Detroit Red Wings Clips March 2, 2016

Detroit Red Wings Clips March 2, 2016 Detroit Red Wings PAGE 2 How to watch tonight's Detroit Red Wings-Chicago Blackhawks game PAGE 3 Petr Mrazek expected back as Detroit Red Wings prepare for Blackhawks PAGE 4 Wings odds to win Stanley Cup get longer PAGE 6 Lightning speed propels Wings Athanasiou PAGE 8 Detroit Red Wings notes: World Cup rosters set to be revealed; confidence in Brendan Smith PAGE 10 NHL trade deadline grades: Red Wings get a B from Yahoo Sports despite not making a move PAGE 11 Red Wings' Jimmy Howard gaining consistency he showed earlier in season PAGE 12 Red Wings rookie Andreas Athanasiou shows stick skills to complement blazing speed PAGE 14 Athanasiou adds lightning' to lineup PAGE 16 Robbie Russo's AHL-leading stat that even amazes teammates on Griffins

How to watch tonight's Detroit Red Wings-Chicago Blackhawks game Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press 2:18 a.m. EST March 2, 2016 8 p.m., NBC Sports Network, WXYT-FM (97.1): Original Six matchup meets for only time at Joe Louis Arena this season. Detroit Red Wings (32-20-11, 75 points) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (39-20-5, 83 points) When: 8 p.m. Where: Joe Louis Arena. TV: NBC Sports Network. Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; other radio affiliates). Game notes: Talk about a Wednesday night rivalry. Detroit and Chicago hook up for their lone Joe Louis Arena meeting of the season (unless they square off in the Stanley Cup finals). These two teams have their return match in Chicago on Sunday. Goalie Petr Mrazek is expected to play tonight despite missing Monday's win in Dallas with a sore groin. In that game, Jimmy Howard had 39 saves against the Stars. The Blackhawks, tied with Dallas and St. Louis atop the Central Division and Western Conference, will be without ex-wing Marian Hossa (lower body injury). But it's the first game for newly-acquired defenseman Christian Ehrhoff. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.02.2016 2

Petr Mrazek expected back as Detroit Red Wings prepare for Blackhawks Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 3:07 p.m. EST March 1, 2016 The Detroit Red Wings return home from a solid jaunt west to host arguably the best team in the NHL. The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks are next for the Wings; two straight times, no less, with a game at Joe Louis Arena Wednesday and in Chicago on Sunday afternoon. The Wings take them on with the confidence of a three-game winning streak that most recently saw the Wings win at Dallas against a Stars team neck-and-neck in the standings with the Blackhawks. After that 3-2 overtime victory in Dallas (today is a scheduled day off), Wings head coach Jeff Blashill said he believes the Wings have "a chance to do special things. I like our mix. Now we've got to prove it every day. I can like us as much as I want, but we've got to prove it every day. But I do like our mix, I do like our group." Pavel Datsyuk delivered the game-winning goal in Dallas, proving again what a difference he's made since regaining his form. Since Jan. 22, the Wings have 49 goals in 17 games, an average of 2.88 that would put them in the top five in the NHL in scoring average. The Wings expect Petr Mrazek to be able to play Wednesday after being held out Monday because of a tender groin, but if he can't go, Jimmy Howard just showed for a second straight game that he's regained his confidence after a tough two-month stretch. That didn't escape the attention of his teammates. "It's very important for us, last 20 games, we need points to make playoffs," Datsyuk said. "More important, Jimmy play well and whole team play together." Datsyuk's goal came during a man advantage, an area that has been an Achilles Heel all season. One conversion does not a trend make, but as Blashill pointed out, "The power play needs to score to gain confidence just like a player does." There's no team that offers a better measuring stick than the Blackhawks, who before Monday's trade deadline added, among others, Andrew Ladd. "Isn't is amazing how they keep adding players," Howard said. "They've got some special way there. They definitely made their team stronger, but we're a good team as well. If we go out there and play our game and pay attention to detail and not turn pucks over in soft areas, I think we'll be all right." Note: Carolina Hurricanes right winger Andrej Nestrasil, a former Red Wing, will miss the rest of the season with a broken vertebra. He had nine goals and 14 assists while playing in 55 games this season, his second in the NHL. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 03.02.2016 3

