Detroit Red Wings Clips February 5, 2016

Transcription

1 Detroit Red Wings Clips February 5, 2016 Detroit Red Wings PAGE 2 Wings' Jimmy Howard: 'I'm confident, need puck luck' PAGE 4 Red Wings' Kronwall expects to skate next week PAGE 5 Riley Sheahan returns as Red Wings face Panthers PAGE 7 Florida 6, Detroit 3: Wings lose more ground in East PAGE 9 Larkin's 2 goals can't carry sliding Wings PAGE 11 Wings watch their manners but have fun with moms around PAGE 12 Absence for Wings Kronwall longer than he expected PAGE 14 Red Wings postgame: Florida Panthers torch Detroit for season-high six goals against PAGE 16 Red Wings, Jimmy Howard can't recover from poor start PAGE 18 Second-period analysis: Red Wings' Dylan Larkin strikes again, but Panthers still up by two PAGE 19 First-period analysis: Rough start for Red Wings, Jimmy Howard, but Dylan Larkin provides spark PAGE 20 Detroit Red Wings notes: Niklas Kronwall to start skating soon; risk-reward with Brendan Smith PAGE 22 Red Wings Gameday: Taking a look at the power play and how it has translated to success PAGE 24 Red Wings lineup vs. Panthers: Jimmy Howard looks to snap personal sixgame winless streak PAGE 26 NHL Power Rankings roundup: Detroit Red Wings slip a bit but remain in top 10 PAGE 27 Red Wings recall defenseman Jakub Kindl from Grand Rapids PAGE 28 Red Wings say power play woes due to execution, not plan; goal is to crack top 10 rest of way PAGE 30 See the future home of the Detroit Red Wings from center ice PAGE 33 Panthers win 5th straight by beating Red Wings 6-3

2 Wings' Jimmy Howard: 'I'm confident, need puck luck' Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 2:53 a.m. EST February 5, 2016 SUNRISE, Fla. -- Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard is now going on two months since he last left a game with a victory. Thursday at BB&T Center he let in five goals on 32 shots in a 6-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. Three of those goals came in a 3-minute span in the first period, when Brandon Pirri tipped a shot, Alexander Barkov backhanded a shot on a power play, and Vincent Trocheck took advantage of sloppy defense. "The first one was going probably wide and it hits a skate and deflects into the net," Howard said. "The second one was on the power play. Point shot got through, made the initial save, and Barkov had time to make a little dipsy-do there in front. Third one was bar down by Trocheck." Coach Jeff Blashill called it "another tough night" for Howard, who hasn't won a game since Dec. 3. "Certainly puck luck wasn't going his way," Blashill laid. "And the chances that they got were some real good chances. I thought he battled. He's just got to continue to stay mentally tough and keep working hard." It's par for Howard's last five starts. "A couple of bounces here and there, and for me, it could be a totally different game," he said. "I'm not going to sit here and make excuses to you guys. Like I've always said, I'm just going to continue to work. I know how fortunate I am and I'm going to remain positive. "I don't think it's confidence at all. I've got all the confidence in my ability. It's just, I think, it would be nice to get a little bit of puck luck." The Panthers made it 4-2 when Pirri's shot deflected in off Derek MacKenzie's left foot. Officials first reviewed to make sure there had been no kicking motion. Then the Wings challenged MacKenzie had used his stick to interfere with Howard. "Their player's stick, in my opinion, inhibited Jimmy from being able to make the save," Blashill said. "They obviously didn't see it that way, which is understandable in a sense that I've been told it's going to be egregious, egregious goals, are the ones they're going to call back. I felt like that's one." Howard expected the goal to stand. "I had a good vantage point of it," he said. "I knew it was probably going to be called a good goal. I was just trying to deflect it away from him and it got up into his body and deflected into the net." Howard said he wasn't impeded in movement from MacKenzie's stick. Howard watched the Wings make it 5-3 from the bench, having been pulled shortly after the Wings got a power play at 10:38 of the third period. He was pulled again with 5:49 to go in regulation, which is when the Panthers made it 6-3. Asked what it was like to be 2

3 pulled so early, Howard laughed and referenced former goaltending great and Colorado coach Patrick Roy. "Ask Patrick Roy," Howard said. "He seems to do it on occasion. "I think it was just we had that opportunity to make it 6-on-4 and we scored on it, so it was a good call by Blash." As for when Howard gets his next chance, the way Blashill has done it since Howard's struggles began is to play him in the second of back-to-back games. That next opportunity would be Feb. 15 at the New York Islanders. Howard said all he can do is continue to work hard. "I just have to continue to remain positive," Howard said. "Continue to remain humble and know how fortunate I am to play in the NHL." Detroit Free Press LOADED:

