Jordan Wohl, Staff Writer
Ville Husso with a magical toe save in a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers, Photo//Brian Bradshaw Sevald/USA TODAY
Welcome to Wings Weekly: a regular column giving you a quick recap of the week that was and the week that will be for the 11-time Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings.
The Week that Was:
Your Wings (28-22-8) finish the week with a 2-1-0 record:
3-1 Win at the Washington Capitals (Ranked 21 of 32 teams in NHL)
4-2 Win versus the New York Rangers (7th best team in NHL) at home
3-0 Loss versus the Tampa Bay Lightning (5th best team in NHL) at home
As of Saturday night, Detroit sits with 64 points, one shy of Pittsburgh for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings find themselves in a six-team race for the final two Eastern Conference playoff spots - the Islanders (67 points), Penguins (65), Sabres (64), Red Wings (64), Panthers (64), and Capitals (64) are all within three points as we head into the final quarter of the regular season.
The Wings started off the week by handling business on the road versus the free-falling Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. The Wings put on a strong 60-minute performance with secondary scoring with two goals from fourth-line center Pius Suter and the first goal of the season from Robert Hagg,
They won in spite of losing captain Dylan Larkin early in the first period. Larkin was ejected from the contest for a cross-check to Washington’s TJ Oshie and was handed a $5000 fine the next day for the hit. The win also saw the return of Jakub Vrana to the lineup, who had two shots on goal with 11:31 time on ice.
On Thursday, the Red Wings returned home after a 4-1-0 road trip to a 4-1 victory against the surging New York Rangers. Netminder Ville Husso turned away 30 saves in a win, including one remarkable toe-save against Norris-trophy winner Adam Fox. Former-Ranger Andrew Copp took home one goal and two assists against his former team, and Filip Zadina cashed in on a go-ahead goal in the second period. Forward Domanik Kubalik also closed the game with an assist and four hits.
Then there was the performance on Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a game that slipped from the Wings in a 3-0 decision. The story of the night was the 45-save shutout from superstar Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The Wings controlled play in the offensive zone with a barrage of offensive chances in the second and third period to be turned away time and time again. The game sat at 1-0 until a Nikita Kucherov dagger with seven seconds remaining in the second period after a twenty-shot second period from the home team.
It felt as though the Lightning truly capitalized on every grade-A scoring opportunity they were given while the Red Wings were going to be turned away regardless of how well they performed. Michael Rasmussen did leave the game in the first period after blocking a shot on the lower knee-cap, and defenseman Jake Walman stood out with eight shots on goal in 18:27 of ice time.
Off-Ice Headlines to Follow:
The NHL Trade Deadline on Friday at 3:00 p.m. EST. You can expect a few things from an otherwise unpredictable General Manager Steve Yzerman:
1. Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi will almost certainly not be moved. It would be a complete shock if either was dealt.
2. Forward Jakub Vrana will likely be flipped to a contending team lacking scoring depth (Carolina and New Jersey come to mind). Moving Vrana would clean up a clog in the Red Wings’ forward depth rotation and get value out of a depreciated asset.
3. The Red Wings will likely not nab any of the major trade targets on the market (Patrick Kane, Timo Meier, Jakob Chychrun, or Erik Karlsson). If anything, picks or a depth right-handed defenseman will be included in any deal.
Also, left winger Lucas Raymond should return from the lineup this week after two weeks sidelined with a lower-body injury.
Upcoming Schedule
Monday, 7:00 p.m.: at Ottawa (23rd best of 32 teams overall)
Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.: at Ottawa (23/32 overall) (no, this is not a typo)
Thursday, 7:00 p.m.: Home vs Seattle (12/32 overall)
Saturday, 12:30 p.m.: at New York Islanders (15/32 overall)
Current Projected Lines
Bertuzzi-Larkin-Perron
Rasmussen-Copp-Kubalik
Berggren-Veleno-Fabbri
Zadina-Suter-Sundqvist
Walman-Seider
Chiarot-Hronek
Maatta-Lindstrom
Husso
Hellberg
Scratches/Extras: Vrana, Oesterle, Hagg
IR: Lucas Raymond, day-to-day