Detroit Red Wings Clips February 4, 2016

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1 Detroit Red Wings Clips February 4, 2016 Detroit Red Wings PAGE 2 Wings' Blashill lays blame of loss to T.B. on penalty kill PAGE 3 Dirty work makes Wings Darren Helm a wanted teammate PAGE 4 Red Wings fired up to return for showdown in Tampa PAGE 6 Lightning strike on power play, beat Red Wings PAGE 8 Wings, Lightning expect East race to stay tight PAGE 10 Red Wings postgame: Petr Mrazek's seven-game road winning streak ends vs. Tampa Bay PAGE 11 Red Wings lose special teams battle, fall to Lightning PAGE 13 Second-period analysis: Lightning power-play goal snaps tie with Red Wings PAGE 14 First-period analysis: Red Wings display a lot of energy during scoreless period PAGE 15 Detroit Red Wings notes: Darren Helm not scoring as much but he has Pavel Datsyuk's support PAGE 17 Chris Chelios, Igor Larionov among latest former Red Wings added to alumni game vs. Avalanche PAGE 18 Red Wings Gameday: Petr Mrazek, Ben Bishop of Tampa Bay meet for first time since playoffs PAGE 20 Red Wings lineup vs. Lightning: With Riley Sheahan out, Luke Glendening likely to play on skilled line PAGE 22 Red Wings' odds of winning Stanley Cup improve; Dylan Larkin 3rd among Rookie of Year favorites PAGE 23 Detroit Red Wings return from All-Star break focused on boosting offense, reducing turnovers PAGE 25 Bishop earns 100th win with Lightning, beats Red Wings 3-1

2 Wings' Blashill lays blame of loss to T.B. on penalty kill Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 3:16 a.m. EST February 4, 2016 TAMPA, Fla. -- Three penalties, two goals surrendered. Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill put the blame for Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on a penalty kill that allowed the Lightning a twogoal lead by early in the the third period. The Wings' power play was 0-for-2 without a single shot on net during four minutes. "Did our PP cost us or did our PK cost us? I'd put way more of it on our PK," Blashill said. "Our PK needs to be better as well. You get two power plays in a game, lots of nights you're not going to score. That's just the reality of the numbers. "Just in terms of tonight, I'd put way more, I guess if there was blame to be placed, it'd would be on the PK." Danny DeKeyser, Kyle Quincey and Joakim Andersson were on for both Tampa Bay power play goals, along with Luke Glendening on the first and Justin Abdelkader on the second. Petr Mrazek faced four power play shots total from the Lightning. The penalty kill ranked 15th in the NHL going into the game overall, but only 24th on the road. It did recently suffer the loss of Drew Miller, but one forward should not make that much of a difference. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

3 Dirty work makes Wings Darren Helm a wanted teammate Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 1:33 a.m. EST February 4, 2016 TAMPA Darren Helm keeps doing little things to earn a bigger role. He has become a full-range special-teams player and is a by-request winger for Pavel Datsyuk, a significant compliment for a Red Wings forward. Helm had a hot hand going entering Wednesday s 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay, with a shot on goal against the Lightning and two points and six shots in his previous two games. Even when Helm doesn t show up on a scoresheet, he usually has been a factor because of his speed and willingness to enter hard areas. He helps create lots of goals without getting points sometimes, with his net presence and his retrieval of pucks, coach Jeff Blashill said. I can tell you that Pavel wants to play with Helmer. He is a guy he has told me numerous times he wants on his line, because he is on the puck first, he goes to the net, does a lot of the dirty work. That might not always result in points. I don t judge players on points. I judge them on how they play throughout the game. Helm does lots of things that I think have helped. I think he s been a real good player for the last little bit. Blashill has used Helm as a net-front presence during recent power plays, a decision backed up Jan. 25 against the Islanders when Helm won a puck battle that led to a power-play goal. Statistically speaking, Blashill said, when Helmer is on the power play, the power play does well. So we are going to give him a chance in that spot. Brad Richards, who scored on the Islanders play, said Helm is a net-front guy, but he ll probably beat most defensemen into the corner with his speed. Speed has been Helm s asset since he entered the NHL. Now 29, he has become an integral part of the team. (He s likely to be re-signed before becoming a free agent this summer.) Small things make me effective, Helm said. I m not the top points guy on the team, but if I can create opportunities in different areas and we spend some time in their zone and we happen to score, then that s part of my job. Knowing a player of Datsyuk s caliber wants to play with him has been a boon to Helm s confidence. I never expected him to be a guy that wanted me on his line, Helm said. I think he likes the speed, the hard work that I can bring to his line. Take a little bit of the hard-lifting load off him and let him do his thing. Kindl back: General manager Ken Holland said defenseman Jakub Kindl, waived and sent to the minors last month, would be called up as a reserve for tonight s game against the Panthers. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