4 Red Wings' Kronwall expects to skate next week Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 5:09 p.m. EST February 4, 2016 Niklas Kronwall talks Thursday at BB&T Center before the Red Wings play the Panthers on Feb. 4, Video by Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press. SUNRISE, Fla. - Niklas Kronwall jogged through the hallway to join his Red Wings teammates as they engaged in a favorite game-day routine. Kronwall spent his Thursday morning playing two-touch soccer. Joining the Wings for a game of hockey remains on hold. Kronwall underwent a knee scope Jan. 19, and his stay on long-term injured reserve means he won t be back before Feb.14, at the earliest. When he first had the procedure, the prognosis included an overly optimistic two weeks. I m hoping to be back on the ice late in the weekend or first day next week, Kronwall said Thursday. Maybe it was me being a little bit naive at first. I had something similar in 2010, and I came back for the training camp in about 2 1/2 weeks. This time, you add on 300 games or so and a few years, it s going to take a little longer, unfortunately, this time. The pain started to flare mid-december. Any idea of waiting till the off-season to have his knee scoped was soon scuttled. We decided to take some Images and decided that now is the time to do it, Kronwall said. You never know if it gets to the point you have to do it, and then all of a sudden it might be mid-april and all of a sudden you are missing the playoffs. We didn t want to take that chance. I m still glad we did it. I just wish I could be back sooner. Kronwall had a very poor start to the season, looking like a shell of himself especially in October, but he refused to blame injury. If he is able to go on the ice Monday (Saturday the Wings have an afternoon game, and Sunday is a scheduled day off), it will have been about three weeks since Kronwall last took to the ice. That s a fair amount of conditioning to regain, especially for a 35-yearold. Hopefully once you hit the ice, hopefully there are no setbacks, Kronwall said. Just get the legs under you, get the timing back. Kronwall s absence his 22:45 minutes of average ice time leads the team has meant opportunity for others. Brendan Smith has seen some looks as a power-play point man, and rookie Alexey Marchenko has stayed in the lineup. Jakub Kindl was called up Thursday, but coach Jeff Blashill indicated Kindl s role will be as a reserve, which is why the Wings didn t bring up a prospect such as Xavier Ouellet. The Wings don t want a young player up just to sit. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

5 Riley Sheahan returns as Red Wings face Panthers Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 1:59 p.m. EST February 4, 2016 SUNRISE, Fla. -- Riley Sheahan spent most of his All-Star break in bed, too sick to move. It wasn't the way he envisioned his vacation in Cancun, Mexico, but now that he's skated for a few days and benefited from some Florida sunshine, he's ready to return when the Detroit Red Wings take on Atlantic Division leader Florida Panthers (7:30 p.m., FSD) at BB&T Center. "I've got my appetite back, it's more just sinus stuff now," Sheahan said. "It's easier to deal with, and I'm feeling better. But it definitely wasn't fun." Sheahan bumps Teemu Pulkkinen from the lineup. Coach Jeff Blashill also said Jimmy Howard is getting the start in net. Howard has had a rough stretch of it, his last victory dating to Dec. 3. "As a goalie, there are nights when games go you way, and there are nights when it doesn't, regardless of how you play," Blashill said. "That's the reality. Sometimes they go off pots and out, sometimes they go off posts and in. "What Jimmy will focus on tonight is playing his best hockey. Jimmy has been an elite goalie at different points in his career in the NHL. We've got lots of belief in Jimmy. In the schedule we face, you have to have two guys that can help you win hockey games. We need him to go in and be great tonight and help us win a game against a really good team." Those are the only lineup changes. Jakub Kindl took part in an optional morning skate, but Blashill indicated Kindl's role for the foreseeable future will be as the seventh defenseman. That's why the Wings called up Kindl and not a prospect such as Xavier Ouellet - they don't want a young guy to come up and sit. Blashill said Pulkkinen "played well" in Wednesday's 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay, but since he's another small skilled forward, in the mold of Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, it's on Pulkkinen to show he belongs in the top-nine mix. Pulkkinen had been on the fourth line with Joakim Andersson and Tomas Jurco (Luke Glendening will be back to center it tonight). "I want that line to have a certain identity," Blashill said. "(Pulkkinen) doesn't necessarily fit in the identity of that line. So then he's got to beat out guys in lines above him. The guys above him, Nyquist, Tats, all those wingers have scored at a much greater rate in the NHL. Part of that is lack of opportunity for Teemu, which I recognize. "We can't have too many of the same type of players in the lineup - being small, skilled guys, especially against a Florida team that we had a really hard time getting to the inside on last time. If he is not going to be on our power play, which we debated and 5

6 decided we were going to put (Brendan Smith) in that spot here tonight, then we'd like to have that spot filled by a penalty killer, which is Andy." Detroit Free Press LOADED:

7 Florida 6, Detroit 3: Wings lose more ground in East Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 2:56 a.m. EST February 5, 2016 SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Detroit Red Wings used their sensational rookie and a couple of tricks to make things interesting, but ultimately only lost more ground. The Wings lost to Atlantic Division leader Florida Panthers, 6-3, tonight at BB&T Center, one night after losing at Tampa Bay. It was another poor night for the penalty killers, who allowed two goals. With Boston winning in a shoot-out, the Bruins moved into third place in the Atlantic with 60 points, bumping the Wings to a wild-card playoff spot. "In the end, I was real happy with the way our guys continued to battle back," coach Jeff Blashill said. "I was real happy with the effort. I was real happy with their character. "From a process standpoint, I was happy with lots of areas. That might sound funny to fans when you lose 6-3, but anybody can come watch the tape and see a lot of the good things we did." The best was rookie Dylan Larkin scored twice to do some damage control after Jimmy Howard allowed three goals in the first period, exposed by poor defense from teammates. Mike Green converted during a 6-on-4 power play after the Wings pulled Howard midway through the third period. "We got behind there right off the bat," Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "I thought we worked ourselves into the game, it was a one-goal game there for a while. Their fourth one was a tough one for us. But then again, we got it to 5-3, thought that we had something coming, but then when they got to 6-3 on an open net, it's game over." The Wings had a good start, with Pavel Datsyuk forcing three saves on him alone in the opening minutes. An early power play even yielded some good chances, although it also required a save from Howard. Things disintegrated during a 3-minute stretch that pretty well encapsulated what the past two months have been like for Howard, who hasn't won a game since Dec. 3. Brandon Pirri tipped Alex Petrovic's slap shot at 8:30, on a play that also saw Jaromir Jagr pick up his 1,100th career assist. Less than a minute into a power play, the Panthers made it 2-0 when Alexander Barkov picked up a rebound in the paint and backhanded it behind Howard. The Panthers were barely done celebrating that goal when Vincent Trocheck casually broke right through Detroit's defense and made it 3-0, at 11:06. That was three goals on 12 shots. Wings' Jimmy Howard: 'I'm confident, need puck luck' "The breakaway was a hard one to give up," Blashill said. "It was unneeded, for sure. Not good enough that way. "It's going to continue to be like this the last 30 games. So we've got to buckle in and be ready to grind it out every day." 7

