Gustavsson to declare he's ready for game action.

"We're not there yet," Holland said. "I'm not sure where we're at, but we're waiting for the player to tell us he's ready to go. When he's ready, we'll have a conversation."

At that point, it's likely Gustavsson will get a rehab assignment with Grand Rapids, he added.

"My philosophy is that the doctors, the training staff and the player -- all three -- have a say in it before the player returns," Holland said. "It's out of respect for how hard it is to play this game, the mental challenges, the confidence level. They've got to feel great about their health. Then you take the next step."

So it will be for Howard, the club's No. 1 goalie who was having an All-Star season when he sustained a groin tear on Jan. 10. Howard has skated on his own this week while the team played games in Florida and Tampa, but he remains 2-3 weeks away from returning.

In their absence, the Wings were 6-0 heading into tonight's game against the Lightning, with Mrazek owning a 5-0 record in six starts since the Howard injury.


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Wings to upgrade cell service starting Saturday

KEITH GAVE

JAN 29, 2015 12:05p ET

Better cell phone service is coming to Joe Louis Arena -- starting Saturday when the New York Islanders visit for a battle of two top Eastern Conference powers.

Olympia Entertainment and the Red Wings announced today the launch of free high-speed public Wi-FI at The Joe that they say will improve reliability when sending and receiving phone calls and text messages, as well as provide faster uploads to social media.

"Reliable connectivity is a must as we look to provide an unmatched live game experience for Red Wings fans and guests at other sporting and entertainment events at The Joe," Tom Wilson, president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment, said in a news release.

To access the Wi-Fi inside The Joe, guests must select "#JLAwifi" in their smart phones. An opt-in page will then appear, requiring the user to accept terms and conditions, input their names, an active email address and ZIP code. Users will then be connected to the Wi-Fi and simultaneously directed to a portal page.

The new technology is the result of a partnership with SignalShare, a leading provider of mobile engagement services for mass audiences based in Morrisville, North Carolina, and Extreme Networks, Inc., a leader in high-performance networking, headquartered in San Jose, California.

"Since our testing period began in December, we've had more than 25,000 Red Wings fans log on to the new Wi-Fi network and response has been overwhelmingly positive," Tod Caflisch, the Wings' director of Information Technology, said in the release.


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Wings, Lightning face off in Atlantic Division showdown Thursday

JACK CASSIDY

JAN 29, 2015 10:01a ET

The Red Wings hold a one-point lead over the Lightning atop the Atlantic Division.

The Detroit Red Wings continue rattling off victories without Jimmy Howard, although the All-Star goaltender's absence is becoming more and more noticeable.

The Red Wings' defensive struggles could reach a breaking point Thursday night when they visit Tampa Bay to face a high-powered Lightning club looking to set a franchise record for consecutive home wins (7 p.m. pregame, 7:30 face-off on FOX Sports Detroit).

Petr Mrazek stepped into the starting role for Detroit (28-11-9) after Howard suffered a groin injury Jan. 10 and has gone 5-0-0 over six starts.

His initial strong play, however, has dropped off. After posting a 1.63 goals-against average through three starts, the 22-year-old has surrendered 11 goals with a 4.76 GAA in three games since.

Including a 5-4 win over Florida on Tuesday, Detroit has allowed 12 goals over the last three games - its worst three-game total of the season.

"Mrazek just wins games," coach Mike Babcock said to Detroit's official website. "Sometimes some of the goals he gives up you ask, 'Why did that go in?' But then he wins the game. In the end, that's what matters - winning games."

A recent influx of offense has trumped Detroit's defensive failings, which proved to be the case again Tuesday. The Red Wings scored at least five goals for the third time in four contests and have a 4.33 average since Jan. 13.

They hold a one-point lead over the Lightning atop the Atlantic Division and their 65 points tie the New York Islanders for most in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit can secure a seventh consecutive win Thursday, which would mark its longest streak since another seven-game run Jan. 12-23, 2012.

"This was a big win for us, separation-wise for us and Florida, so that's critical," Babcock said. "It sets ourselves up going into Tampa. We'll be better now. Tampa will be better. Everyone will be."

Though the Lightning (30-15-4) have sputtered lately, their offense could accentuate Detroit's defensive slide and help them claim a franchise-best ninth consecutive home win. Despite Tuesday's 4-2 loss at Carolina, they are averaging an NHL-high 3.18 goals.

Tyler Johnson (48) and Steven Stamkos (45) lead Tampa Bay in points, and each scored in a 4-3 shootout win over the Red Wings on Nov. 9.