4 Red Wings fired up to return for showdown in Tampa Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 1:04 p.m. EST February 3, 2016 TAMPA, Fla. -- After more than a week-long layoff, the Detroit Red Wings start off with a doozy. They take on Atlantic Division rival Tampa Bay Lightning (8 p.m., NBCSN) at Amalie Arena in the Wings' first game since Jan. 25. The Wings won the first two meetings of the season, both in Detroit, and both with Jimmy Howard in net (Petr Mrazek gets tonight's start). The Lightning have won four straight regular-season games at home against the Wings and had won eight of the last nine games before beginning their All-Star break on Jan. 28. The Wings lost a seven-game playoff series to the Lightning last spring. Now the teams each have 58 points and are jockeying for second place in the division. "We know each other well, for sure," Gustav Nyquist said after the morning skate. "We know they are a good team. We feel like we have a good team and it shows in the standings - we are fighting for that second spot. So big game for both teams. "Coming back from All-Star break, I think everyone is recharged and ready to get back to work and start playing some hockey tonight. We are excited." The Wings will be without forward Riley Sheahan; he's skated two straight days but was ill for long enough that coach Jeff Blashill deems it better to have Sheahan sit out tonight. Luke Glendening took Sheahan's spot during morning line rushes, centering Nyquist and Tomas Tatar. "Glennie brings a lot of the same qualities that Sheahan does in the sense of hardness, net-presence, first on pucks on the forecheck," Blashill said. "He's kind of that big body that really complements those two players well." Henrik Zetterberg was with Dylan Larkin and Justin Abdelkader, and Pavel Datsyuk with Brad Richards and Darren Helm. Joakim Andersson centered the fourth line with Tomas Jurco and Teemu Pulkkinen. There are only six defensemen available tonight, in Mike Green, Brendan Smith, Danny DeKeyser, Kyle Quincey, Jonathan Ericsson and Alexey Marchenko. However, general manager Ken Holland said defenseman Jakub Kindl, who was waived and sent to the minors last month, is being called up to have as a reserve for Thursday's game at Florida. The Tampa game pits two old friends against one another in Blashill and Jon Cooper. Cooper said the two don't talk as often as in the past because of the rigors of the NHL schedule. "Beside a few mocking text messages that come back and forth between us, we haven't talked a whole lot," Cooper said. "But if there is somebody you want to bounce something off, he would be one of my first calls." 4

5 Blashill said the two are such close friends, "I'm not positive who my youngest son is rooting for tonight - if it's my team or Coopls team. That says a lot about our friendship." Detroit Free Press LOADED:

6 Lightning strike on power play, beat Red Wings Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 12:05 a.m. EST February 4, 2016 Tampa, Florida Many analysts felt the Tampa Bay Lightning were utterly capable of defending their Eastern Conference championship this season. But recently they ve looked like title contenders. They looked the part Wednesday, defeating the Red Wings 3-1 in the first game after the All-Star break. The Red Wings allowed two Tampa power-play goals and generally didn t muster enough offense to keep from falling two points behind the Lightning in the Atlantic Division race. Not a lot of chances 5-on-5, both teams played tight, Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg said. When you have those types of games, most of the time it ends up in the special teams and they beat us there. It s a big game, two big points and losing points like this against a team in this division, you can t be that happy. The Lightning scored two power-play goals (on three chances), while the Red Wings were scoreless on two power-play attempts. So the key to this game is easy to decipher. We lost the special teams battle 2-0, Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. You can t lose the special teams battle 2-0 and hope to win. Gustav Nyquist had the Red Wings goal. J.T. Brown, Tyler Johnson (power play) and Nikita Kucherov scored for the Lightning, who also received 24 saves from goalie Ben Bishop. Petr Mrazek made 20 saves for the Red Wings. Both teams aren t giving you much (ice), this is how it s been all year and it ll be continue to be, Blashill said of the tight defensive struggle. Scoring is hard. Five-onfive it was a bit of a wash, but we have to find a way to win the special teams battle. Petr played good. We have to score more than one goal for him. The Red Wings had the second-ranked power play in the NHL last season but have slipped to 20th this season. Nobody can put a finger on a specific reason for the failure this season. We ve using the same things that was a big success for us last year, Nyquist said. Obviously we re not executing enough on it. We just have to get better. Johnson has had a disappointing season for Tampa after breaking out in last year s playoffs, including a particularly strong first-round series against the Red Wings. 6

