6 thoughts on Red Wings-Maple Leafs
6 thoughts on Red Wings-Maple Leafs
Detroit won 4-1
The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 on Thursday.
Here are some thoughts and observations. Enjoy.
1. Dylan Larkin is going to get paid.
It’s not on the standard of David Pastrňák having an all-time contract year in Boston, but Larkin’s play this season has been one of the more under-covered stories in the national discussion.
Larkin is on pace for a career-best 75 points this season, he’s accounting for $6.1 million against the salary cap and that number is likely going to flip and start with a 9 next season.
Both sides in these negotiations have been publicly silent. Steve Yzerman keeps everything on lockdown, while Larkin is avoiding all conversation. Aside from an awkward TNT interview last week Larkin had kept all contract talk on the public back-burner.
Money talks in these conversations, it really does, but I’ve also gotten the feeling Larkin wants to see the plan through in Detroit. I think Yzerman wants to get something done as well.
To be clear, those are just feelings based on some conversations with people around the Red Wings, neither Larkin nor Yzerman have said that.
This whole thought dump was prompted by Larkin’s first-period assist to Lucas Raymond.
2. As someone who doesn’t have an ACL in their right knee (but still plays goalie in beer league), it’s been really enjoyable to see Robby Fabbri come back from his third(!) ACL injury and score his third goal in four games since returning.
The Fabbri recovery story was best chronicled by Fabbri and the Red Wings themselves, so you should look up that video if you want to learn more.
3. Ilya Samsonov is very scrambly by nature.
It’s not the most technical performance, but it can be downright fun to watch when he’s on.
And he was on.
This save in particular comes to mind when I think of Samsonov. It’s explosive, it’s difficult, and he’s able to cover a ton of ground to rob Adam Erne when it was a 2-1 game in the second period.
4. On the other end of the ice Ville Husso had the game he’d been looking for and made 31 saves on 32 shots.
Husso has been, by his own admission, trying to find regain form for the past month. He set a high bar in the first two months of the season, and after 20 games had a .918 save percentage.
In his past seven games Husso had a .852 save percentage.
This was his first game with a save percentage above .900 since Dec. 19.
Husso has been thoughtful about his performance, he also hasn’t gotten overly wrapped up in hot or cold streaks. Earlier this week he and I discussed his game, some of the nuances he was working, on before we pivoted to a discussion about the World Junior Championships, Finland, and recovery habits (hint, that’s a teaser for a future story).
We also talked about the importance of routine, and feeling the puck. Husso can be a rhythm goalie, a goalie that grows into the game and enjoys facing shots earlier to get acclimated.
It’s not an exact science, but he said having a strong morning skate can be an indicator of finding that groove later in the evening. That’s why even when the Red Wings have an optional morning skate, like they did on Thursday, he wants to spend time working with goalie coach Alex Westlund.
5. Bobby McMann thought he scored his first NHL goal. A lot of people did, myself included.
But after a review it was ruled the goal was scored on a distinct kicking motion and waved off, even though it was deflected into the net off of a Red Wings skate.
It was the right call. Here’s why.
(i) A kicked puck that deflects off the body of any player of either team (including the goalkeeper) shall be ruled no goal.
(ii) A kicked puck that deflects off the stick of any player (excluding the goalkeeper’s stick) shall be ruled a good goal.
If the puck had deflected off a stick, not a skate, it would have counted.
You learn something new everyday.
6. Some other quick hitters.
Tyler Bertuzzi nearly scored in the third period after forcing a turnover and then tried to go between the legs, but couldn’t beat Samsonov who sat in a butterfly and didn’t over react. It’s still just the second game back for Bertuzzi, but right now it feels like he’s trying to be too much of a pure skill player… Bertuzzi has always been at his best when grinding hockey combined with skill have worked hand-in-hand.
To be fair to Bertuzzi, he did score into the empty net on a tip from about 180 feet in the defensive zone. They don’t ask how, they ask how many…
No intel on this, but it just feels like Adam Erne as unrestricted free agent and a veteran, could net a larger return than normal in the trade market from a contending team. It’s going to be a seller’s market and each year we see at least a couple veterans move for more-expected value.
Another point for the Seider-Walman duo… Texas Roadhouse, are you listening?