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However, the Red Wings now meet the two stars while they're both in the midst of a scoring drought. Johnson has been held without a goal in six games, while Stamkos has failed to score in three straight to match a season worst.

The Lightning have also experienced a dip on the power play, scoring on only eight of their last 68 opportunities - the NHL's second-worst percentage (11.8) since Dec. 16.

In that same time frame, the Red Wings rank at the top of the league, scoring on 31.5 percent of their chances with the man advantage.

"We had such a good thing going probably (over the) first 25, 30 games of the year on the power play, and now it's dried up," coach Jon Cooper told Tampa Bay's official site.

"What's frustrating is we're really not giving ourselves a chance. We come in with a little bit of a shooter's mentality, but we get in the game and we don't. We've got to fix it or mix things up here a little bit, and that's our job as a staff."

While Detroit has been dominant against Tampa Bay, winning 26 times over 38 all-time meetings, the Lightning have taken five of the last six and two straight at Amalie Arena.


34

Grand Rapids Griffins expect changes following major AHL franchise shift, but

extent not yet known

By Peter Wallner / MLive.com

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The American Hockey League announced a major alignment

shift Thursday, with five franchises transferring operations to California cities to create a

new Pacific Division next season.

Teams (with NHL affiliate) moving are:

• Adirondack in Glen Falls, N.Y., to Stockton (Calgary Flames)

• Manchester, N.H., to Ontario (Los Angeles Kings)

• Norfolk, N.Y., to San Diego (Anaheim Ducks)

• Oklahoma City, to Bakersfield (Edmonton Oilers)

• Worcester, Mass., to San Jose (San Jose Sharks)

The move will cause a major reshuffling of divisions and conferences and will have an

impact on the Grand Rapids Griffins. They play in the Western Conference (Midwest

Division) where two of the five teams moving currently play in Adirondack and

Oklahoma City.

Tim Gortsema, the Griffins senior vice president of business operations, said the

alignment and schedule grid will likely be determined at the AHL’s spring meetings in

May in Chicago.

“I asked David (AHL president David Andrews) at our meetings this weekend (in Utica,

N.Y.) if there is a preliminary schedule grid,” Gortsema said. “The league has done a lot

of that work and does have some thoughts on it, but they’re not willing or ready to

distribute anything to the teams because there might be a few pieces still in motion.”

The initial appearance is the move would mean more travel for the Griffins, who

currently go no farther than Texas and Oklahoma City within the Western Conference.

“That is depending on what teams play out there,” Gortsema said. “Nothing has been

communicated as to what teams will be playing those teams.

“Any games with teams in the Pacific Division would be reciprocal, but it has not been

discussed nor agreed upon what teams are traveling out there. We don’t know if that will

impact Grand Rapids or not.”

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Either way, the league will continue to play a 76-game schedule. A proposal to reduce

the season was defeated over the weekend, Gortsema said.

The move will give the five organizations a closer proximity to their AHL partner, much

like the Detroit Red Wings enjoy with the Griffins.

“You play a game on a Friday night and you need a guy on a Saturday, there are

challenges with that,” said Kevin Lowe, president of the Edmonton Oilers, who will move

its AHL team from Oklahoma City to Bakersfield. “I think for a number of years, the

West Coast teams have look at as, ‘Is there a better way to develop players?’ Now

having that ability where players are more available and more easily accessible, in the

same time zone … I just applaud the GM for their foresight to create a better

development model.”

Gortsema said West Coast NHL teams have long wanted what Midwest and East teams

have enjoyed geographically with their affiliates.

“I understand it; I get it and I feel good for those NHL teams that now have a much

closer relationship with their AHL teams,” he said. “But it remains to be determined how

this impacts us as a fellow team in the Western Conference.”

36

Griffins 6, Wild 0: Pulkkinen's hat trick, Coreau's 38 saves pace Grand Rapids in

shutout

By Peter Wallner / MLive.com

Des Moines, Iowa — Teemu Pulkkinen became the second player in team history to

score three power play goals in a game while Jared Coreau became the fourth

goaltender to record multiple shutouts in his rookie season as the Grand Rapids Griffins

defeated Iowa Wild 6-0 at Wells Fargo Arena.

The win marks the first first away from Van Andel Arena in 2015 for the Grand Rapids,

snapping a three-game road losing streak. The Griffins (22-16-3-1) have won three

straight games overall, and will look to extend their streak tomorrow as they travel to

Milwaukee for an 8:00 pm EDT puck drop against the Admirals.