4

Wings odds to win Stanley Cup get longer Staff The Detroit News 4:49 p.m. EST March 1, 2016 The Red Wings odds of winning the Stanley Cup have gotten longer since the passing of the NHL trade deadline on Monday. The Wings made one move ahead of the deadline, sending defenseman Jakub Kindl to the Panthers for a 2017 sixth-round draft pick. Bovada gave the Wings 20-1 odds at the start of February, but in new odds released Tuesday, the Wings are 25-1. The Wings have won three consecutive games and have 75 points, three behind the Panthers and Lightning (78 each) in the Atlantic Division. The Capitals are the favorites at 9-2, followed by the Blackhawks (5-1) and Stars (10-1). STANLEY CUP ODDS Here are Bovada s odds to win the Stanley Cup. The first odds listed are from Feb. 1; the second listed are from March 1. Washington Capitals, 4-1 / 9-2 Chicago Blackhawks, 5-1 / 5-1 Dallas Stars, 11-1 / 10-1 Anaheim Ducks, 16-1 / 11-1 Los Angeles Kings, 8-1 / 11-1 Tampa Bay Lightning, 14-1 / 12-1 New York Rangers, 16-1 / 14-1 San Jose Sharks, 25-1 / 14-1 St. Louis Blues, 16-1 / 14-1 Florida Panthers, 16-1 / 16-1 Nashville Predators, 33-1 / 20-1 New York Islanders, 25-1 / 20-1 Pittsburgh Penguins, 25-1 / 20-1 Boston Bruins, 25-1 / 25-1 Detroit Red Wings, 20-1 / 25-1 Colorado Avalanche, 50-1 / 40-1 5

Minnesota Wild, 25-1 / 40-1 Philadelphia Flyers, 100-1 / 50-1 Montreal Canadiens, 28-1 / 66-1 New Jersey Devils, 66-1 / 66-1 Ottawa Senators, 75-1 / 66-1 Carolina Hurricanes, 100-1 / 100-1 Detroit News LOADED: 03.02.2016 6

Lightning speed propels Wings Athanasiou Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 2:26 p.m. EST March 1, 2016 Dallas Pavel Datsyuk corrected the reporter instantly No, rookie Andreas Athanasiou doesn t have speed. Lightning, is how it was described by Datsyuk, the savvy veteran who joked he used to have that kind of speed (he didn t). Like a flash, a quick strike, Athanasiou seems to hit high speed in an instant and gets the defense on its heels. He did it so many times Monday, in the Red Wings 3-2 overtime victory in Dallas, scoring two goals, drawing two penalties, and seemingly intimidating the Stars every time he stepped on to the ice. But it was Athanasiou s second goal, a spectacular show of speed and skill capped by an inside-out move and nifty backhand goal that forced jaws to drop. It was great, said goalie Jimmy Howard, who stopped 39 shots and was himself a star in the victory. He used his speed and you definitely saw his skill come out there. Athanasiou s speed has always been his biggest asset on the ice, and he s definitely learned to maximize it over the years. It feels nice when you pick up that much speed and you get it there in the neutral zone at top speed and you almost know the defense is going to back up, Athanasiou said. It has always been an asset of mine and I ve been working on it every year. Athanasiou credited fellow speedster Dylan Larkin with a big help on the highlight-reel goal. I was picking up a lot of speed in the D-zone, the puck funneled up to Larks on the wall, and he made a great play to take the defenseman out and kind of leave a little room to pick up the puck, Athanasiou said. I was coming in with a lot of speed. Fortunately, that move worked out. Coach Jeff Blashill has watched Athanasiou progress the last couple years in Grand Rapids and seeing Monday s goal wasn t a shock. We want guys that can make plays out of nothing and that was certainly a great one, Blashill said. You either separate yourself with speed or with strength and he does it with his speed. It s hard on goalies, on defensemen, when he s attacking with that level of speed. He s like Larkin in that they can skate full speed and make plays. That play might be a toedrag (which Athanasiou used), might be a shot, might be a pass. Very few guys can do it. He can do it. 7