7 But Wednesday Johnson looked very much as he did in that series, using his speed and tenacity to trouble the Red Wings. Johnson drew a tripping penalty on Pavel Datsyuk at 6:08 of the second period, putting Tampa on the power play. Just 22 seconds later, Johnson scored his sixth goal of the season, putting the Lightning ahead 2-1. Kucherov found Johnson open near the right dot, and Johnson slapped a shot into a partially open net, as Mrazek couldn t get over quick enough post-to-post. Kucherov extended the lead to 3-1 early in the third period. Lightning forward Alex Killorn tied up Danny DeKeyser behind the net and forced a turnover. The puck went behind the net to Ondrej Palat, who found Kucherov cutting to the net. Kucherov beat Mrazek for his 21st goal at 3:23 of the third period. Brown put the Lightning ahead early in the second period, opening the scoring. Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn took the puck down the side and backhanded a pass through the crease to Brown at the post. But the Red Wings countered with Nyquist s 14th goal. Tomas Tatar got free down the wing and put the Red Wings in a partial odd-man rush. Bishop made the save on Tatar s drive, but the rebound went straight to Nyquist, who was trailing and open, and slammed the puck into the net. The goal was a relief for Nyquist, who hadn t scored in five games and only once in the last 16 games. It s always nice to score, Nyquist said. I haven t scored as much as I ve wanted to lately so it was nice to get one tonight. Detroit News LOADED:

8 Wings, Lightning expect East race to stay tight Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 2:28 p.m. EST February 3, 2016 Tampa, Fla. There s a logjam surrounding the Eastern Conference playoff chase and nobody expects it to change before the end of the regular season April 10. Eleven teams were separated by seven points in the Eastern Conference standings with Washington (74 points) and Florida (65) leading the way it s expected to stay tight. So strap in and expect a ton of nailibiters over the final 30 games. Everybody seems to be finding ways to scratch and win games, coach Jeff Blashill said. There s a lot of good teams, we ve talked about that all year, about how good every team is and how close everyone is and how good everybody plays each other. There s hardly any difference (between teams). Lightning coach Jon Cooper (Lansing) feels the same way as Blashill, his friend. Cooper feels it was an aberration last season when Pittsburgh was the final wild card with a staggering 98 points. This year will be aberration the other way, said Cooper, who feels something like points should get a team in. The reason? Last year there were probably some teams, by the trade deadline, they were sellers and there were teams you kind of had a good feeling you could get some points in those games, Cooper said. There s none of that this year. Whoever the 30th team in the league is right now, it can beat the No. 1 team all day, and that s what ll keep everyone (close). It s just way too close this year. The parity in the league has been a story line all season. And most players and coaches feel it s a great thing, as it makes every game that much more important and close, especially late in the season. That, too, will keep the races tight until the very end. You could move from first in the division to sixth pretty quick, Red Wings forward Brad Richards said. You have to stay away from long losing streaks and keep putting points on the board. It ll be a tough final 30-something games on the schedule. Holmstrom Junior? Darren Helm has taken over as the net-front player on the power play, a position Helm enjoys. 8

9 I love it, said Helm of the thankless job, getting whacked by defensemen and opposing goalies, as well as hit by shots from your teammates. Nobody loves to be crosschecked and get hit in front of the net too often, but I love to be out there. OK, I don t love it, but love to be part of that power play and try to do some things to help. Helm sees the position a little different from the days Tomas Holmstrom played it. The defense would be right on top of you crosschecking and hacking you, Helm said. Now, the defense is a little more passive and lets you stay there. The main thing is to get in the goalies eyes. Sheahan update Riley Sheahan (illness) took part in the morning skate but Blashill didn t feel he s quite ready to play. Sheahan is hopeful of returning Thursday in Florida. He could probably play but wouldn t be able to play at 100 percent, Blashill said. My kind of rule of thumb is we want guys, even when they don t feel 100 percent, to play at 100 percent and Riley isn t quite there. Joakim Andersson took Sheahan s place in the lineup, but it was Luke Glendening centering Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist, taking Sheahan s spot on that line. Glennie brings a lot of the same qualities as Sheahan, Blashill said. Net presence, first on the puck on the forecheck, a big body who can complement those two players well. Ice chips General manager Ken Holland said defenseman Jakub Kindl will join the Red Wings in time for the game against Florida. The Red Wings only have six defensemen with Niklas Kronwall (knee surgery) unavailable until mid-february. Kindl, who was waived in mid-january and sent to Grand Rapids, provides depth. Blashill feels the Lightning are close to the level where they were late last season because of good health. Earlier in the year they weren t healthy, Blashill said. Nobody uses that as an excuse and that s probably why it isn t talked about but when you look at the league, when you lose elite players, you usually see those teams dip a bit. They re (the Lightning) rolling now. They re what everybody thought they were at the beginning of the year and that s one of the best teams. Detroit News LOADED:

10 Red Wings postgame: Petr Mrazek's seven-game road winning streak ends vs. Tampa Bay Brendan Savage on February 03, 2016 at 11:23 PM If you missed the Detroit Red Wings' 3-1 loss Wednesday to the Tampa Bay Lightning, we've got you covered. Here's a quick snapshot: THREE STARS 1. Ben Bishop The Tampa Bay goalie, fresh off an appearance in last weekend's All- Star Game, made 24 saves. 2. Nikita Kucherov The Lightning forward was the only player on either team with two points, getting the insurance goal as well an assist. 3. Tyler Johnson The Tampa Bay forward who was so dangerous against the Red Wings in the playoffs last season scored the winning goal and led both teams with five shots. BY THE NUMBERS 5 Goals allowed by Bishop in three games vs. the Red Wings this season. 6 Days between games for the Lightning before playing the Red Wings. 7 Consecutive road victories by Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek before losing to the Lightning. 8 Days between games for the Red Wings before they faced the Lightning. 9 Games since Mrazek had given up more than two goals in a game. 18 Consecutive power plays killed by the Red Wings until Johnson scored to make it 2-1. TV TALK "It looks like they're back, Tampa Bay. It looks like they have sort of gotten over their doldrums, starting to get healthy enough. It's not humming like it was as they entered the playoffs last year. Still plenty of time for that but boy, looks like good things ahead for them." Mike Milbury, NBC Sports Network. TWEET TWEET The goal was great but it's really all about the pass here. Extra sauce please. #DETvsTBLhttps://t.co/WUqazkTyTD NHL (@NHL) February 4, 2016 Michigan Live LOADED:

11 Red Wings lose special teams battle, fall to Lightning Ansar Khan on February 03, 2016 at 11:37 PM, updated February 03, 2016 at 11:38 PM TAMPA, Fla. Special teams, a season-long issue for the Detroit Red Wings, proved to be their undoing on Wednesday. The Tampa Bay Lightning scored twice on the power play to defeat the Red Wings 3-1 at Amalie Arena in the first game for both clubs following the All-Star break. "It's two big points and losing points like this to this team in our division, you can't be that happy about it," Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said. Petr Mrazek, coming off an outstanding January, had his seven-game road winning streak snapped. It was the first time in nine starts, since Jan. 2, that he allowed more than two goals. The Lightning are 9-1 in their past 10 games. They moved two points ahead of the Red Wings ( ) in the Atlantic Division. The Red Wings wrap up the quick trip to the Sunshine State on Thursday at Florida against the division-leading Panthers. Ben Bishop made 24 saves to improve to 8-4 vs. the Red Wings during the regular season. "I thought five-on-five was fairly even, certainly ebbed and flowed," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "In the end, on the road, we lost the specialty teams battle 2-0. You can't lose the specialty teams battle 2-0 and hope to win." Trailing by two goals, the Red Wings pulled Mrazek with more than two minutes to play in the third period. They applied some pressure, but couldn't capitalize. "When both teams aren't giving much it's hard ice," Blashill said. "This is how it's been all year, how it's going to continue to be. So scoring is hard. I thought five-on-five was a bit of a wash. We got to find a way to win the specialty teams battle." Gustav Nyquist scored Detroit's lone goal to tie it 1-1 at 5:06 of the second period. He fired in the fat rebound off a shot by Tomas Tatar. It was Nyquist's 14th goal, just his second in the past 17 games. But with Pavel Datsyuk in the penalty box (tripping) for just the second time in 35 games, Tyler Johnson snapped the tie at 6:30, just 22 seconds into the power play. The Lightning built a two-goal cushion when Nikita Kucherov scored on the power play at 3:23 of the third period. He went to the net and converted a pass from Ondrej Palat. "I think five-on-five both teams played really tight," Zetterberg said. "Everyone was above everyone in the neutral zone, didn't want to give the other team any odd-man rushes, so close games most of the time end up in the special team battles and they won that tonight." 11

12 The Red Wings hadn't allowed a power-play goal in nearly three weeks. They had killed 18 consecutive opposition power plays, dating back to the first period of their 3-2 victory at Arizona on Jan. 14. The Red Wings went 0 for 2 on the power play. They have 5 for 34 in their past 13 games (14.7 percent). "I think we had a couple good looks," Nyquist said. "I thought (Bishop) made some big saves but obviously we gave them some chances to have some pretty clear-cut scoring chances that they scored on." Tampa Bay's J.T. Brown opened the scoring at 1:23 of the second period on a bangbang play, rushing the net and converting a nice pass through the crease by Braydon Coburn. "I thought Petr played well," Blashill said. "Two of the goals are back doors and the one was a pass out to Kucherov. (Mrazek) was real solid. He played the puck well. We got to score more than one goal for him." Tampa Bay has won five consecutive games at home against the Red Wings during the regular season, dating back to Nov. 30, Detroit won the first two games this season against the Lightning, both at Joe Louis Arena. The teams wrap up their fourgame season series March 22 in Tampa Bay. Michigan Live LOADED:

13 Second-period analysis: Lightning power-play goal snaps tie with Red Wings Ansar Khan on February 03, 2016 at 9:39 PM, updated February 03, 2016 at 9:59 PM TAMPA, Fla. The Detroit Red Wings allowed their first power-play goal in nearly three weeks during the second period Wednesday. Tyler Johnson scored it to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes at Amalie Arena. The Red Wings had killed 18 consecutive opposition power plays, dating back to the first period of their 3-2 victory at Arizona on Jan. 14. Tampa Bay's J.T. Brown opened the scoring at 1:23 of the period on a bang-bang play, rushing the net and converting a nice pass through the crease by Braydon Coburn. The Red Wings' answered on a goal by Gustav Nyquist at 5:06. He fired in a big rebound off a shot from Tomas Tatar. It was Nyquist's 14th goal, just his second in the past 17 games. Michigan Live LOADED:

14 First-period analysis: Red Wings display a lot of energy during scoreless period Ansar Khan on February 03, 2016 at 8:48 PM, updated February 03, 2016 at 9:17 PM TAMPA, Fla. The Detroit Red Wings didn't show much rust in the first period Wednesday, following an eight-day All-Star break. They were energetic -- skating fast, spending a good amount of time in the offensive zone and generating chances. They outshot the Tampa Bay Lightning 10-4 at Amalie Arena, but the game is scoreless. The Lightning have the game's lone power play but managed only one shot. They had a couple of good chances earlier in the period but were denied by Petr Mrazek, who is seeking his eighth consecutive road victory. Michigan Live LOADED:

15 Detroit Red Wings notes: Darren Helm not scoring as much but he has Pavel Datsyuk's support Ansar Khan on February 03, 2016 at 5:02 PM, updated February 03, 2016 at 5:05 PM TAMPA, Fla. Playing extensively on a line with Pavel Datsyuk this season hasn't translated into a lot of goals or points for Darren Helm. But Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill puts Helm on that line because of his speed, net presence and ability to retrieve pucks. It is an element Blashill likes to have on each line. Datsyuk's endorsement also weighs heavily into the decision. "I can tell you that Pavel wants to play with Helmer," Blashill said before Wednesday's game in Tampa Bay. "He's told me numerous times and told (former coach Mike Babcock) numerous times that Helmer's a guy he wants on his line because he's on the puck first, he goes to the net, he does the dirty work. "That might not always result in points, but I don't judge players on points. I judge them on how they play throughout the game. He does lots of things that help us. I think he's been a real good player for the last little bit and he's obviously been a real good player for the Red Wings for a long time. We're going to need him to be great here in the last 30 games and continue to play the way he has lately." Helm posted career highs with 15 goals and 33 points in but hasn't been as productive this season (four goals, 13 points in 45 games). Helm said Datsyuk's support means a great deal to him. "I never expected him to be a guy that wanted me on his line," Helm said. "I thought he was skill, skill, skill, wants guys to pass to him and make plays I'm sure he still wants to do that as well. "I think he likes the speed, the hard work that I can bring to his line. Take a little bit of the load off him and let him do his thing." Brad Richards, slated to be Datsyuk's other winger on Wednesday, said "In this day and age... even the best lines in the league, they're not all the same type of players. You need a mix net front or someone who's going to win battles for the pucks for the other guys. Helmer does a good job there." Helm said he must skate, forecheck hard, win puck battles to be effective. "Also get in front of the net, screening, creating a little havoc, just some of things that might go unnoticed," Helm said. "(Justin Abdelkader) has been doing that as well for a long time." Blashill is using used Helm on the second power-play unit because of his net presence and puck-retrieving ability. 15

16 "I love being part of that power play, trying to do some little things to help," Helm said. "I think I'm pretty good at it. I'm not great, but I think it's coming. The more opportunities I get I think my confidence will grow." It's a role that has evolved since Tomas Holmstrom was the game's premier net presence for 15 years. Rules changed over the years cracking down on the punishment defensemen and goaltenders could administer. "I think it's changed a little bit since Homer was doing it, where the D would be on top of you, cross-checking you, hacking you," Helm said. "Now the D are a little passive, they let you stay there. Main thing is to try to get in the goalie's eyes, be willing to stand in front of a few guys' slap shots when they're going high." Helm said of his puck-retrieval ability: "When you're retrieving pucks on the PP you get second chances, you kind of get the penalty killers a little tired. That's when you get opportunities to score, on second and third opportunities. I definitely feel I can be effective chasing down pucks that have been shot, get it to guys who can make some plays and score." Michigan Live LOADED:

17 Chris Chelios, Igor Larionov among latest former Red Wings added to alumni game vs. Avalanche Brendan Savage on February 03, 2016 at 3:38 PM, updated February 03, 2016 at 3:41 PM DETROIT Hall of Famers Chris Chelios and Igor Larionov are among the newest additions to the Detroit Red Wings team that will play in the Stadium Series alumni game Feb. 26 at Coors Field. The former Red Wings will play a team of former Colorado Avalanche players. Chelios and Larionov join a group of former Red Wings that already included Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kris Draper and Darren McCarty. The other new Red Wings additions are Ty Conklin, Manny Legace, Mathieu Dandenault and Mike Knuble. Colorado has added Milan Hejduk, Dan Hinote, Valeri Kamensky, Mike Keane, Jon Klemm, Eric Messier and Shjon Podein to a roster that already included Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy and Claude Lemieux. The other former Red Wings who have already committed to play are Doug Brown, Dino Ciccarelli, Steve Duchesnse, Jiri Fischer, Tomas Holmstrom, Joe Kocur, Martin Lapointe, Kirk Maltby and Larry Murphy. Red Wings TV analyst Chris Osgood is not playing in the game because of off-season surgery. The other former Avalanche players who have committed to play are Craig Billington, Rob Blake, Ray Bourque, Adam Foote, Peter Forsberg, Curtis Leschyshyn, Sandis Ozolinsh, Mike Ricci, Chris Simon and Stephane Yelle. Adam Deadmarsh will be part of the Avalanche coaching staff. The alumni game is a prelude to the Stadium Series matchup Feb. 27 between the Red Wings and Avalanche at Coors Field. Michigan Live LOADED:

18 Red Wings Gameday: Petr Mrazek, Ben Bishop of Tampa Bay meet for first time since playoffs Brendan Savage on February 03, 2016 at 3:03 PM, updated February 03, 2016 at 3:04 PM GAME INFORMATION Who: Detroit Red Wings ( ) at Tampa Bay Lightning ( ) Where: Amalie Arena When: 8 p.m. TV: Fox Sports Detroit Radio: 97.1 WXYT-FM, 1270 WXYT-AM 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 7 p.m. GAME NOTES Two of the NHL's top goaltenders will be at opposite ends of the ice tonight for the first time since the opening round of last year's playoffs. Detroit's Petr Mrazek and Tampa Bay's Ben Bishop started between the pipes for all seven games of the Lightning's firstround victory last spring. Mrazek had two shutouts to Bishop's one but that latter was a biggie as the Lightning advanced with a 2-0 victory in Game 7. Mrazek had a 2.11 GAA and.925 save percentage in the playoffs last season but he didn't play in either of Detroit's two victories over Tampa Bay this season. Jimmy Howard won both, beating the Lightning 3-1 Oct. 13 in Detroit and 2-1 Nov. 2, also at Joe Louis Arena. No NHL goalie has been hotter than Mrazek, who has won seven straight on the road and has a 1.28 GAA in those games. Mrazek is tied for second in the NHL with a.932 save percentage and tied for third with a 2.03 GAA. Bishop, who played in last weekend's NHL All-Star Game, is second with a 2.02 GAA and 10th with a.926 save percentage. The Red Wings have been one of the NHL's best road teams this season with a record. They've won three straight games on the road and seven of their last eight. Only Boston and Washington, with five apiece, have lost fewer road games in regulation this season. But the Red Wings will be facing a Tampa Bay team that has won seven straight at home and is in the midst of a stretch that has the Lightning playing 11 of 14 at Amalie Arena. The seven-game winning streak is Tampa Bay's longest since last season, when the Lightning won 10 in a row at home while leading the NHL with 32 victories and 65 points at home. Detroit's Dylan Larkin, fresh off his first appearance in the NHL All-Star Game, is second in the lead with a plus-24 rating.... Steven Stamkos, who is reportedly on the 18

19 trading block with his contract set to expire July 1, leads the Lightning with 21 goals. That's tied for 12th in the NHL.... Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 41 points. He has 28 points, including 22 assists, in the last 23 games.... The Red Wings had a record in January. They were 7-1 on the road.... The Lightning were 9-2 in January. Michigan Live LOADED:

20 Red Wings lineup vs. Lightning: With Riley Sheahan out, Luke Glendening likely to play on skilled line Ansar Khan on February 03, 2016 at 12:51 PM, updated February 03, 2016 at 1:03 PM TAMPA, Fla. Luke Glendening isn't as big or have the offensive ability as Riley Sheahan, but he shares some of the same qualities. Glendening likely will replace an ailing Sheahan as the center on the Detroit Red Wings' skilled third line, with Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist, tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena (8 p.m., NBC Sports Network). "That's the way we looked at it this morning," coach Jeff Blashill said. "We'll probably reserve the right to make a change, whether it be before or during the game if needed. We think Glenny brings a lot of the same qualities that Sheahan does in the sense of hardness, net presence, first on the puck on the forecheck, kind of that big body that really compliments those two players well." Joakim Andersson will replace Sheahan as the fourth-line center, with Tomas Jurco and Teemu Pulkkinen. "That grit, big body, skates well, real good at faceoffs," Nyquist said of Glendening. "He's going to help us start with the puck a lot, hopefully. He can make plays, too." Sheahan has skated the past two days but Blashill said he continues to recover from an illness that lasted 4-5 days during the All-Star break. "He could probably play, but he wouldn't be able to play at 100 percent," Blashill said. "My kind of rule of thumb is we want guys, even when they don't feel 100 percent, to play at 100 percent and Riley's not quite there yet. We're hoping he's going to be in (Thursday at Florida), but we'll make that decision tomorrow." The Red Wings and Lightning are tied with 58 points each coming off the All-Star break. Tampa Bay is 8-1in its past nine games. Detroit won the previous two meetings this season, both at Joe Louis Arena (3-1 and 2-1 behind Jimmy Howard). "They're healthy now and in the earlier part of the year they weren't healthy," Blashill said. "Nobody uses that as an excuse and that's probably why it isn't talked about but when you look at the league, when you lose elite players you usually see those teams dip a little bit. And then the other part of that is once they get back it takes a little time to get rolling. "They're rolling now. They've got a lot of really, really good players. They're wellcoached. They're what everybody thought they were at the beginning of the year and that's one of the best teams in the East. I just think it has as much to do with health as anything else." Here are the Red Wings' lines tonight: Justin Abdelkader-Henrik Zetterberg-Dylan Larkin Darren Helm-Pavel Datsyuk-Brad Richards 20

21 Gustav Nyquist-Luke Glendening-Tomas Tatar Tomas Jurco-Joakim Andersson-Teemu Pulkkinen On defense: Kyle Quincey-Danny DeKeyser Brendan Smith-Mike Green Jonathan Ericsson-Alexey Marchenko In goal: Petr Mrazek (starting) Jimmy Howard The power-play units: Larkin-Zetterberg-Nyquist, Abdelkader (net front), DeKeyser Tatar-Datsyuk-Helm (net front), Richards-Green Michigan Live LOADED:

22 Red Wings' odds of winning Stanley Cup improve; Dylan Larkin 3rd among Rookie of Year favorites Brendan Savage on February 03, 2016 at 10:10 AM DETROIT The odds of the Detroit Red Wings winning the Stanley Cup are getting better. One month ago, the Red Wings were 25-1 to win the Stanley Cup, according to Bovada.lv. Today, they're Those are the 10th-best odds in the NHL. The Red Wings were 28-1 to win the Cup in December and 33-1 in November. The Washington Capitals are the favorites at 4-1 followed by defending champion Chicago (5-1), the Los Angeles Kings (15-2), Dallas (11-1) and 2015 runner-up Tampa Bay (14-1). The Red Wings are 9-1 to win the Eastern Conference. That puts them tied for fourth with the New York Rangers. Washington is the favorite at 7-4 followed by Tampa Bay (11-2) and Florida (8-1). The Red Wings are 5-1 to win the Atlantic Division. That puts them tied for third with Boston behind Florida (3-2) and Tampa Bay (2-1). Chicago is the favorite to win the Western Conference at Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin is 5-1 to win the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. That puts him third behind Chicago's Artemi Panarin (4-7) and Buffalo's Jack Eichel (4-1). Chicago's Patrick Kane is the favorite to win the Hart Trophy as MVP at 1-3. He's followed by Washington's Braden Holtby (3-1) and Dallas' Jamie Benn (11-1). Ottawa's Erik Karlsson is the favorite to win the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman at 1-2. He's followed by Los Angeles' Drew Doughty (6-1) and Dallas John Klingberg (19-2). Michigan Live LOADED:

23 Detroit Red Wings return from All-Star break focused on boosting offense, reducing turnovers Ansar Khan on February 03, 2016 at 6:01 AM, updated February 03, 2016 at 6:09 AM DETROIT A potent power play, better production from slumping goal-scorers and more shots on net would boost the Detroit Red Wings' offense. So would fewer turnovers. "We looked at a ton of different metrics with (team director of statistical analysis) Bryan Campbell," coach Jeff Blashill said. "Turnovers was the one that (made) a huge difference. The 10 games we turned the least number of pucks over, we were The 10 games we turned the most pucks over we were So let's focus on that." The Red Wings rank 21st in the NHL in goals per game (2.47), but goal differential concerns Blashill more. At minus-2, Detroit is the only Eastern Conference club currently in a playoff position that has allowed more goals than it has scored. "There's a give and take with scoring more," Blashill said. "You score more, sometimes you end up giving up more chances. We got to find that balance of continuing to play real good defense but finding a way to score a little bit more. "It's the goal differential per game that really matters. You win 7-1, you win 2-1, it's a win." Still, some players said it's important to score more following the All-Star break. It would give goaltenders Petr Mrazek and Jimmy Howard more room for error. "We not score enough," Pavel Datsyuk said. "We need more scoring so it's a much easier game. Every game it's one goal (difference) and always lots of nerves." Asked why the team is averaging fewer goals than last season, Datsyuk said, "I think it's that hockey is a little bit changed now and everybody plays more defense. They worry about more defense and less on offense." Even a marginal improvement in a power play that ranks 20th in the league would make a difference. "We need more shoot and retrieve pucks for power play," Datsyuk said. "Of course if we score it's much easier for team but when you score five-on-five we don't need to wait for power-play to score." Said Justin Abdelkader: "I think our power play can help us out a little more, even if it's not scoring, just getting momentum and generating some chances." Players believe the solution for their offensive struggles is in the room. "Offense is hard to come by in this league, but I think the goals will go in for us," Justin Abdelkader said. "The focus is just playing sound defensively. You're going to have stretches where you don't score goals but you've got to play good defensively and not give up much." 23

24 Some players need to produce more consistently. Gustav Nyquist has just one goal and four assists in his past 16 games. Tomas Tatar has just three goals and three assists in his past 18 games. "I think there are a lot of guys in here who have to score more and we have to score more as a team," Nyquist said. "We've been relying a lot on our goaltenders. We've done a pretty good job of limiting chances, but in saying that we have to score more goals, for sure." Michigan Live LOADED:

25 Bishop earns 100th win with Lightning, beats Red Wings 3-1 By MARK DIDTLER, Associated Press Posted: 02/03/16, 11:01 PM EST Updated: 55 secs ago TAMPA, Fla. >> The All-Star break did nothing to cool the surging Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop made 24 saves to get 100th win with Tampa Bay, Nikita Kucherov scored his 21st goal, and the Lightning beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 on Wednesday night. You never know how things are going to go, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. They had quite a long break, a little longer than ours. To come out with a win, especially against a good team you re battling with, it s big for us. The Lightning moved two points ahead of Detroit for second place in the Atlantic Division. The Red Wings won two earlier meetings between the teams this season in Detroit. It s one of these home games you have to take care of, Bishop said. They kind of took it to us the first couple games, so it was nice to kind of return the favor. J.T. Brown and Tyler Johnson also scored for the Lightning, who have won nine of 10. Gustav Nyquist had Detroit s lone goal. Petr Mrazek stopped 20 shots and had his seven-game road winning streak end. The Red Wings went 0 for 2 on the power play, while allowing two goals on three Tampa Bay chances with the man advantage. In the end on the road, we lost the special teams 2-0, Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. Bishop made several strong saves in the third, including one where he returned from behind the net to glove Pavel Datsyuk s tough angle shot. Kucherov put Tampa Bay up 3-1 on the power play at 3:23 of the third when he skated alone down the slot and scored off a pass from behind the net from Ondrej Palat. Kucherov added an assist and has points in 20 of his last 24 games (15 goals, 30 points). Kucherov tied Steven Stamkos, who has one goal over the last seven games, for the team lead in goals. Stamkos had one shot and was minus-one. After Nyquist tied it with a rebound goal at 5:06 of the second, Johnson made it 2-1 just 1:24 later during a power play. It was Johnson s first goal in seven games, and sixth this season. Brown opened the scoring 1:23 into the second from near the post off a nifty backhand pass from the right wing boards by Braydon Coburn. The Red Wings outshot Tampa Bay 10-4 during the scoreless first period. 25

26 It s a big game, it s a two big points, Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said. Losing points to this team, you can t be happy about it. Bishop has 115 NHL wins overall. He previously played with St. Louis and Ottawa.... Datsyuk moved into seventh place in NHL games played by a Russian skater with his 922nd game.... The NHL announced that Tampa Bay GM and former Detroit star Steve Yzerman will play in the Stadium Series alumni game Feb 26 at Denver s Coors Field.... Red Wings C Riley Sheahan (illness) didn t play.... Palat played in his 200th NHL game.... Brown has scored two of his career 12 goals against Detroit. Macomb Daily LOADED: