Detroit Red Wings Clips April 19-20, 2015

Transcription

1 Detroit Red Wings Clips April 19-20, 2015 Detroit Red Wings PAGE 3 Abdelkader or not, Wings' third line must contribute PAGE 4 St. James: Other than losing, Red Wings liked Game 2 PAGE 6 Sharp: Even at home, pressure is on Wings in Game 3 PAGE 9 Wings are optimistic about improvement for Game 3 PAGE 11 Red Wings focus on better defensive coverage as series with Tampa Bay shifts to Joe Louis Arena PAGE 13 Justin Abdelkader's anticipated return will prompt Red Wings to make lineup change, shuffle lines PAGE 15 Abdelkader set to return; Mrazek will start in goal PAGE 17 As job rumors fly, Mike Babcock says he loves Red Wings PAGE 19 Tampa Bay 5, Detroit 1: Red Wings roughed up in Game 2 PAGE 21 Sharp: Series will be short if Wings don't fix mistakes PAGE 23 Tampa columnist: Lightning's stars step up in Game 2 PAGE 25 Lightning's Stamkos sets tone in scuffle with Quincey PAGE 27 Babcock sticking with Mrazek in goal for Wings in Game 3 PAGE 29 Niyo: Wings must shuffle deck before Game 3 PAGE 31 Krupa: Lightning confuse Red Wings defense PAGE 34 Bishop is back on his game in Lightning victory PAGE 36 Mrazek stays positive, will start Game 3 PAGE 39 Lightning 5, Red Wings 1: Detroit stumbles in Game 2 as desperate Tampa Bay evens series PAGE 41 CBC's Kelly Hrudey, Elliotte Friedman disagree on who should be Red Wings goalie for Game 3 PAGE 42 NBC analysts disagree on whether Red Wings should replace Petr Mrazek in third period PAGE 43 Desperate Tampa Bay Lightning start Game 2 vs. Red Wings with more emotion PAGE 44 NBC analyst Mike Milbury doesn't see the Red Wings shutting down Lightning's offense PAGE 45 Red Wings' Mike Babcock not focused on his future while being linked to every coaching vacancy PAGE 47 Detroit Red Wings Gameday: Winning opener hasn't always meant success in last 10 seasons PAGE 48 Confident Red Wings goalie Petr Mrazek not dwelling on big win, focused on Game 2 today PAGE 50 Red Wings' Mike Babcock will start Petr Mrazek in Game 3, expects Justin Abdelkader back in lineup PAGE 51 Detroit Red Wings encouraged by their play in Game 2 but defensive breakdowns prove costly PAGE 53 Pat Caputo - Detroit Red Wings have many issues vs. Lightning, Petr Mrazek not among them

2 PAGE 55 PAGE 56 PAGE 58 PAGE 60 Lightning rebound to even series against Red Wings Griffins vow one clunker means nothing heading into playoffs Griffins draw Toronto in playoffs - a look at the meetings this season Teemu Pulkkinen leads AHL in goals despite playing just 46 games 2

3 Abdelkader or not, Wings' third line must contribute By Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 2:49 p.m. EDT April 19, 2015 Two games into the playoffs, the Detroit Red Wings haven't gotten much out of their third line. Stephen Weiss, Joakim Andersson and Tomas Jurco so far have combined for one shot on net from Weiss during the first-round series, which now shifts to Detroit for Game 3. The Wings are 1-1 and have yet to look like a team that might advance. Offense has been limited to Pavel Datsyuk, Luke Glendening and Tomas Tatar. The third line has been quiet, other than helping out on special teams. Speaking after Saturday's 5-1 loss at Amalie Arena, Weiss said his line, "didn't generate much at all. It's tough. I mean, it's tight and we're not getting a lot of 5-on-5 looks, so we've got to find a way to when we get a chance, just get it in and try to throw pucks at the net and get a bounce that way. But it's not easy to generate scoring chances at this time of year." Playing at home should make it a little easier, as the Wings get last change. An effective third line can be a tremendous asset; the Wings need only look back two years to see that, as the 2013 playoffs saw Andersson, Gustav Nyquist and then-wing Damien Brunner take advantage of weaker opposing matchups to contribute regularly. The third line might look different Tuesday if Justin Abdelkader is able to play, because he'd bump someone from the top-six group that played through two games in Tampa. If Abdelkader is available, coach Mike Babcock probably will go back to playing Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk on separate lines, which would push Riley Sheahan to center the third line. "We'll be fortunate we'll get Abby back next game," coach Mike Babcock said, "and so we'll be able to move people around, put us in a better situation for matchups. Plus we'll have last change at home." In any incarnation, Weiss said it's important the group realize the importance of bearing down and finding ways to contribute. "We need to do that," he said. "We've got to just get pucks on net and then crash and bang." Detroit Free Press LOADED:

4 St. James: Other than losing, Red Wings liked Game 2 By Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 1:35 p.m. EDT April 19, 2015 Like that old joke about whether Mrs. Lincoln liked everything else about the play, the Detroit Red Wings liked everything about their second game except all their mistakes. Team captain Henrik Zetterberg echoed his coach when he said the second period of Game 2 is what the Wings have to build on as their first-round series against Tampa Bay spends the next two games at Joe Louis Arena. It seems incongruous since the Wings gave up three straight goals in that 20-minute stretch, but Zetterberg meant what he said. "Second period was our best period in the series," he said. "That's what we're going to build on. We know we've got things that we have to do a little different, but it was a few errors that cost us. Other than that, I think we played a better game." The cause could be aided by Justin Abdelkader, who coach Mike Babcock sounded hopeful would be ready to play for Tuesday's Game 3. Abdelkader was Detroit's best forward in March, scoring 10 goals into 13 games, and he's been sorely missed since hurting his right hand April 4. Getting him back would add size, physicality and offense. There's also the benefit simply of being home, where the Wings will get the matchups they want. The fact the Lightning won an NHL-best 32 games at Amalie Arena but only 18 games away from there prompted Babcock to speculate, pre-series, if playing on the road exposes weaknesses in Tampa Bay's system. Now it's on Babcock to turn that hypothesis into evidence. One example dates back only a few weeks, when the Wings held the Lightning to 24 shots on net and Petr Mrazek stopped all of those shots en route to a 4-0 victory March 28 at the Joe. Like Zetterberg, Babcock liked his team's second period Saturday, saying of the Lightning that "they didn't get very much, just when they did, they buried it." The Lightning feasted on blown coverages, but Mrazek wasn't at his best, either, allowing Tyler Johnson to score on a breakaway and Alex Killorn to find a small opening. Even so, Babcock didn't even entertain going with anyone but Mrazek to start Game 3, a decision backed up by the fact Mrazek tends to bounce back very effectively from subpar performances. Plus, he had a huge hand in winning Game 1, when he made 44 saves to complement a two-goal night from Datsyuk. Babcock said the lesson from Game 2 was that, "you can't make big mistakes. It just goes to show you, you've got to keep it out of your net first." One of the positives to come out of Saturday's 5-1 loss was Tomas Tatar scoring his first career NHL playoff goal. Babcock said both Tatar and Gustav Nyquist "were better," which is important given both were invisible last year in the playoffs. Six out of the eight first-round series were split after the first two games, indicative of the parity that exists between teams regardless of seeding. In the Wings' case, consensus 4

5 within the locker room is, as expressed by Niklas Kronwall, that "first game, we got away with one. Second game, better." Zetterberg said the Wings have worked themselves into the series, because "we had more chances, played better. Mistakes we did really cost us, but other than, it was a step forward for us." The takeaway from the two games in Tampa, then, would seem to be that where Game 1 was a win where there wasn't much to like other than Mrazek, Game 2 was a loss to build on. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

6 Sharp: Even at home, pressure is on Wings in Game 3 By Drew Sharp, Detroit Free Press Columnist 10:42 p.m. EDT April 19, 2015 TAMPA The benefit of the doubt is waning. The institutional trust, forged from 24 straight playoff appearances, that the Red Wings will instinctively unlock the answers to their problems is fading. Henrik Zetterberg couldn't believe that anybody questioned how the Wings played much better in their 5-1 Game 2 loss than they did in their 3-2 Game 1 win against Tampa Bay. He categorized it as "a step forward." Really? What are you going to believe? His words or your lying eyes? They're returning home with the series tied, but the Lightning putting appreciable distance between itself and the Wings in the little areas that usually add up to a big series victory. The Wings should have the advantage with the next two games at Joe Louis Arena, especially considering Tampa Bay's relative mediocrity away from the comforts of Amalie Arena. But the Wings are 0-3 in their last three home playoff games. They're 2-8 in their last 10 playoff games going back to Game 4 at home against Chicago when the Wings took a 3-1 series lead in that second-round series two years ago. The Game 3 pressure isn't on Tampa Bay. It's on the Wings. Mike Babcock will shake up his Game 3 lineup. He is planning on injured forward Justin Abdelkader's return. That has been a significant loss since he went down a hand injury. Having Abdelkader back affords Babcock the luxury of separating Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. It also provides him with the opportunity to tweak a No. 3 forward line of Joakim Andersson, Tomas Jurco and Stephen Weiss that was the Wings' weakest link against the Lightning. "It is what it is," Babcock said after Game 2. "We'll get Abby back (in Game 3), and so we'll be able to move people around. It will put us in a better situation. Plus, we'll have the last change at home." Babcock didn't hesitate in sticking with Petr Mrazek as his Game 3 starting goalie. It's the right call. He had a poor two periods. But he wasn't alone. There was plenty of company. Babcock's justification for going with Mrazek at the start of this series was that he thought the rookie gave the Wings the best chance at winning. If Babcock's faith was so rattled after a collectively disappointing effort that he would single out Mrazek, then clearly he wasn't as confident in his goalie decision as he initially indicated. Which would then beg the question of why he named him the starter in the first place. 6

7 When you've struggled to advance in the playoffs as the Wings have the past five seasons, you're prone to more second-guessing. There is not a better example of that than Weiss. He was GM Ken Holland's prized freeagency acquisition two summers ago. But he was a noticeable nonfactor in these first two games. He is a minus-1. His total of 20:56 of ice time is the lowest of the Wings' skaters. He has taken only one shot on goal, and when looking for any of the intangibles that can become crucial playoff contributions, Weiss has done nothing worth note. He is the logical healthy scratch upon Abdelkader's return. And that would bring Holland's contractual decisions under more scrutiny considering that a benched Weiss and Jimmy Howard would represent a combined total of $38.7 million over seven years in remaining financial commitments and salary-cap space to two players the Wings don't currently trust to get them through the first round. Both teams need three more wins to close the deal. But it's the Lightning that appear the most relaxed, the most assured in itself and its capabilities. "I've been saying this all season long," said Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. "This is a different team from last year. Heading into (Game 2), we were confident that we played well in the first game even though we didn't win. And that came from an experience that we didn't have a year ago in the playoffs." The Wings aren't openly worried. They're hoping a good second period Saturday planted the seed for some sustained growth as this series advances. But it was strange hearing them sell the benefits of an overall ugly four-goal loss. It's like saying, "I'm physically fine except for my two broken legs." Contact Drew Sharp: dsharp@freepress.com. Follow him on A tie goes to... The Red Wings and Lightning are knotted at a game apiece in their best-of-seven series. Here's how the Wings fared the last few times they started 1-1: 2014 vs. Boston Much like this year, the Wings won a close Game 1 and got crushed in Game 2. The Wings were blanked in Game 3 and fell in OT in Game 4, both at home, before losing in five vs. Chicago The teams split, both by scores of 4-1, before the Wings took Games 3 and 4 at the Joe. However, they dropped the next three, including Game 7 in overtime, vs. Anaheim The Wings stole Game 2 on the road with a 5-4 OT win. They evened the series again in Game 4 with another OT win. The Wings eventually won it in seven vs. Nashville After splitting in Music City, the Wings couldn't crack Pekka Rinne and the Predators, dropping the next three games, 3-2, 3-1 and 2-1, to lose the series in five. 7

8 2010 vs. Phoenix This roller-coaster, first-round series went the distance as the Wings won Games 4 and 5, missed a chance to clinch at home in Game 6 only to do so on the road, 6-1, in Game 7. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

9 Wings are optimistic about improvement for Game 3 Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 9:14 p.m. EDT April 19, 2015 Tampa, Fla. Scoring a few goals, and stopping them, will be keys for the Red Wings when they resume their playoff series. But heading into Tuesday s Game 3, the primary focus is to limit their defensive mistakes. Whether it be losing coverage, bad decisions in the neutral zone, or on the forecheck, the inability to keep the Lightning in check proved to be the difference in Game 2. In a negative way for the Red Wings, who lost 5-1. We made big mistakes, said coach Mike Babcock, reading off the ways the Red Wings failed. The neutral zone, the forecheck, the sort-out in our defensive zone. We just have to have to go back to the drawing board. The strange thing about the Red Wings Game 2 loss is they felt they played significantly better than in Thursday s Game 1 victory. The offensive push was better, in the Red Wings minds, there was significantly more time spent in the Lightning s zone, and there were more and better scoring opportunities. But those glaring defensive mistakes proved extremely costly. We did a lot more better things, Niklas Kronwall said. The defensive side of things, the neutral zone a few times when they just skated right through us, we have to be better with the details, knowing where to be on different occasions. Said captain Henrik Zetterberg; The mistakes we did make really cost us, and they scored on them. Other than that, it was a step forward for us. Babcock was particularly pleased with the improvement offensively, where the Red Wings had 24 shots and played heavier on the puck. But the coverage errors couldn t be overcome. We had better offensive play, and we moved the puck better and didn t spend as much time in their end, Babcock said. Yet their goalie (Ben Bishop, 23 saves) was better (than Game 1). They didn t get very much, but when they did, they buried it. We made some big mistakes through the neutral zone and then sorting it out in our zone. They had way more opportunities last time (Game 1). We were more inside and more in control. So, the Red Wings go into Game 3 in need of a victory and hoping to put together a complete game. 9

10 Goalie Petr Mrazek was outstanding in Game1, a huge reason the Red Wings stole a victory. But Saturday, Mrazek was pulled after two periods, although it was hardly the young goaltender s fault. You have to give your goalie a chance, Babcock said. You can t make those kind of mistakes and think the goalie will make those saves. If you give him a chance to battle, he ll battle for you but today we didn t make lots of them but we made them enough that they were able to bury them. Babcock will likely make lineup changes. Young defenseman Alexey Marchenko struggled with coverage in particular and could be replaced by Brendan Smith (who Marchenko replaced) or Jakub Kindl. Up front the return of Justin Abdelkader (hand) will force someone out of the lineup. Stephen Weiss or Tomas Jurco would appear to be possibilities after two ineffective games. The Red Wings felt they created some momentum and some positives they can build on. They ll have to, now that it s become essentially a five-game series with the Red Wings holding home ice advantage the rest of the way. It s a long series and tied 1-1 and we re going home, Zetterberg said. It was better (Game 2) than the first one. We stole the first game here and we worked ourselves into this series. Even though we lost (Saturday) we look forward to get in front of our own fans. Detroit News LOADED:

11 Red Wings focus on better defensive coverage as series with Tampa Bay shifts to Joe Louis Arena Ansar Khan on April 19, 2015 at 5:05 PM, updated April 19, 2015 at 11:27 PM DETROIT - Too many defensive mistakes against the most potent offense in the NHL usually leads to disastrous results, as the Detroit Red Wings witnessed on Saturday. "You look up and you're down 4-1 and you think you've done a lot of good things, but you can't make big mistakes," coach Mike Babcock said. "It just goes to show you've got to keep it out of your net first. You can score second, but you got to keep it out of your net." The task of keeping it out of their net doesn't fall entirely on goaltender Petr Mrazek, who will start Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena. After stealing the series opener with 44 saves, Mrazek allowed four goals on 18 shots through two periods in Game 2 before getting pulled in a 5-1 loss. It wasn't his fault. It was due mostly to poor defensive coverage - from defensemen and forwards. The Red Wings had trouble sorting out on a couple of goals and allowed the Lightning to fly through the neutral zone with ease on two others. "We've got to clean up the defensive side of things," defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "In the neutral zone a few times they got it right through us. We've got to be better in the details, knowing where to be on different occasions." The Red Wings accomplished the goal of any team starting a playoff series on the road by splitting the first two games. In that sense, they're in good shape. But if they don't play much better than they did in Tampa, it could be a short series and a long offseason. Their power play (1 for 7, eight shots in series) must produce. They need to take fewer penalties (they've been shorthanded 11 times). They need a stronger start (they have one goal on nine shots in the first period in two games combined). They need offense from young forwards Gustav Nyquist, Riley Sheahan and Tomas Tatar, who scored their lone goal Saturday. More than anything, they must play better without the puck; have more attention to detail in their own zone. "The defensive side of things, especially in the neutral zone, we've got to do a better job of knowing where to be, depending on where the puck is," Kronwall said. "We did a better job of executing out of our own zone and that's something we're going to get even better at." Babcock might opt to sit rookie defenseman Alexey Marchenko, who lost coverage on a couple of goals, and reunite Danny DeKeyser and Kyle Quincey, his most consistent defense pair this season. 11

12 The Red Wings could get a boost from Justin Abdelkader, who is expected to return on Tuesday, Babcock said. His offensive ability might be limited coming off a hand injury, but he can provide a net-front presence on the power play against 6-foot-7 goaltender Ben Bishop and create space with his physical play. Henrik Zetterberg called Game 2 a step forward. "We did a lot of good things offensively. We spent a lot more time in their end," Zetterberg said. "Even on the power play I thought we had some good looks but we couldn't really get any momentum and get any goals. "There were a few errors that cost us. Other than that I thought we played a better game (than their 3-2 win in the opener)." Said Stephen Weiss: "We're battling as hard as we can. Is it pretty? No. Not the two best hockey games we've ever played but at the end of the day it's about winning hockey games and at worst we needed to come out of here with a split and we did that. Hopefully we've got two of our best games at home coming up." Michigan Live LOADED:

13 Justin Abdelkader's anticipated return will prompt Red Wings to make lineup change, shuffle lines Ansar Khan on April 19, 2015 at 6:05 AM TAMPA, Fla. - If Justin Abdelkader returns to the Detroit Red Wings' lineup Tuesday in Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, as coach Mike Babcock is anticipating, it will result in at least one lineup change and perhaps significant line shuffling. Babcock, before this Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series, indicated he would play Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg on separate lines once Abdelkader returned. The Red Wings also need to shuffle their third line of Joakim Andersson, Stephen Weiss and Tomas Jurco. They have combined for no points and a minus-3 rating through two games and have just one shot between them - by Weiss. Chances are Weiss or Jurco will be scratched when Abdelkader returns. "It is what it is," Babcock said after his team's 5-1 loss Saturday in Game 2 at Amalie Arena. "We'll be fortunate, we'll get Abby back next game and so we'll be able to move people around and it'll put us in a better situation, away from better matchups, plus we'll have last change at home. "I thought they did a better job with that today. The previous game we had better matchups than we had today." Weiss was disappointed by his line inability to generate anything. "We didn't generate much at all," Weiss said. "It's tough and it's tight. We're not getting a lot of five-on-five looks so we got to find a way to when you get a chance get it in. Try and throw pucks at the net and get a bounce that way, but certainly it's not easy to generate scoring chances this time of year, but we need to do that. "We got to find a way to get pucks toward the net and try and crash and bang in there, but it hasn't been easy so far." Abdelkader's return also likely will prompt Babcock to break up The Kid Line of Riley Sheahan, Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, who scored the team's lone goal in Game 2. Zetterberg more than likely will center Abdelkader and Nyquist while Datsyuk will center Darren Helm and Tatar. Those have been regular combinations this season. Luke Glendening and Drew Miller have played together much of the season. Babcock probably will keep Landon Ferraro as the right wing on that unit because he plays with pace. That would leave Sheahan centering the third line, with Andersson and Jurco or Weiss. 13

14 Babcock might also replace rookie defenseman Alexey Marchenko, who was a minus-2 and lost coverage on a couple of goals. In that case, Brendan Smith or Jakub Kindl would return to the lineup. Michigan Live LOADED:

15 Abdelkader set to return; Mrazek will start in goal By Chuck Pleiness, The Macomb Daily Posted: 04/19/15, 4:57 PM EDT DETROIT >> The Detroit Red Wings lineup will have a different look to it and it ll be because of one addition Justin Abdelkader. Abdelkader is expected to make his debut this postseason Tuesday night when the Wings host the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of their best-of-seven first round Eastern Conference playoff series. Abdelkader injured his right hand when he blocked the shot of Minnesota s Marco Scandella on April 4. He had a career-high 23 goals and 44 points this season. Getting Abdelkader back will also allow Babcock to break up Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Zetterberg will likely go back to centering a line with Abdelkader and Gustav Nyquist, while Datsyuk will be between Darren Helm and Tomas Tatar. That also means someone is most likely sitting from the third line, with the likely candidates being Stephen Weiss or Tomas Jurco. It is what it is, Babcock said when asked about that line. We ll be fortunate, we ll get Abby back and so we ll be able to move people around and it ll put us in a better situation, away from better matchups, plus we ll have last change at home. The third line has combined for no points and a minus-3 rating in two games. Weiss has the only shot on goal amongst them. Babcock could also replace Alexey Marchenko along the blue line with Brendan Smith or Jakub Kindl. Marchenko was a minus-2 on Saturday. Despite being pulled to start the third period after allowing four goals on 18 shots, Petr Mrazek will be Babcock s man in goal Tuesday. Petr s played pretty good, Babcock said. We gave up some slam dunks to them (Saturday). You ve got to give your goalie a chance. You can t make those defensive mistakes and then think your goalie is going to make those saves. If you give him a chance to battle he ll battle. Jimmy Howard allowed one goal on 12 shots in relief. Mrazek has gotten pulled five times in his past 18 starts. The Wings were shorthanded just four times Saturday, but the Lightning scored on two of those chances. We can t be in the box, but I think some of the penalties were a little tough, Henrik Zetterberg said. That s the way it is. It s a long series. 15

16 One of the calls the Wings questioned was how Kyle Quincey picked up an extra two minutes during a scrum early that had both teams sending two players to the box. I didn t think we took bad penalties (Saturday) at all, Babcock said. I m not evaluating what goes on, but even the first scrum, how we come out of that shorthanded is beyond belief. That s the way it goes. I m not really concerned about that. Tampa Bay was 0-for-7 with the man advantage in Game 1. Our PK did a tremendous job (in Game 1), Tomas Tatar said. It cannot always go your way. As soon as we score on the power play for them it would be easier to penalty kill. We just have to stay patient, heads up. The series just started. It s going to be a long way so be ready. The Wings power play has been 1-for-7 in the series. We ve had some looks, Zetterberg said. Once again, if we get one goal there it s going to be different, but that s the way it is sometimes and we ve got to keep plugging away. Tomas Jurco (five games) and Riley Sheahan (seven games) are still seeking their first Stanley Cup points. Gustav Nyquist had an assist in Game 2, but has gone 11 playoff games without a goal. Macomb Daily LOADED:

17 As job rumors fly, Mike Babcock says he loves Red Wings By Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 5:39 p.m. EDT April 18, 2015 TAMPA -- For all the times Mike Babcock's name comes up when a new NHL coaching vacancy opens up, it doesn't register with him. Speaking today at Amalie Arena as he prepared to guide his Detroit Red Wings in Game 2 of the first-round series against Tampa Bay (3 p.m., NBC-TV), Babcock maintained that the playoffs -- and his family -- are his focus. "I'm coaching the Red Wings," he said. "Pumped to do it. My manager is fantastic. Got a great relationship. When the season ends, I've got a daughter going to University of Portland on the 12th of June and I've got a son going to Boston on July 10th. Those things are my focus. Everything else will get looked after when it gets looked after." Babcock, who turns 52 on April 29, is in the last year of a contract. He has spent the past 10 seasons coaching the Wings. He has succeeded in a wildly successful coaching trajectory that's seen him establish himself as synonymous with winning. Now he stands to become the highest paid coach in the NHL. Currently that's Chicago's Joel Quenneville, at $2.75 million annually. Wings general manager Ken Holland has offered $3.25 million annually, but Babcock is eyeing $5 million annually. Neither he nor Holland have talked about negotiations since the season began. "We're going to do our best to play as long as we possibly can, and then Ken and I will meet," Babcock said. "I don't spend much time thinking about it. I'm flattered I've got a great family, my wife loves me, and they like me enough to keep me here. The rest of this doesn't matter. "I'm coaching in Detroit, I love coaching in Detroit." Since the regular season ended April 11, head coaching positions have opened up in Toronto, Buffalo and Philadelphia. All three teams have deep coffers, deep enough to offer Babcock what he wants. Reports earlier this week out of San Jose hinted former Wings assistant Todd McLellan leaving the Sharks by mutual agreement. Depending on how things go in the playoffs, there could also be openings in Pittsburgh and Anaheim, among others. The Maple Leafs, true to Toronto considering itself the center of the hockey, have been front and center as a possible destination for Babcock. And there is no doubt team president Brendan Shanahan will go all out to deliver Babcock, including offering $5 million a year in salary, and probably throwing in personnel management, too. Maybe Babcock says yes. A few years ago he said he always wants to be the guy who defuses the bomb. And the Maple Leafs are just short of an incendiary mess. But here's something else about Babcock: He really does like winning -- and the Maple Leafs aren't turning into a contender in one off-season. 17

18 Babcock's desire to win lessens Toronto's chance as a destination. If the Penguins job becomes available, there's the attraction of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Buffalo has an armful of high-end young talent. Babcock may end up staying put, of course, coaching at Original Six team highlighted by Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg and an influx of young talent, in a city that's passionate about hockey but also has other sporting interests such as a local NFL and MLB team, along with college sports. If Babcock leaves, the Wings will take a look at experienced coaches available (especially if McLellan is on the market), and weigh those against promoting Jeff Blashill, who went from Babcock's assistant for one season to head coach of Grand Rapids and is considered one of hockey's most promising young coaches. He was signed to a three-year contract last summer, but it's a safe bet that if the Wings don't promote him if there is an opening in Detroit, they'll be asked by other NHL teams for permission to woo Blashill. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