Athanasiou appears to have cemented an NHL job for the time being and his ice time is gradually increasing. But with only 18 NHL games on his resume, Athanasiou is still relishing every moment of what s going on right now. It s an unbelievable experience, Athanasiou said. I ve been learning so much. I m just trying to battle here as much as I can to help these guys win every chance I get. Blackhawks come to town The Chicago Blackhawks are as close to a dynasty as there is these days in pro sports, having won three Stanley Cups in the last six seasons. They made no mistake about their intention of winning a fourth this season by acquiring forwards Andrew Ladd, Dale Weise, Tomas Fleischmann and defenseman Christian Ehrhoff before the trade deadline. Isn t it amazing how they keep adding players? Howard said. They got some special way there. They definitely made their team stronger with the additions they made. The Blackhawks make their only regular-season appearance at Joe Louis Arena Wednesday. It s another big one for us, Howard said. They re a team that s a measuring stick throughout the league with the success they ve had in the past several years. It s going to be another tall task. Ice chips Howard ended a nine-game winless streak with his victory in Dallas. I felt like it was coming for a while, Howard said. I m just happy I was able to be out there and get two points for the guys. The power play ended an 0-for-20 drought with Datsyuk s game-winning goal against the Stars. When I watched the game against Colorado (Saturday), we had four big-time chances that we didn t score on, Blashill said. The rest of it wasn t good enough, certainly in the last stretch it hadn t been good enough. But the power play needs to score, just like a player does, so it s a big goal we scored. Blashill expects goaltender Petr Mrazek (groin) to start against Chicago. Mrazek wasn t available Monday because of a tender groin. We expect him to play, Blashill said. We were precautionary (in Dallas). We wanted to make sure he didn t injure it any more. We ll know more for sure Wednesday but we expect him ready to play. Blackhawks at Red Wings Faceoff: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Joe Louis Arena TV / radio: NBCSN / 97.1 FM, 1270 AM Notable: The teams play again Sunday in Chicago. Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane is the leading MVP candidate (36 goals, 49 assists). 8

9

Detroit Red Wings notes: World Cup rosters set to be revealed; confidence in Brendan Smith Ansar Khan akhan1@mlive.com By Ansar Khan akhan1@mlive.com on March 01, 2016 at 4:04 PM, updated March 01, 2016 at 4:05 PM DETROIT The Detroit Red Wings, with their large contingent of European players, have been well-represented at international competitions over the past couple of decades. They figure to have a considerable presence at the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto this fall. Initial rosters for all eight squads (at least 16 players) will be revealed on Wednesday. Russia is the first nation to reveal its roster, at 3 a.m. Pavel Datsyuk is a lock for the team. Finland will follow at 4 a.m. The Czech Republic's announcement will come at 11 a.m. Petr Mrazek should be on that team. A trio of Red Wings figure to be named to Team Sweden at 12:30 p.m. Henrik Zetterberg, Gustav Nyquist and Niklas Kronwall. Team Europe, which includes all other European nations, will be announced at 4:30. It could include Tomas Tatar, who is Slovakian. Team North America, consisting of American and Canadian players 23 and under, will be revealed at 5:15 p.m. and Dylan Larkin should be on the list. Canada'a announcement will come at 6:05 p.m. The U.S. will unveil its preliminary roster at 6:45 p.m. Justin Abdelkader and Danny DeKeyser are candidates for this team. This will be the third World Cup of Hockey. The U.S. prevailed in 1996 and Canada won in 2004. The tournament runs from Sept. 17-Oct. 1. Blashill: The kids are all right Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill, like general manager Ken Holland, believes there was no point in making a lateral move at the trade deadline Monday. "It's great to feel like you want to make a move but are you making a move just to make a move or are you helping the team?" Blashill said. "I think lots of times you're actually taking away form guys that are on the cusp of doing special things, whether it's (Tomas) Jurco, who played well in Colorado or (Andreas Athanasiou), who played well (Monday). Somebody's got to come out of the lineup when players come in. So I thought Ken did the right thing. "There's no elite players out there. Let's go with the group we have. I told our guys before (Monday's) game, 'This is what I wanted. I wanted our group.' I believe in our 10

group. I think we've got a chance to do special things. Do we have to play better? Yeah, we got to continue to grow." Blashill confident in Smith Brendan Smith has been a healthy scratch the past two games, after Jonathan Ericsson's return from injury. But he's not necessarily the permanent odd-man out. "I think we have seven real good defensemen and we're really splitting hairs on who's in and who's out," Blashill said. "It puts me in a position to make hard decisions, which is a good thing for me. I'd rather make that than not have enough good ones." What goes into deciding his pairings? "A little bit is the chemistry, a little bit is their skill-sets," Blashill said. "Do they play off each other well? Right and left shots are a little bit of it." Blashill said Smith could be back in the lineup at any time. "It's certainly nothing that he's done wrong," Blashill said. "I think his game's been good and if he went back in I'd have tons of confidence in him." Quotable Jimmy Howard on Datsyuk: "He's still got a lot of life in him. He still acts like he's in his 20s. He's got great sense of humor and it's no surprise. We see it night in and night out, how hard Pav works and when he comes through for us, it's no surprise for us because he's so gifted." Blashill on Datsyuk: "Pavel is an elite, elite player. I don't care how old he is. He's one of the best in the league still today. He's unbelievably competitive. He wins pucks and he plays such a complete game. He's a special player. Blashill on Brad Richards playing with Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou: "Richards probably doesn't get enough credit for what he does. He puts pucks into space for Larkin and AA and makes tons of really good plays. He's got a calming presence to him." Howard on Chicago's personnel moves before the deadline: "Isn't it amazing how they keep adding players? They got some special way there. They definitely made their team stronger with the additions they made (Andrew Ladd, Christian Ehrhoff, Tomas Fleischmann, Dale Weise, Tim Jackman). We're a good team as well. If we go out there and play our game (Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena) and continue to pay attention to details and not turn pucks over in soft areas I think we'll be all right." Michigan Live LOADED: 03.02.2016 11