Pulkkinen, who has the AHL goal scoring lead with 24, joined Joe Murphy as the only

Griffins players to score three power play goals in a game. Murphy accomplished his

feat Oct. 16, 2001 at Cleveland.

His first goal on the man advantage opened the scoring at 3:02 of the first period when

he received a pass from Andy Miele and fired a one-timer from top of the left circle past

Darcy Kuemper after the Iowa goaltender was called for tripping at 2:43.

Anthony Mantha was credited his seventh goal of the season 1:04 later when Kuemper

attempted to play the puck but Mantha blocked the shot and the puck deflected off

Mantha into the open net.

Pulkkinen scored the Griffins’ third goal in 3:12 when he buried into the net a rebound

following a scoring chance from Mitch Callahan. The goal came 22 seconds after Brett

Bulmer was assessed an additional penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after he and

Nick Jensen were given matching penalties for roughing.

Pulkkinen’s final goal of the night came at 1:35 of the second period, when he put the

puck just inside the crossbar when he followed up a shot from Miele.

The Griffins extended their lead to 5-0 at 18:37 of the middle period when captain Jeff

Hoggan scored his fourth of the season. Hoggan screened Kuemper and deflected a

shot from the stick of Nathan Paetsch. It was the fourth power play goal of the night for

the Griffins, one off the team record of five set three times in 2005-06.

Iowa (15-27-1-1) made a goaltending change following the second period, as John

Curry relieved Keumper. Curry made nine saves on 10 shots, with his only blemish

coming from Landon Ferraro scoring his 18th goal of the season at 6:28. The Wild

37

turned the puck over just inside their zone and Ferraro won a race to the puck and

subsequently fired a wrister past Curry.

Jared Coreau recorded his second shutout of the season, making 38 saves in the win.

Kuemper made 23 saves on 28 shots in the loss. The Griffins converted four of six

power plays, while the Wild failed to convert on one opportunity.

Note: Coreau became the fourth Griffins rookie to record multiple shutouts, joining

Simon Lajeunesse (three in 2001-02), Joey MacDonald (three in 2002-03) and Jimmy

Howard (two in 2005-06).

Grand Rapids Griffins 6 at Iowa Wild 0 - Status: Unofficial Final

Thursday, January 29, 2015 - Wells Fargo Arena

Grand Rapids 3 2 1 - 6

Iowa 0 0 0 - 0

1st Period-1, Grand Rapids, Pulkkinen 22 (Miele, Paetsch), 3:02 (PP). 2, Grand Rapids,

Mantha 7 4:06. 3, Grand Rapids, Pulkkinen 23 (Callahan, Miele), 6:14 (PP). Penalties-

Kuemper Ia (tripping), 2:43; Jensen Gr (roughing), 5:52; Bulmer Ia (unsportsmanlike

conduct, roughing), 5:52.

2nd Period-4, Grand Rapids, Pulkkinen 24 (Miele, Callahan), 1:35 (PP). 5, Grand

Rapids, Hoggan 4 (Paetsch, Pulkkinen), 18:37 (PP). Penalties-Gelinas Ia (cross-

checking), 1:15; Ferraro Gr (cross-checking), 5:17; Hagel Ia (roughing), 5:17;

Czarnowczan Gr (holding), 6:37; served by Gabriel Ia (bench minor - too many men),

16:40.

3rd Period-6, Grand Rapids, Ferraro 18 6:28. Penalties-Sutter Ia (double minor - high-

sticking), 16:22; Campbell Gr (interference), 19:58.

Shots on Goal-Grand Rapids 18-10-10-38. Iowa 5-20-13-38.

Power Play Opportunities-Grand Rapids 4 / 6; Iowa 0 / 1.

Goalies-Grand Rapids, Coreau 8-6-1 (38 shots-38 saves). Iowa, Kuemper 0-1-0 (28

shots-23 saves); Curry 8-9-0 (10 shots-9 saves).

A-3,408

Referees-Garrett Rank (48), Peter Tarnaris (17).

Linesmen-Chad Evers (5), Justin Hedlund (5).

Detroit Red Wings Clips January 30, 2015redwings.nhl.com/v2/ext/DRW_Clips_PDF/DRWClips013015.pdf ·...

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Transcript of Detroit Red Wings Clips January 30, 2015redwings.nhl.com/v2/ext/DRW_Clips_PDF/DRWClips013015.pdf ·...