8 Larkin came to the rescue when he converted 6 seconds into a power play, snapping a shot behind Roberto Luongo. Larkin followed up a minute into the second period, racing off into Florida's zone and ripping the puck to cut the Panthers lead to one goal. "We made it 3-2 there and we were flying around," Larkin said. "It was close at times, we had a few chances. Give credit to them, they are resilient and found a way to win." Howard came through with a couple big saves as the Panthers got two straight power plays in the second period, but got beat again with 3:47 to play in the period. Pirri fired a shot on net that deflected in off Derek MacKenzie's left foot. Officials first ruled there had not been a kicking motion, and then, when the Wings issued a coach's challenge for interference, again ruled the goal legal. Jagr handed the Wings a 4-minute power play that bridged into the third period after high-sticking Danny DeKeyser. Jagr amended for that by scoring during Florida's fourth power play, putting the puck top shelf. Echoing his comments after the 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay that included two Lightning power play goals, Blashill noted the same thing happened at Florida. "We gave up two power play goals, two goals against our penalty kill," he said. "It's hard to win on the road against real good teams if you're going to give those up. You've got to win the special teams battle." It was Jagr's 16th goal of the season and third point of the night, coming 11 days before his 44th birthday. "His goal was amazing," Larkin said. "Knowing him, he prepares so well and he works extremely hard. He's an unbelievable role model." The Wings pulled Howard after getting a sixth power play at 10:38 of the third period and were rewarded when Green made it a two-goal game. The risk in pulling Howard was exposed with 5:41 left, when Trocheck made it 6-3, scoring into an empty net. Blashill said the Wings needed a jolt. "Anytime they get the puck and come in a score right away, it doesn't look good," he said. "But I would have done it again. We hadn't generated anything for about the fiveminute stretch before that. I thought it was the right move. I think time is overrated in terms of if you're not generating, you can have all the time in the world, it won't matter. If we had been generating, I wouldn't have done it. But we weren't generating chances, so I thought it was the right thing to do." Detroit Free Press LOADED:

9 Larkin's 2 goals can't carry sliding Wings Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 12:43 a.m. EST February 5, 2016 Sunrise, Fla. The poor moms, they didn t get a chance to see much great hockey. Taking their mothers on a road trip didn t provide much luck for the Red Wings, who lost 6-3 to Florida on Thursday, losing both games on the quick Florida road trip. Maybe the moms gave their sons an earful on the plane trip back, because the Red Wings are sliding backward. They ve won only three games in the last nine (3-5-1) and have fallen to fourth in the Atlantic Division, now holding a razor-thin one-point lead over Pittsburgh and New Jersey for the first wild-card spot. We just have to keep grinding, coach Jeff Blashill said. Every single night you have to play the very best you can and give yourself an opportunity to win. This is how it s going to be and this is how it s been this way the whole year. We ve been in these playoff-type games the whole year and it s going to continue to be like this. We have to buckle in and grind it out every day. Dylan Larkin did his best to keep the Red Wings in the game early with two quick goals. Mike Green added a third-period power-play goal, but the Red Wings couldn t muster much else. Trailing 3-0, Larkin scored a power play goal with 5.5 seconds left in the first period, then scored at 1:01 of the second period (his 17th goal) to pull the Red Wings within 3-2. But the Panthers buckled down, scored late in the second period on a disputed goal, and Jaromir Jagr s 16th goal (power play) the 738th goal of Jagr s career made it 5-2. The fifth goal took the wind out of our sails a bit, Blashill said. Blashill pulled goatltender Jimmy Howard who had another rough game twice at key times during the latter half of the third period for an extra attacker and got a goal, but also saw Florida score an empty-net goal out of the gamble. Vincent Trocheck s empty-net goal at 14:19 gave Florida a 6-3 lead. When the Panthers were whistled for too many men at 16:05, Trocheck s goal suddenly made the road look much tougher. When they score it s easy to say it s (too) soon, captain Henrik Zetterberg said. There was a lot of time left. If we would have scored it would have looked real smart. It s easy to stand here afterward and say we shouldn t have (pulled Howard), but it was a lot of time left and when they got that too-many-men penalty it would have been nice to just have a two-goal (deficit). 9

10 Said Blashill: Anytime they got the puck and come in and score right away (Trocheck s goal) it doesn t look good. But I would have done it again. We hadn t generated anything for about a five-minute stretch. We weren t generating chances, so I thought it was the right thing to do. Detroit News LOADED:

11 Wings watch their manners but have fun with moms around Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 5:56 p.m. EST February 4, 2016 Sunrise, Florida For 10 years it was dads who took part in the family road trip the Red Wings had every season. The players felt it was time for the mothers to make the trip this week. Now, the dads might have trouble returning. The moms have been a big hit. They brought cookies aboard the plane, haven t asked many questions about hockey, and have provided a fresh enthusiasm. They ve given the trip some life for sure, said coach Jeff Blashill, who has his sister Debbie on the trip. The dads have a lot competition in future years; they re in for trouble here. We ll see what decisions are made. The mothers went on a dolphin cruise Tuesday the only drawback a beautiful day to sail was they didn t see any dolphins and have spent considerable time together and enjoying time with their sons. They re surprised by how much we eat, forward Riley Sheahan said. There s always food on the plane and at the hotel and they re just very surprised by how much we eat. It was Sheahan s mom Peggy who supplied the homemade cookies. She kind of kept the idea to herself, Sheahan said. A lot of people were happy she brought those. Still, there are some difference between the moms and dads on the trip. It s a little more vocal than with the fathers, Sheahan said. The moms don t care to come to the rink and watch the morning skates and sit in on meetings. But they re enjoying Florida and having fun with each other, and when game time comes around, it s fun for them to be in the stands and wearing Red Wings jerseys. Sheahan also said the players are more polite with their mothers around. You might be a little more conscience of your courtesy and things like that, Sheahan said. You have to be aware of what you say. Niklas Kronwall said his mother Tove was thrilled to learn there would be a mothers trip this season. It s nice, definitely nice, Kronwall said. She thought after all these years this day would never come. She s obviously happy and thrilled to meet the other moms and hang out with them. What s been the best part for her? For us to be together and traveling together, Kronwall said. For her to see what we go through on a regular basis. It s been neat. 11

12 Absence for Wings Kronwall longer than he expected Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 6:01 p.m. EST February 4, 2016 Sunrise, Florida Niklas Kronwall hoped to return a bit sooner. But, now, after arthroscopic left knee surgery on Jan. 19 and rehab, he ll remain patient. Kronwall wanted to be back for this current road trip it was expected he d miss 2-4 weeks. But now he isn t able to come off the injured list until Feb. 14, since the Red Wings shifted him to the long-term list early this week. Maybe it was me being a little naïve, said Kronwall, who had a similar procedure in 2010 around training camp and returned in approximately two weeks. But this time, you add 300 or so games in a few years, it s taking a little bit longer, unfortunately. Kronwall is on this road trip and was lightly kicking around a soccer ball Thursday with teammates after the morning skate. He thinks he ll be skating this weekend, or early next week, with a chance to play in games just after Feb. 14. That all depends on the conditioning and how you feel once you get back on the ice, Kronwall said. And of course Blash (coach Jeff Blashill) is the one making the final call. Hopefully there are no setbacks. You get your legs under you and get your timing back and when you feel ready, Blash makes his decision. Kronwall, 35, has had a disappointing season with 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 45 games with a minus-10 rating. His mobility and decision-making have been areas of concern, but Kronwall refuses to blame the knee injury for his performance. I can t say it did (have an impact), Kronwall said. The knee has remained problematic off and on since 2010 but began bothering Kronwall around mid-december. Instead of prolonging the situation, Kronwall and the team felt it was best to have the surgery now. Kronwall was adamant about not missing important games later in the season or the playoffs. That s the question we had -- whether we do it now or decide to wait, Kronwall said. You never know. If it gets to the point you have to do it (surgery) and all of a sudden it might be in late April and you re missing the playoffs, and we didn t want to do or take that chance. That s why we decided to do it at this point. Feeling better Riley Sheahan returned to the lineup Thursday after spending nearly the last week feeling sick. Sheahan and his girlfriend went to Mexico during the All-Star break but he didn t enjoy the trip. I m feeling better, Sheahan said. But it definitely wasn t fun. 12

13 Sheahan replaced Teemu Pulkkinen, who was bumped into being a healthy scratch. Pulkkinen is currently behind Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist on the depth chart when it comes to smallish, offensive-minded wings. Two goalies needed Goaltender Jimmy Howard got the start against Florida and Blashill said Howard will be needed the remainder of the season. Jimmy has been an elite goalie at different points in his career in the NHL, Blashill said. We ve got lots of belief in Jimmy and you look at the schedule we face, you have to have two guys that can help you win hockey games. Heading into Thursday s game, Howard hadn t won since Dec. 3 and had gone six games without a victory. Detroit News LOADED:

14 Red Wings postgame: Florida Panthers torch Detroit for season-high six goals against Brendan Savage February 04, 2016 If you missed the Detroit Red Wings' 6-3 loss Thursday against the Florida Panthers, we've got you covered. Here's a quick snapshot: THREE STARS 1. Jaromir Jagr The Panthers future Hall of Famer had a goal and two assists at age 43 while becoming the oldest player in NHL history to reach the 16-goal mark. 2. Dylan Larkin The Red Wings rookie All-Star scored back-to-back goals to get his team back in the game after Florida jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first period. 3. Vincent Trocheck The Panthers young forward had two goals and an assist, sealing the victory by scoring into an empty net for the final goal. BY THE NUMBERS 1.63 Average number of goals Jimmy Howard has allowed in the first period of his past eight starts. 2 Power-play goals by the Red Wings vs. Florida, the first time in seven games and second in 17 they've scored more than one with a man advantage. 9 Consecutive victories at home for Florida goalie Roberto Luongo. 5 The most goals the Red Wings had allowed in one game this season (on two occasions) before losing to the Panthers. 25 Total number of goals allowed by Howard in his last seven starts, two of which he didn't finish. 35 Points this season by Larkin, the most on the team after his two-goal game vs. the Panthers, marking the first time all season Henrik Zetterberg hasn't been atop the Red Wings' scoring chart. 68 Seconds between goals scored by Larkin at the end of the first period and start of the second, cutting Florida's lead to ,100 Career assists by Jagr after he set up two goals in the first period. He's the sixth player in NHL history to reach that milestone. TV TALK "It took Google maps and both hands and a search warrant but the silver lining, the good news, is the Wings get a chance to exact revenge on the Panthers Monday when they come to Joe Louis Arena. Yeah, I know. It's a bit of a reach." John Keating, Fox Sports Detroit. TWEET TWEET 14