NHL trade deadline grades: Red Wings get a B from Yahoo Sports despite not making a move Brendan Savage bsavage@mlive.com By Brendan Savage bsavage@mlive.com on March 01, 2016 at 12:39 PM The Detroit Red Wings didn't make any major moves before Monday's NHL trade deadline but they still received a passing grade from Greg Wyshynski aka Puck Daddy of Yahoo Sports. How is that possible? "No reason to make any trades," Wyshynski wrote. "So they didn't make any." With that in mind, Wyshynski gave the Red Wings a B for standing pat at the deadline. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said the club's reasoning for not making any deadline day moves is the Red Wings didn't want to give up any draft picks or prospects to risk jeopardizing the future. Coach Jeff Blashill said he was "more than comfortable" with the Red Wings' current roster before Detroit went out and beat the Western Conference-leading Dallas Stars 3-2 Monday night in overtime on the road. That moved the Red Wings (32-20-11) into third place in the Atlantic Division, three points behind co-leaders Florida and Tampa Bay. The Red Wings did make one minor move leading up to the deadline, sending defenseman Jakub Kindl whom they waived and sent to Grand Rapids of the AHL to Florida for a sixth-round draft pick. As for Wyshynski's grades, it should be pointed out that he wasn't exactly tough when it came to handing out marks. Eleven teams received grades higher than the Red Wings Calgary, Carolina and Florida led the way with A's while only St. Louis and Vancouver were graded lower than a C. The Blues and Canucks both got a D-. Michigan Live LOADED: 03.02.2016 12

Red Wings' Jimmy Howard gaining consistency he showed earlier in season Ansar Khan akhan1@mlive.com By Ansar Khan akhan1@mlive.com on March 01, 2016 at 10:39 AM DALLAS Jimmy Howard, in his past couple of starts, has resembled the goaltender the Detroit Red Wings saw earlier in the season. Maybe even better. Howard has stopped 68 of 71 shots in his past two starts (.958 save percentage). He snapped a personal nine-game winless streak Monday with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center. "I felt like it was coming for a while," Howard said. "I'm just happy I was able to be out there and get two points for the guys." It was his first win since Dec. 3. "You had to figure sooner or later some of the puck luck was going to change a little bit," Howard said. "It has and I just think it comes with the hard work you put in as a player day in and day out." Howard was particularly strong early, stopping all 16 shots he faced in the first period. "Each game's different but it definitely helps when they come out and you feel the puck early and it sort of relaxes you a little bit and it and you go about your business," Howard said. "He actually played unbelievable the last game he played (1-0 overtime loss at the New York Rangers on Feb. 21) and he gave us a chance," Pavel Datsyuk said. "Today, he made lots of saves, kept us in the game." Red Wings' Jimmy Howard ends drought with strong outing Red Wings' Jimmy Howard ends drought with strong outing It's a boost of confidence for Howard and the team. "Great for Jimmy," coach Jeff Blashill said. "Obviously, he was great in New York and didn't get the victory. I thought he deserved it in New York and we couldn't get it for him, but we got it tonight for him, so good for him." Petr Mrazek, who wasn't able to dress as the back-up due to a groin issue, is expected back for Wednesday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Joe Louis Arena. "We actually expect him to play," Blashill said. "We were precautionary tonight. We wanted to make sure he didn't injure it any more. But it would be day-to-day, so we'll know more for sure on Wednesday. But we expect him ready to play." Michigan Live LOADED: 03.02.2016 13

Red Wings rookie Andreas Athanasiou shows stick skills to complement blazing speed Ansar Khan akhan1@mlive.com By Ansar Khan akhan1@mlive.com on March 01, 2016 at 6:01 AM, updated March 01, 2016 at 10:01 AM DALLAS Andreas Athanasiou can do more than just skate like the wind. He has some stick skills. That was evident with his game-winning shootout goal against Columbus last week. And it was apparent with his brilliant move that resulting in a highlight-reel goal on Monday. Athanasiou scored twice in regulation before Pavel Datsyuk's overtime goal in the Detroit Red Wings' 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center. "Every game I get and every shift I get I kind of build up a little more confidence out there," Athanasiou said. "It's just growing with every shift and every game." That's for sure. Athanasiou has been maximizing his ice time, which has been limited (8:44 per game) while he learns to play a 200-foot game at the NHL level. But his minutes are sure to increase if he continues at this pace pressuring opponents into taking penalties (two on Monday), creating chances with his speed and finishing with his skill. "It was great," goaltender Jimmy Howard said. "He used his speed and you definitely saw his skill come out there on the second goal. It's great to see all these young guys in our lineup stepping up." Pavel Datsyuk, who usually impresses others with his talents, praised the 21-year-old rookie. "He don't have speed, he's lightning," Datsyuk said. "I remember one time (I had) like same speed, but can't skate like that." Red Wings' Andreas Athanasiou scores twice, one in spectacular fashion Red Wings' Andreas Athanasiou scores twice, one in spectacular fashion Said Athanasiou: "It feels real nice when you pick up that much speed and you get it there in the neutral zone at top speed you know almost that the D is going to back-up, hold his ice. It has always been an asset of mine. I've worked on it every year." Athanasiou snapped a 1-1 tie at 6:38 of the third period with his fourth goal in 18 games this season. He corralled the puck along the boards in the neutral zone, skated in on defenseman Johnny Oduya, made a great toe-drag move to elude him and lifted a backhand shot over goalie Antti Niemi. 14

"I was picking up a lot of speed in the D-zone, the puck funneled up to (Dylan Larkin) on the wall and he made a great play to take the D out and kind of leave a little room to pick up the puck," Athanasiou said. "I was coming in with a lot of speed and fortunately that move worked out." Coach Jeff Blashill called it making a play out of nothing, something his team needs to do more often. "You either separate yourself with speed or you separate yourself with strength and he does it with speed," Blashill said. "It's hard on goalies, hard on defensemen when he's attacking with that level of speed. "He is like Larkin in that they can skate full speed and make plays. And that play might be a toe-drag, might be a shot, might be a pass. Very few guys can do it. He can do it. I thought he was feeling it tonight so we tried to get him on the ice as much as we could." Athanasiou opened the scoring at 11:50. He fired in the puck from the side of the net after setting up Gustav Nyquist, who got the initial shot from the slot and then tipped the rebound to Athanasiou. "Me, (Tomas Tatar) and Nyquie had a great line rush there," Athanasiou said. "I saw Nyquie coming in late and had a man on him, I don't know how he funneled that puck to the net, but he got it through and Tats was right there in the crease causing havoc and it just popped out to me and I just shot it. I think it went off of him and in, a little bit of a lucky one." Lucky or not, Athanasiou has shown he deserves to be in the lineup "It's an unbelievable experience," Athanasiou said. "I've been learning so much. I'm just trying to battle here as much as I can to help these guys win every chance I get." Michigan Live LOADED: 03.02.2016 15

Athanasiou adds lightning' to lineup By Chuck Pleiness, The Macomb Daily Posted: 03/01/16, 5:54 PM EST Updated: 7 hrs ago DETROIT >> Being a fast skater is one thing. Being able to use that speed and combine it with stick skills is another aspect altogether. Wings rookie forward Andreas Athanasiou appears he can do just that. The one thing Double A can really do is he can separate himself with speed, Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. You either separate yourself with speed or you separate yourself with strength and he does it with speed. It s hard on goalies. It s hard on defensemen when he s attacking with that level of speed. He is like (Dylan) Larkin in that they can skate full speed and make plays, Blashill continued. And that play might be a toe-drag, that play might be a shot, that play might be a pass. Very few guys can do it. He can do it. I thought he was feeling it (Monday) so we tried to get him on the ice as much as we could. Athanasiou scored twice in Monday s 3-2 overtime win over the Dallas Stars. It was on his second goal where he displayed his speed and skills together. I ve seen it from Double A so it s a great moment, Blashill said. We want guys that can make plays out of nothing and that was certainly a great one. Athanasiou picked up a loose puck along the boards and began building up speed as he skated into the Stars zone. As he approached defenseman Johnny Oduya, he made a toe-drag to free himself and then left a backhand shot over goalie Antii Niemi, who also bit on the move. I was coming in with a lot of speed and fortunately that move worked out, Athanasiou said of the goal. It feels real nice when you pick up that much speed and you get it there in the neutral zone at top speed you know that the D is going to back up and try and hold his ice. It has always been an asset of mine. I ve worked on it every year. Pavel Datsyuk remembers a time when there were players who could skate with speed, but couldn t skate like Athanasiou does. He doesn t have speed, he s lightning, Datsyuk said. It s important he makes his move and everything and he scores. Sometimes it s everyone talks about move, but it s more important he scores. He finished it. His speed also helps drawing penalties. He drew two Monday. He s done it most of the games he s played, Blashill said. He s done a great job of putting teams on their heels. 16