19 Tampa Bay 5, Detroit 1: Red Wings roughed up in Game 2 By Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 6:25 p.m. EDT April 18, 2015 TAMPA -- The Detroit Red Wings head home with a tied series that has yet to see them perform like a playoff team. They got their shirts handed to them, 5-1, this afternoon at Amalie Arena in Game 2, undone as much by their own mistakes as by the Lightning seeking karma after outplaying the Wings two days earlier only to lose. The Wings couldn't get their power play to work, took too many penalties agian, were sloppy with the puck and coverages, and didn't start skating until late in the first period. By the end of the second period, it was pretty much over, as Tyler Johnson had scored twice among four unanswered Tampa Bay goals on 18 shots on Petr Mrazek. That was enough for Mike Babcock to replace Mrazek, who made 44 saves in stealing Game 1 in what was his NHL playoffs debut. Veteran Jimmy Howard, bumped as starter after a rough spring, did clean-up duty. Tomas Tatar scored in the third period. So did former Red Wing Valtteri Filppula, leaving Tampa Bay 2-for-4 on power plays. Final shots were in favor of the Lightning. The Wings didn't do any of the things they'd talked about as the game began. They got backed into their own zone, and even when they got a very early power play, made nothing happen. They ended up shorthanded when brawls erupted after Alex Killorn sent Pavel Datsyuk crashing into the boards. A shot from the blue line clanked of the right goal post, and Johnson swooped up the rebound for a power play goal and a Lightning lead just 3 minutes after opening faceoff. Fifteen minutes after that first faceoff, Ben Bishop still hadn't made a save on anyone other than Tatar. In that same span, the Lightning had gotten another power play, when Marek Zidlicky resorted to hooking Johnson after he created another scoring opportunity. Darren Helm cut in and sent a wrist shot at Bishop with 3 minutes and change left in the first period, on what was only Detroit's third shot on net. The Wings finally got skating in the final few minutes. An early second-period power play saw good puck movement, with Stephen Weiss nearly tipping a puck behind Bishop. Back at even strength, Mrazek had to finally put his left hand over the puck as Johnson pestered by the crease, digging away for Victor Hedman's rebound. It was Killorn who dug the Wings into a deeper hole when he found a tiny opening even as Mrazek sprawled his legs as he dropped forwards, with Killorn backhanding the puck between Mrazek's left leg and the near post 8 minutes into the second period. The Wings went on their fourth power play soon after. Niklas Kronwall tested Bishop with a slap shot from the right boards. The Wings had possession the whole time, until 19

20 Datsyuk fell and lost the puck near the end of the stretch. It was part of an overall surge for the Wings, but what chance they had at rallying looked dimmer after Andrej Sustr was left unchecked as the Lightning rushed Detroit's zone. Filppula shook off a check from Tomas Jurco and perfectly timed a cross-slot pass that Sustr fired behind Mrazek before he could react. It got worse with 37.4 seconds to go in the second period, when Johnson used a spill by Helm to race off on a breakaway that got the score to 4-0. Howard, last seen losing the starting job with a poor performance at Montreal, reappeared as the Wings skated out for the third period. Tatar made it 4-1 when he tipped Kyle Quincey's shot from the blue line. Building on that got harder when the Wings ended up shorthanded for a third time midway through the period. The Lightning had another power play with 6 minutes to go in regulation, which saw Filppula convert on his own rebound. The Wings had spent the day before the game talking about how much they need to do better if they wanted to establish a team presence in the series. The Lightning spoke of simply replicating their first performance. Only one team delivered. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

21 Sharp: Series will be short if Wings don't fix mistakes By Drew Sharp, 12:25 a.m. EDT April 19, 2015 TAMPA This loss wasn't goalie Petr Mrazek's fault, although his seat on the Red Wings' bench at the start of the third period offered an air of individual culpability. The rookie didn't play well Saturday. Four goals allowed off 18 shots rightfully earned him getting yanked. But Mrazek's performance simply provided a microcosm of the Wings' overall effort in Tampa Bay's 5-1 Game 2 victory. They promised better execution, limiting the mistakes in their own end and not spending too much time in the penalty box. And while the Wings fervently insisted that they played better than the final outcome suggested, they still resemble a team incapable of a long playoff run. They're happy it's a 1-1 series. Heck, they're ecstatic considering through two games and 120 minutes, they've only performed at a collectively high level in every aspect for 10 minutes in Saturday's second period, when they sustained some offensive pressure on previously embattled Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop. "I know it might be hard to believe if you're simply looking at the stat sheet," said defenseman Niklas Kronwall, "but I thought we executed overall a lot better in this game than we did in Game 1." The Lightning won the goaltending battle as convincingly as the Wings won it in Game 1. But Wings coach Mike Babcock left no doubt who's his guy. "Pete's going to start (Game 3 on Tuesday)," he said. "But you've got to give your goalie a chance to battle." Borrowing some basketball parlance, Babcock said the Wings' defense gave up too many "slam dunks." And that remains the biggest concern regarding the Wings. Bad games happen. Fluky bounces occur. The Lightning possesses one of the league's more explosive offenses. But the Wings inexplicably made it too easy for Tampa Bay. Babcock sticking with Mrazek in Game 3 The most damning example of the afternoon came on the Lightning's final goal, when former Wing Valtteri Filppula easily rolled through the neutral zone on a power play, skating through four Detroit "defenders" and firing off a shot at Mrazek's replacement, Jimmy Howard. The shot missed but the hard-skating Filppula got the rebound ahead of the Wings' Jonathan Ericsson and slapped the second shot past Howard. You can't blame goaltending for that. That's solely on defensive breakdowns. 21

22 "The mistakes we made were big ones and they capitalized," said Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg. "They were able to get it into the back of the net more in this game than before." But even though the series is tied and the Wings accomplished their primary objective of gaining a road split, they must clean up the defensive mistakes. Through two games, they're relying far too much on spectacular goaltending. That's asking far too much from a rookie in Mrazek, who took his third period benching in stride. "It's just a hockey game," he said. "You let it go and get ready for the next game. It's just one game in what's probably going to be a long series." The Wings hope it will be a long series. But if they can't win Game 3 at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday night, this series quickly runs the risk of becoming a replica of last year's five-game opening-series exit against Boston. After the Wings pilfered the first game of the series on the road, they lost the next four games. Saturday's Game 2 was more physical than Game 1. Alex Killorn sent Pavel Datsyuk into the boards with an elbow. But there was no call. A scrum erupted along the boards with Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos and the Wings' Kyle Quincey entangled. It was less a rumble and more like innocent wrestling. Quincey drew a double-minor penalty for roughing while Stamkos only got two minutes for roughing, putting the Lightning on a power play a little more than two minutes into the game. Watching their captain battle fired up the Lightning. Nearly 30 seconds in the Tampa Bay man advantage, Nikita Nesterov skipped a blast from the point that ricocheted off the near post. And unlike in Game 1, a friendly Lightning stick swept it up. Tyler Johnson deposited the rebound past Mrazek and Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead. It proved to be the first of several fortuitous bounces for the Lightning. Luck usually evens out over the course of a series. But the heightened playoff stakes magnifies defensive mistakes, placing an even greater emphasis on correcting them as soon as possible. Still, the Wings didn't think they played all that poorly Saturday. They're confident they'll clean up the clumsiness in their own end. But when you've gone as long as they have without a deep playoff run, the confidence in actually seeing those improvements as quickly as possible gradually wears thin. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

23 Tampa columnist: Lightning's stars step up in Game 2 Tom Jones, 10:51 p.m. EDT April 18, 2015 TAMPA - The history of the Stanley Cup playoffs is littered with obscure players who made a name for themselves with unexpected playoff success. In Tampa Bay, we've seen little-known players become postseason stars. Ruslan Fedotenko and Sean Bergenheim, for instance. While you need everyone to chip in and do their part this time of year, here's the secret to hockey success: if you want to make a deep playoff run, your best players must be your best players. Your stars, your big names, the guys in the commercials, the faces you see hanging from the side of the arena, those are the guys who have to show up. They have to compete harder than anyone, score the critical goals, throw the biggest checks, make the most important plays. They have to will their team to victory. Well, on Saturday, in what might have been a series-saving 5-1 victory against the Red Wings, the Lightning's best players were its best players. Tyler Johnson. Valtteri Filppula, Victor Hedman and, of course, captain Steven Stamkos and goalie Ben Bishop. With this series already in jeopardy and the season already precariously close to falling apart after only one game, these were the players the Lightning turned to. And they responded. "I thought, overall, the entire team played great," Johnson said. That's what hockey players, modest to a fault, always say. True, the Lightning had no passengers Saturday and everyone did play well. There were contributions from all corners, including a rare goal - just the second of his career -- from defenseman Andrej Sustr. But the Lightning season is alive and well again thanks to the big boys. Start with Johnson. He scored the two most critical goals of the game. The first was the game's first, only 3:05 after the opening faceoff.. The second iced the game, giving the Lightning a 4-0 lead late in the second - a goal that, essentially, sent Red Wings starting goalie and Game 1 star Petr Mrazek to the bench and allowed Tampa Bay to comfortably cruise in the third period. "I think the biggest thing about it was it was the last minute of the period," Johnson said. Johnson tried to share credit with his teammates, but was quickly reminded that his teammates look to him to be one of the leaders on the score sheet. "I guess so," Johnson said. "It's just nice to be able to contribute in some way, whether it may be points or something else." 23

24 Meantime, Filppula scored a goal and set up Suster's with a brilliant back-door pass to give the Lightning a 3-0 lead in the second. He did that along with winning several key faceoffs and helping shut down some of Detroit's best offensive players. "It just feels good to score; it has been a while," said Filppula, who hadn't scored since March 16, a span of 13 games. "It's always nice to score and get a little confidence scoring." Hedman was a plus-3. Stamkos had two assists and was in the middle of first-period scrum that looked like a WWE battle royal and ended with Stamkos applying a headlock Detroit's Kyle Quincey. Then there was Bishop with a solid 23-save performance for this first playoff victory. Speaking of which, it was the first playoff victory for lots of Lightning players, including Johnson. This particular edition of the Lightning had lost five postseason games in a row, dating back to last season's sweep to the Canadiens. "Feels good," Johnson said. "It seems like it has been forever.... Last season, we were there, but we really didn't do anything. It's nice to get that first one under your belt and we can go on from there." After the game, Lightning coach Jon Cooper admitted it meant something special for him and many of his players to get their first playoff victory, but added that he was mostly concentrating on this series. But you could tell a major weight had been lifted from those who wondered when (if?) that first playoff victory was going to come. So, the series heads back to Detroit for Tuesday's Game 3 and, in a rare circumstance, both teams feel pretty good about where they are. The Red Wings accomplished what they set out to do: split the first two games and pry home-ice advantage away fr.om the Lightning. Oddly enough, they played much better in the Game 2 loss than they did in the 3-2 Game 1 victory. Meantime, the Lightning feels especially optimistic, having been the better team in each of the first two games. The advantage wasn't quite as drastic in Game 2, yet the Lightning still won easily. Funny how the first two games played out, which is what makes it a fool's game to try to predict what might happen in Game 3 and the rest of the series. But when the Lightning gets contributions like it did Saturday from the likes of Stamkos, Bishop, Johnson, Hedman and Filppula, you get the feeling that it is in good shape. That's because Tampa Bay's best players are better than Detroit's best players. At least they played like it on Saturday. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

25 Lightning's Stamkos sets tone in scuffle with Quincey By Drew Sharp, Detroit Free Press Columnist 11:01 p.m. EDT April 18, 2015 TAMPA The message was sent early and forcefully. It wasn't even three minutes into Game 2 today when Tampa Bay winger Alex Killorn sent Pavel Datsyuk into the boards with an elbow. A scrum then erupted along the boards with Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos and the Wings' Kyle Quincey. There was no call on Killorn, but the Lightning achieved their goal (and a goal on the ensuing power play when Quincey got a double minor and Stamkos only two minutes for roughing). They weren't timid about engaging the Wings in a little extracurricular physicality. The early exchange established the game's tone. "We're just sticking up for each other," said Stamkos. "We've done that all season. That's been a characteristic of this team all season long. Whether or not that had an effect on the team, I don't know. We stuck together. We played physical and we played hard." But Stamkos' teammates didn't downplay his confrontation with Quincey. Playoff hockey's appreciably more combative. Teams will test the other team's will. But when it's the team captain more comfortable throwing the puck around than throwing his weight around making the physical statement, it resonates much stronger. "It helped give us the early jump we were looking for," said Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman. "He never has backed down in situations like that. It tells you that everybody on this team knows that we're in this thing together and everybody's prepared to do whatever we have to do to try and get the job done." Tampa Bay's 5-1 Game 2 victory knotted the series at one win apiece. "We understood that if we played the same way as the first game, eventually the pucks would start going in for us," said Stamkos, who assisted on two goals. "We thought we deserved a little better in Game 1. But we didn't feel sorry for ourselves after that. We weren't down on ourselves. We didn't come into this game thinking it was a must-win for us." The Lightning weren't worried because knew they were the dominant team in Game 1, firing 46 shots at Petr Mrazek. Babcock sticking with Mrazek in Game 3 "We came into this game very confident," said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper, "that if we played our style and executed our game plan like we did in the first game, we would be alright. We wanted to get off to a fast start and I thought we accomplished that." 25

26 Tampa Bay got balanced production from each of its top lines. Tyler Johnson finished with two goals. Third-line center and former Wing Valtteri Filppula finished with a goal and an assist. "We're at our best when we're getting contributions from different places," said Stamkos. "When you know that you just can't focus on stopping one line. Even though the series is tied, we're very happy with how we've started out. We knew that this series wasn't going to be quick." It's now a best-of-five series, with the Wings holding the home-ice edge. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

27 Babcock sticking with Mrazek in goal for Wings in Game 3 By Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 11:03 p.m. EDT April 18, 2015 TAMPA -- Petr Mrazek said he hoped to continue playing. He'll get his wish. Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock nipped any speculation about goaltending in the first-round series after Game 2's 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning by immediately stating that Mrazek will remain the starter. Game 3 is Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena. Mrazek was pulled this afternoon at Amalie Arena after allowing four goals on 18 shots in 40 minutes, but he got precious little help from his skaters, who dropped defensive assignments and made turnovers. "We gave up some slam dunks to him," Babcock said. "You've got to give your goaltending a chance. You can't make those defensive mistakes and then think the goalie is going to make those saves." Babcock's decision also reflects that if it weren't for Mrazek's 44-save performance in Game 1, the series wouldn't be tied 1-1. "I thought our goalie was real good in Game 1," Babcock said. "I thought their goalie was real good in Game 2. Here we are going home." Mrazek said he would have especially liked back the fourth goal, which saw Tyler Johnson score on a breakaway when he sent the puck over Mrazek's blocker. Alex Killorn scored one of the other goals when he jammed the puck between Mrazek's left leg and the near post. "I thought I had it," Mrazek said. "He just poked at the rebound, it was stuck on my pad and he just put it through." Mrazek, 23, is almost impossible to rattle, and sure enough said after the loss that it was just another hockey game. His response every time after he's been pulled has been the same: Put that event behind, stay positive, be ready. He generally responds to being pulled by coming out strong the next game. He got pulled in a January game at Tampa Bay, then made 24 saves in a shutout the next time he faced the Lightning. Likewise, he responded to being pulled in a game at Pittsburgh with a strong showing in his next appearance against the Penguins. When he was pulled after a horrible performance against the New York Islanders, he came back the next game and stole a point from the Ottawa Senators. That's his approach as he continues his first foray in the NHL playoffs. "It's just a hockey game, doesn't matter if it's regular season game or if it's playoff game," Mrazek said. "I wouldn't see a difference between those games." Lightning strikes: Lightning forward Tyler Johnson, 24, is one of those NHL feel-good stories, a kid who goes undrafted only to become a hot commodity. Johnson's size (generously listed as 5 feet 9 inches, 175 pounds) didn't deter the Lightning from signing 27