15 Larkin's 2nd goal pic.twitter.com/gk6byrutxq Stephanie February 5, 2016 Michigan Live LOADED:

16 Red Wings, Jimmy Howard can't recover from poor start By Ansar Khan February 04, 2016 at 11:40 PM SUNRISE, Fla. The Detroit Red Wings, thanks mostly to Dylan Larkin, made a game of it on Thursday, when it appeared early on they were going to get blown out of the building. But, ultimately, they could not overcome a disastrous three-minute stretch midway through the first period, losing 6-3 to the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center. Embattled Jimmy Howard had a rough start, allowing three goals in a span of 2:36 one on a tip and two facilitated by porous defense. He allowed five goals on 32 shots and is winless in seven (0-4-3) the club has lost the past eight games that Howard has started. The 19-year-old Larkin scored two goals he has 17 for the season but the Red Wings were swept in their two-game Mothers Trip to Florida and fell to The 43-year-old Jaromir Jagr had a goal and two assists to lead the Atlantic Divisionleading Panthers ( ) to their fifth consecutive victory. They are in their past 21. "In the end I was real happy with the way our guys continued to battle back," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "I was real happy with the effort, I was real happy with their character. "We gave up two power-play goals. It hard to win on the road against real good teams if you give those up. You got to win the specialty teams battle. It ended up 2-2, but that's a tough thing on the road. We got to do a better job in that area." Trailing 4-2, the Red Wings had an excellent opportunity to trim the deficit when Jagr received a double-minor for high-sticking Danny DeKeyser with 1:56 remaining in the second period. Their struggling power play generated several good chances, but couldn't get one past Roberto Luongo (35 saves). Jagr then scored his team's second power-play goal of the game at 3:45 to make it 5-2. Jagr has 738 goals, three behind former Red Wing Brett Hull for third all-time. Once again it appeared the outcome was sealed. But the Red Wings kept hanging around after Mike Green scored on the power play at 12:36 it came during a six-onfour as Howard was pulled for the extra skater. The Red Wings, trailing by two, might have pulled Howard too soon. Vincent Trocheck scored his second goal of the game, into an empty net, with 5:41 remaining to make it 6-3. Larkin scored with 5.5 seconds remaining in the first period, on the power play, to cut Florida's lead to 3-1. He was all alone in the slot, when he took a pass from Henrik Zetterberg and ripped in a shot after a faceoff win. 16

17 "I think anytime you score in the last minute of a period it's a momentum swing coming into a period and then we had a good first few shifts," Larkin said. "We kept playing and kept playing. It didn't go in and just bounces I guess, some mistakes and they capitalized on their chances." Larkin then scored at 1:01 of the second period, capping a solo rush with a terrific shot over Luongo's outstretched glove, off the goal post and in. "We were flying around," Larkin said. "I don't know how many shots we had but we definitely outshot them and time of possession was definitely in our favor, so we were close at times, had a few chances. Give credit to them, they're resilient and found a way to win." The Red Wings had several good opportunities to tie it before Derek MacKenzie scored with 3:37 to play to make it 4-2. The play was reviewed twice by officials to see if it was directed in by hand and then on a coach's challenge to determine if there was goaltender interference before being upheld. "I thought we worked ourselves into the game," Zetterberg said. "Their fourth one was a tough one for us but then again when we got to 5-3, you would have thought we had something coming. But then when they got the 6-3 into the open net it's game over." The Red Wings, playing on back-to-back nights against a rested team, started strong, registering the game's first seven shots. But Luongo was stellar. Then the Red Wings collapsed. Brandon Pirri tipped in a one-time blast by Alex Petrovic at 8:30. Aleksander Barkov scored on the power play, corralling a rebound in front of Howard and roofing it at 10:41. Trocheck then blew past several defenders and whipped in a wrist shot at 11:06. "The first one was going probably wide and it hit the skate and deflects in the net," Howard said. "The second one was on the power play, point shot got through, made the initial save and Barkov had time to make a little dipsy-do there in front. And the third one was bar down by Trocheck." The Red Wings battled back but fell short. Michigan Live LOADED:

18 Second-period analysis: Red Wings' Dylan Larkin strikes again, but Panthers still up by two By Ansar Khan February 04, 2016 SUNRISE, Fla. After a dreadful start Thursday, the Detroit Red Wings had several quality chances to tie the game in the second period. But Derek MacKenzie scored with 3:37 to play to give the Florida Panthers a 4-2 lead through two periods at BB&T Center. The play was reviewed twice by the officials to see it was directed in by hand and on a coach's challenge to determine if there was goaltender interference before behind upheld. Dylan Larkin scored his second goal of the game at 1:01, whipping in a shot on a solo rush for his 17th of the season, to get the Red Wings to within one goal. Michigan Live LOADED:

19 First-period analysis: Rough start for Red Wings, Jimmy Howard, but Dylan Larkin provides spark By Ansar Khan February 04, 2016 SUNRISE, Fla. It was a terrible start for the Detroit Red Wings, particularly their defense and goaltender Jimmy Howard Thursday. But Dylan Larkin provided some hope in the waning seconds. Larkin scored his team-leading 16th goal, his second on the power play, with 5.5 seconds remaining in the first period to cut the Florida Panthers' lead to 3-1 at BB&T Center. The Red Wings started strong, registering the first seven shots. Then the Panthers took over with three goals in a span of 2:36. Alex Petrovic blasted in a one-timer that was tipped in front at 8:30. Aleksander Barkov scored on the power play, corralling a rebound right in front of Howard and roofing it at 10:41. Vincent Trocheck then blew past several defenders and whipped in a wrist shot at 11:06. The Red Wings outshot the Panthers Michigan Live LOADED:

20 Detroit Red Wings notes: Niklas Kronwall to start skating soon; risk-reward with Brendan Smith By Ansar Khan February 04, 2016 SUNRISE, Fla. Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall hopes his recent arthroscopic knee surgery will solve an issue that's been bothering him off and on since Kronwall expects to start skating this weekend or Monday. The earliest he can be activated from long-term injured reserve is Feb. 14 vs. Boston. But he might need more time. "I had something similar done in 2010, came back for training camp in 2½ weeks or so," Kronwall said. "This time you add on 300 games or so in a few years and it's going to take a little longer, unfortunately." He said his knee got worse around mid-december. He had the procedure on Jan. 18. The timing was right since the eight-day All-Star break minimized his games missed. "We took some Images and decided now was the time to do it instead of waiting around and maybe have to do it later in the season," Kronwall said. "You never know if you get to the point where you have to do it and then all the sudden it might be mid-april and you're missing the playoffs. We didn't want to take that chance, so we decided to do it at this point." Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall talks about recovery from knee surgery Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall talks about recovery from knee surgery Kronwall hasn't been as productive (three goals, 17 points in 45 games) or played nearly as well defensively as he normally does (minus-10). Asked if his knee had been affecting him on the ice, Kronwall said, "No, I can't say that." He also can't pinpoint a return date. "That all depends on the conditioning once you get back on the ice, and of course (coach Jeff Blashill) is the one making the final call," Kronwall said. "Once you hit the ice, hopefully no setbacks, get the legs under you, get the timing back and when you feel ready that's when Blash starts making the decision." RED WINGS NOTES Smith on power play again: Blashill said he planned to use defenseman Brendan Smith on the power play Thursday at Florida. He assessed Smith's play overall: "I think he's managed his game pretty well. Everybody makes mistakes. They all make them in different ways. Some show up more glaringly than others. I think through lots this year he made more positive plays than negative. That's what I look at the end of the night for each guy." Smith weighs risk-reward: Blashill said Smith can drive offense from the back end. "If it's not always points, just the threat of it," Blashill said. "He's certainly been active a lot. 20

21 And he just has to manage the risk. It's all to me the risk-reward. Is the reward in the risk that you're taking? If there is, then we can handle it. If there's not, then you shouldn't have taken it. So that's something I think he continues to grow as a hockey player with." Sheahan returns: Riley Sheahan was slated to return to the lineup Thursday, after being sick the past several days. Sheahan said he came down with something during the third day of his vacation in Cancun, Mexico. "It definitely wasn't fun," Sheahan said. "It was just different, kind of all the symptoms in one." He added, "I got my appetite back. Kind of more sinus stuff now, so that's easier to deal with. I'm feeling better." Michigan Live LOADED:

22 Red Wings Gameday: Taking a look at the power play and how it has translated to success Brendan Savage February 04, 2016 GAME INFORMATION Who: Detroit Red Wings ( ) at Florida Panthers ( ) Where: BB&T Center When: 7:30 p.m. TV: Fox Sports Detroit Radio: 97.1 WXYT-FM and Red Wings radio network Social media: Follow MLive sports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Twitter: Follow Ansar Khan and Brendan Savage Live coverage: Join our live updates/open thread at 6:30 p.m. GAME NOTES After going 0-for-2 on the power play in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Red Wings rank 20th in the NHL on the power play by scoring 17.4 percent of the time they have a manpower advantage.that marked the 29th time in 50 games they've failed to score on the power play. They have an record in those games for a winning percentage of.483. But how have they done when they've connected with a man advantage? We have the answer. The Red Wings have scored one power-play goal 15 times and have a record of in those games for a winning percentage of.733. They've scored two power-play goals six times and have a record in those games for a winning percentage of.667. They have yet to score three or more power-play goals in any of their 50 games. The Red Wings' two best months in the standings this season were also their two poorest when it comes to power-play success. They had a record in November but were only 4-for-37 on the power play, a success rate of 10.8 percent. In January, they had a record after going 5-for-29 on the power play, a success rate of 17.2 percent. The Red Wings two best months on the power play saw them post a combined record of Their best power-play month was December, when they were 10-for-48 for a success rate of 20.8 percent. But their record was In October, they were 8-for-39 on the power play, a success rate of 20.5 percent, but had a record. Last season, the Red Wings finished second in the NHL on the power play at 23.5 percent en route to 100 points. This season, they're on pace for 95 points. In , they were 18th on the power play at 17.4 percent and finished with 93 points. In the lockout-shortened campaign, they were 12th on the power play at 18.9 percent and finished with the equivalent of 95 points for a full 82-game season. And in , 22

23 their final season with Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom quarterbacking the power play, the Red Wings ranked 22nd on the power play at 16.1 percent while finishing with 102 points. In the Red Wings' only meeting with Florida this season, the Panthers won 2-1 Nov. 29 at Joe Louis Arena on a goal by Brian Campbell 1:20 into overtime. Dylan Larkin scored for the Red Wings. Florida, which is coming off a 5-2 victory Tuesday over powerful Washington, has won four of its last five vs. Detroit. The third-place Red Wings trail Florida by seven points in the Atlantic. After missing the playoffs for three straight seasons and 13 of the previous 14, the Panthers are first in the Atlantic Division, second in the Eastern Conference and tied for fifth in the overall standings. They've won four straight to share the NHL's longest active winning streak with Pittsburgh and Anaheim, are at home and their plus-30 goal differential is third-best in the NHL behind Washington and Dallas. Michigan Live LOADED:

24 Red Wings lineup vs. Panthers: Jimmy Howard looks to snap personal six-game winless streak By Ansar Khan February 04, 2016 SUNRISE, Fla. Jimmy Howard will try to snap a personal six-game winless streak tonight when he starts in goal for the Detroit Red Wings against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center (7:30, Fox Sports Detroit). Howard has gone since his last victory, Dec. 3 vs. Arizona. "There are nights when the game goes your way and then there are nights when it doesn't regardless of how you play," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "Sometimes they go off posts and in, sometimes they go off posts and out. But that's out of our control. "What Jimmy will focus on tonight is playing his best hockey. Jimmy's been an elite goalie at different points of his career in the NHL. We have lots of belief in Jimmy. In the schedule that we face, you have to be able to have two guys that can help you win hockey games, and we need him to go in and be great tonight and help us win a hockey game against a really good team." In the only other lineup change from Wednesday's 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay. Riley Sheahan replaces Teemu Pulkkinen. Sheahan has been sick for several days. Blashill said Pulkkinen is sitting because Joakim Andersson is better suited for a fourth-line role and kills penalties. "I actually thought Teemu played well (Wednesday)," Blashill said. "I want that line to have a certain identity and he doesn't necessarily fit in the identity of that line. So he's got to beat out guys in the lines above him. The guys above him have Nyquist, Tats all those wingers have scored at a much greater rate in the NHL. Part of that's because of a lack of opportunity with Teemu, which I recognize, and him and I had a good conversation. He understands that, too. We can't have too many of the same type of players in the lineup -- small, skilled guys, especially against a Florida team that we had a real hard time getting to the inside on last time. "If (Pulkkinen) is not going to be on our power play, which we debated and decided that we were going to put (Brendan Smith) in that spot tonight, then we'd like to have that spot filled by a penalty killer, which is Andy." Blashill said Jakub Kindl, recalled today from the Grand Rapids Griffins, will remain with the club for the foreseeable future (likely until Niklas Kronwall returns in a couple of weeks) as the seventh defenseman. Florida has won four in a row and is in its past 20 games. The Atlantic Divisionleading Panthers are seven points ahead of the Red Wings. "We play similar styles in a lot of ways," Blashill said. "I think we've both been good defensively. Sometimes shot totals are very deceiving. I think Florida makes it hard to get second opportunities and obviously Roberto Luongo has been one of the best 24

25 goalies in the league for a long time. All that combined with the D-corps, it's going to be hard to create offense. So we're going to have to find a way to win some of those second battles, we have to find a way to win the specialty teams battle, and like every night in this league find a way to gut out a win." Here are the Red Wings' anticipated lines: Justin Abdelkader-Henrik Zetterberg-Dylan Larkin Darren Helm-Pavel Datsyuk-Brad Richards Gustav Nyquist-Riley Sheahan-Tomas Tatar Tomas Jurco-Luke Glendening-Joakim Andersson Likely defense combinations: Kyle Quincey-Danny DeKeyser Brendan Smith-Mike Green Jonathan Ericsson-Alexey Marchenko In goal: Jimmy Howard (starting) Petr Mrazek Michigan Live LOADED:

26 NHL Power Rankings roundup: Detroit Red Wings slip a bit but remain in top 10 Brendan Savage February 04, 2016 The Detroit Red Wings have slipped in MLive's NHL Power Rankings but they're still a top 10 team. Well, barely. After checking in at No. 7 before the All-Star break that was their highest ranking since the first week of the season the Red Wings have dropped to No. 10 this week. Their ranking no doubt has something to do with three home losses heading toward the break that gave them a five-game losing streak at Joe Louis Arena. Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles are our top three teams this week. Here's how the Red Wings fared: ESPN.com: 11th, up from 12th last week. What they're saying: "Talk about a test right out of the break for the Red Wings with back-to-back games at Florida and Tampa Bay - - two teams they're battling with for the top seed in the Atlantic Division." CSNChicago.com: Ninth, same as last week. What they're saying: "With Niklas Kronwall placed on long-term injured reserve, the Red Wings need everyone on defense to elevate their game. The door is open for (Mike) Green to keep this group from dropping off defensively." FoxSports.com: 12th. What they're saying: "The excitement level in Detroit has been really high for the Red Wings and that all has to do with their young talent. Petr Mrazek has been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and Dylan Larkin has been off to an amazing start in his career. That playoff streak? Yeah, it'll continue." CBSSports.com: Ninth, down from eighth. What they're saying: "The hockey world got a glimpse of why Red Wings fans are buzzing about rookie Dylan Larkin at the All-Star Game, now we'll find out if the youngster can help propel this team in a tight Atlantic race. He's been a big factor in their success so far." Sports Illustrated: 12th, down from 11th. What they're saying: "A team in transition, the Red Wings have been one of the season's best surprises. Coach Jeff Blashill has been a steady and resourceful presence behind the bench. Petr Mrazek has excelled as he's been given a larger share of goaltending duties and rookie Dylan Larkin looks like the second coming of Jonathan Toews. A 25th consecutive playoff berth seems likely, but they could use a little more scoring" NESN.com: Seventh, up from eighth. What they're saying: "Rookie forward Dylan Larkin broke Mike Gartner's fastest skater event record at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition and then tallied three assists in the All-Star Game. Not a bad weekend for Detroit's rising star." Michigan Live LOADED:

27 Red Wings recall defenseman Jakub Kindl from Grand Rapids By Ansar Khan February 04, 2016 SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Detroit Red Wings today recalled defenseman Jakub Kindl from the Grand Rapids Griffins. He will join the team in Florida and is available for tonight's game against the Panthers (7:30 p.m.). Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said Kindl was recalled as insurance, since the club has only six healthy defensemen. There is no word yet on whether Kindl will be in the lineup tonight. Kindl has appeared in nine games for the Griffins since he was assigned on Jan. 11, picking up three points (two goals, one assist) and 12 penalty minutes. Kindl cleared waivers on Jan. 10. He has played 23 games this season for the Red Wings, posting five points (two goals, three assists). Michigan Live LOADED:

28 Red Wings say power play woes due to execution, not plan; goal is to crack top 10 rest of way By Ansar Khan February 04, 2016 TAMPA, Fla. Even though Blashill was coaching the Grand Rapids Griffins last season he saw almost all of the Detroit Red Wings' games, either on live TV or on tape. He saw the second-ranked power play in the NHL. He studied it. He didn't change much of what they were doing on the power play. But it sure has changed. The Red Wings went 0 for 2 on the power play in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. They have gone 5 for 34 in their past 13 games and are tied for 20th in the league at 17.4 percent, a significant drop from last season (23.5 percent). "I don't think every year (goals) are going to go in at the rate to keep you at No. 2," Blashill said. "We got to get up as close to the top 10 as possible. "Power plays are going to ebb and flow a little bit. I think you can have the exact same guys out there, the exact same plan, which is fairly close to what we have, and you might not stay at No. 2. We just got to get back inside that top 10, even if it's just for the rest of the year, not necessarily in the final (rankings)." How do they do that? Shoot the puck. "We haven't delivered as many pucks to the net and haven't had an opportunity to score as many dirty goals because of it," Blashill said. "So we got to do a better job of delivering more pucks to the net. We'll continue to work on it." The Red Wings ( ) wrap up a quick two-game post-all Star break trip Thursday at Florida, against the Atlantic Division leaders (7:30, Fox Sports Detroit). The Panthers' power play (16. 9 percent) has been slightly worse than Detroit's. But Florida is fifth on the penalty kill (84 percent). A team-leading 20 of Gustav Nyquist's 41 goals since the start of last season have come on the power play. "I don't think we're shooting enough like we did last year," Nyquist said. "I think we got a lot of rebound goals last year that we managed to put in because we're putting the pucks on net. Now, we're kind of hesitating because it's not been clicking. "That's probably one reason. We had a few chances but just haven't managed to score. We got to get that thing going for sure to help our team win." Jim Hiller, the assistant coach in charge of the power play in , joined former head coach Mike Babcock in Toronto (where the power play currently ranks 29th at 15.9 percent). New assistant Pat Ferschweiler assumed that duty at the start of the season. 28

29 Nyquist said the system hasn't changed. They even added three significant pieces in defenseman Mike Green and forwards Dylan Larkin and Brad Richards. "I think we're kind of using the same things that were a big success for us last year, but obviously we're not executing enough on it," Nyquist said. Players believe their power play issues can be corrected from within. That's good, because the trade deadline is not likely to provide any help, not with the team up against the salary cap. "We want to be better on the power play, we should be better," Henrik Zetterberg said. "We're working on it and hopefully we can get it going here for the last 30 games." Michigan Live LOADED:

30 See the future home of the Detroit Red Wings from center ice Ian Thibodeau February 04, 2016 DETROIT - From Woodward Avenue in Detroit's Cass Corridor, it looks like construction on the Detroit Events Center must be far ahead of schedule. But Sean Hollister, senior construction manager at Barton Malow Hunt, said Wednesday that the 785,000-square-foot arena is right on pace. It's no surprise to him that the future home of the Red Wings looks like an arena less than a year after work began on the two-and-a-half year timeline. "Is production going great? Yeah, but there are so many more (parts of the project) that need to happen.... We are tracking right where we want to be," Hollister said. Construction began on the site late last April. In meetings with the Detroit City Council prior to zoning approval for the arena, Olympia Development of Michigan, the Ilitch family's development arm, told the officials they'd follow an aggressive construction timeline. Until recently, it wasn't totally clear what aggressive meant. Though it took Olympia a little over a month to raze the Park Avenue Hotel to make way for a loading dock, and a no time at all to start digging the hole for the sunken ice surface, now that the skeleton of the upper bowl looms over Woodward Avenue and Sproat Street, it's evident. This is what the site looked like in early October 2015: See the progress of construction on the new Red Wings arena Crews continue work on the new red wing arena in Detroit s Cass Corridor just north of Downtown. Construction, which began in May, is on schedule and will continue into the winter months. The arena is expected to be completed in time for the 2017 hockey season. (Tanya Moutzalias MLive Detroit) The structure won't go any higher than it stands now, Hollister said. Standing only a few feet away from what will be center ice by September 2017, the outlines of the club seating and main concourse (which will enter directly off Woodward), suite areas and bowl seating are visible. The much talked about gondola seats won't be visible until the roof starts going up around the middle of March. Crews are getting ready to start pouring concreted on the various tiers of the stadium, Hollister said. From the street, passersby will soon see precast risers going in on the upper bowl. The mild winter has allowed Hollister and his team which has grown to about 200 workers every day to work a six-day schedule, with 10-hour days. 30