Athanasiou has seen his minutes increase because of his play. When you get a little opportunity and every game I get and every shift I get I kind of build up a little more and get a little more confidence out there, Athanasiou said. It s just growing with every shift and every game. And because the Wings didn t make a deal at the trade deadline to upgrade at forward it ll allow players like Athanasiou time to continue to mature. I think that s a critical piece to it, Blashill said. It s great to feel like you want to make a move but are you making a move just to make a move or are you helping the team? I think lots of times you re actually taking away from guys that are on the cusp of doing special things. Somebody s got to come out of the lineup when players come in. I thought Ken (Holland) did the right thing, Blashill added. There were no elite, elite players out there. Let s go with the group we have. I told our guys (Monday) before the game, This is what I wanted. I wanted our group. I believe in our group. I think we ve got a chance to do special things. Do we have to play better? Yeah, we got to continue to grow but I think our group can do special things. Macomb Daily LOADED: 03.02.2016 17

Robbie Russo's AHL-leading stat that even amazes teammates on Griffins By Peter Wallner / MLive.com GRAND RAPIDS - Robbie Russo's plus/minus rating is so impressively out of whack that even detractors of the stat have to be impressed with the Grand Rapids rookie defenseman. Russo boosts a rating of plus-37. That is tops in the AHL, just four off the team record and by far the best on the Griffins. Center Tomas Nosek is second at plus-14. The No. 2 defenseman is plus-13 by Xavier Ouellet. The stat, which totals when a skater is on the ice for a goal or an opponent's goal, is so much higher than the rest of the members of the Griffins, it's noticed. "We're always joking around with him about that," said left winger Tyler Bertuzzi. "Obviously, he's a good player, picks up things quick, but a plus-37 is pretty crazy." So, how does he do it? "You're asking the wrong guy," Russo said. "I really don't have a good explanation for it, but it's definitely a team thing." There's more to it than being on the ice at the right time. Russo, 23, was named the AHL player of the week Monday after he had two goals and five assists (and a plus-8 rating) in four wins for the Griffins last week. Incredibly, he is just the second Grand Rapids defenseman ever to earn player of the week, following rookie Clay Wilson in December, 2005. In 50 games heading into Wednesday's home game against Rockford, Russo has been on the ice when opponents scored just 23 times, including three power play goals and two empty netters. Coach Todd Nelson's explanation? "The hockey intelligence factor plays into it," he said. "He doesn't play himself in tough spots where he can get beat. That's hockey sense. "But there's also poise. He's able to break the puck out under pressure which also helps his plus-minus. Defensively, he's in good position for the most part." Russo logs about 18 minutes a game, plays some on the power play and some on the penalty kill, but he is not on the first line for either. Russo also had to win over Nelson's confidence as a first-year player. He was scratched in four of the first six games to open the season. 18

"I like how like how he (Nelson) has an aggressive style," Russo said. "That definitely helps me out. A lot of guys can get involved early and you get to move your feet." Russo signed a two-year entry level contract with Detroit in August, 2015 following a stellar four-year career at Notre Dame. He went from 15 points (4-11-15) his freshman season to 41 points (15-26-41) as a senior. Last year, he also led the Irish in plus/minus at plus-13. Nelson flipped the blueline pairings last week and moved Russo from Brian Lashoff to Nathan Paetsch "just to change things up." Russo didn't miss a beat. And he's earned Nelson's trust. "Any time you get a new player, you want him to have confidence but you also have to have confidence in him. It's a learning and proving process on both sides. You have to manage it wisely. He's coming along nicely." 19