Just like in today’s solar eclipse, the alignment is perfect for the Detroit Red Wings when it comes to qualifying for the playoffs after a seven-season absence.

Their Sunday win against Buffalo, coupled with Washington’s overtime loss to Ottawa, put the Red Wings in the Eastern Conference’s second wildcard spot by a point over the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. The Red Wings play Washington Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena. Detroit plays the Penguins in Pittsburgh Thursday. Those two games will say much about Detroit’s playoff chances.

What it means: If the Red Wings win their last five games (against Washington, Pittsburgh, Toronto and two games against Montreal), they need no help. They would be in the playoffs.  Detroit also would get in if it matches the best record of the wildcard contenders. In other words, if the best record among contenders is 3-2 and Detroit matches that record, then they would qualify.

The Red Wings, Capitals, Penguins and New York Islanders have five games left. The Flyers, who have lost seven games in a row, have four games remaining. The Capitals have lost six in a row.  The Red Wings are 4-3-2 in their last nine. The Penguins are playing the best hockey in 6-0-1 in their last seven. The Islanders have lost five of their last six.

“This is what it’s about this time of year,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “We haven’t been here in eight years. Now only have we gotten here, our guys have worked their butts off to get here and we’ve earned it. I’m excited to see how we handle it.”

The New York Islanders, in a qualifying spot because they are in third place in the Metropolitan Division, could provide a complication for Detroit because the Islanders are one point ahead of the Red Wings. If a team passes the Islanders for third, New York moves into the wildcard race.  If, or when, the Islanders and Red Wings lose, the point becomes an issue.

One thought around the league is the Red Wings will get in if they beat Washington and Pittsburgh this week.

Tiebreaker Disadvantage

Detroit technically have a long-shot chance of earning the first wildcard position in the Eastern Conference. The Lightning, holding the first wildcard spot, have a nine-point lead over Detroit. That means if the Lightning earns one point or Detroit fails to earn two points, the Red Wings are eliminated from consideration for the first wildcard.

Something to keep in mind: the first NHL tiebreaker for playoff consideration is regulation wins. As of this morning, the Capitals, Penguins and Flyers have the tiebreaker advantage over Detroit. The Red Wings have the tiebreaker over the Islanders.

If Detroit earns the No. 8 seed  wildcard spot, the team will likely meet the New York Rangers in the opening round of the playoffs. They have a three-point lead (110 to 107) over the Boston Bruins for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Both teams have four games remaining. The Rangers own the tiebreaker over the Bruins.

In this season, Detroit is 0-3 against the Rangers and 2-2 versus the Bruins.

The post Latest Red Wings Playoff Scenario: They Control Their Destiny appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Montreal Canadiens haven’t decided they are willing to move goalie Jake Allen. But that hasn’t stopped NHL teams from telling the Habs they are interested in him.

Montreal Hockey Now reports the Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes are among the NHL teams that have contacted the Montreal Canadiens about Allen. The Habs aren’t likely to make any decisions about Jake Allen until they have a clearer understanding of Carey Price’s status for 2022-23.

Stars goalie Jake Oettinger is a restricted free agent. If he is still unsigned as the season approaches, the Stars may need a goalie backup plan.

Meanwhile, the New York Islanders seem to be tracking toward announcing the signing of unrestricted free agent Nazem Kadri. At least, that’s what the hockey world suspects is going to happen. You can never be sure with the secretive, crafty GM Lou Lamoriello in charge on the Island.

**Keep an eye on**
I can’t put a definitive timeline to them, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see at least 4 transactions with the @NYIslanders coming down the line.@espn @NHLNetwork @NHL #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/SMUb0aR9uk

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) August 10, 2022

In addition to negotiating to land Kadri, the Islanders still must sign Noah Dobson, Alexander Romanov and Kieffer Bellows. Stefen Rosner of NYI Hockey Now has the latest on what Lou Lamoriello is doing with the Islanders.

The Islanders have roughly $11.2 million in cap space to accomplish those tasks, so he is going to have to move a player or two off his roster.

In Case You Missed It

One reason why Detroit Red Wings’ first-round pick Marco Kasper wants to play in Sweden this season is that he wants to graduate from high school.

Former Detroit Red Wings player Borje Salming revealed that he has been diagnosed with ALS.

Nate Brown of Detroit Hockey Now takes a deep dive into Detroit GM Steve Yzerman‘s recent drafts from the third through the seventh round.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: GM Don Sweeney said negotiations between the Boston Bruins and two-time 40+ goal scorer David Pastrnak are ongoing. He said he would be fine with going into the season without a new deal in place. Pasternak can be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Calgary: The Calgary Flames remain high on 2021 first-round pick Matthew Coronato who is playing for Team USA at the World Junior Championships. He had 18 goals and 36 points in 34 games for Harvard last season. He has some flair in his game.

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Florida: The “Hamburglar” is coming to the Florida Panthers‘ training camp. The veteran goalie, not the McDonald’s character.  Andrew Hammond, 34, has signed a professional tryout contract. He will join Eric Staal as the two players in camp on a PTO deal.

Philadelphia: Veteran writer Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now says the Philadelphia Flyers will go into the season with multiple question marks at center ice.

Pittsburgh: Shelly Anderson of Pittsburgh Hockey Now lays out Marc-Andre Fleury’s legacy with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s a Minnesota Wild goalie but his importance to Penguins’ history is undeniable.

Vancouver:  Rob Simpson of Vancouver Hockey Now offers a list of the Vancouver Canucks‘ Top five moves of the summer.

Washington: Former Washington Capitals player Johan Larsson has signed to play in Sweden for the next three seasons. He also played for the Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes.

The post The Daily: NHL Teams Covet Habs Goalie Jake Allen; Islanders Ready to Sign Kadri? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Top NHL contenders are looking for players to help them down the stretch and Detroit GM Steve Yzerman has his eyes out for defensemen who can help him next season and beyond.

Sources say Yzerman has talked to rival general managers about veteran defensemen with term left on their contracts. Detroit Hockey Now reported Yzerman talked to the Arizona Coyotes about Jakob Chychrun. But the asking price was too high.

It makes sense for Yzerman to explore the long-term defense options because it is likely Nick Leddy, Danny Dekeyser and Troy Stecher won’t be back next season. And Marc Staal may not be back. Even if the Red Wings expect Simon Edvinsson to make the NHL next season, they will need two or three new defensemen. The Red Wings have quality prospects, but they presumably need more time to develop.

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The revamp of the defense may have started Sunday when the Red Wings claimed Olli Joulevi. The Red Wings can watch him for the rest of the season to see if he fits into their rebuild.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry, son of former Detroit Tigers player and current broadcaster Dan Petry, is available. But he is 34. Therefore, he probably isn’t on Detroit’s wish list.  Vancouver’s Tyler Myers is another defenseman that could be dealt. But he is 32. Yzerman is likely looking for an experienced defenseman in his prime.

The Red Wings will want to be significantly improved next season on the blue. It’s possible he could start maneuvering before the March 21 trade deadline, although it is more likely he will make his moves this summer. The Red Wings could also look at the free agent market, at someone like Hampus Lindholm, 27, if new GM Pat Verbeek doesn’t get him signed in Anaheim.

In Case You Missed It

• Check out the video of Detroit prospect Pasquale Zito taking care of Logan Mailloux
• Lucas Raymond gives Swedish fans a tour of Detroit
• New Detroit Hockey Now writer Nate Brown talks about growing up a Detroit Red Wings fan

Hot/Not List

Who’s hot: Robby Fabbri is on a pace for his best NHL season. With 16 goals, he’s two short of his career high.

Who’s not: Michael Rasmussen has 21 minus games this season, including 11 when he was -2 or worse.

Fact check: The Red Wings sit 27th in team save percentage at .901. The teams below them are Arizona, Chicago, Montreal, New Jersey and Seattle.

Trade Talk

Chicago: Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons reports one source told him Blackhawks goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has told his team he won’t waive his no-movement clause before the March 21 Trade Deadline. Simmons also reported that another source told him Fleury will be dealt: Bottom line: Situation is confusing.

Philadelphia: Sam Carchidi of Hockey Now reports that the Florida Panthers’ interest in Claude Giroux is growing.

21. Marc-Andre Fleury

• 509 Wins
• 3x Stanley Cup Champion
• 1x Vezina Trophy
• 1x Jennings Trophy
• 1x All-NHL Second Team
• 1x NHL Shutouts Leader
• 1x Olympic Champion
• 3rd Winningest Goalie of All-Time pic.twitter.com/2nyqdAJLbY

— TOP 50 NHL GOALIES (Posting 3/day) (@NHLBESTGOALIES) March 7, 2022

Around the NHL

Boston: Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty lays out the reasons for optimism about the Boston Bruins.

Toronto: Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun has a source telling him that Chicago Blackhawks goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has told the Blackhawks he won’t waive his no-movement clause before the NHL Trade Deadline.

New York: Coach Barry Trotz said don’t be impatient with young New York Islanders player Oliver Wahlstrom.

New York: Hall of Fame writer Larry Brooks used his New York Post column to criticize Alex Ovechkin’s support of Russian leader Vladimir Putin . Brooks also took aim at those who are giving Ovechkin a free pass.

Pittsburgh: A look at Kasperi Kapanen’s struggles on the ice.

Vancouver: Sizing up the Vancouver Canucks playoff chances.

The post Red Wings Wrap: GM Yzerman Shopping for Next Season’s Defense? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

How bad have the Detroit Red Wings been recently? Tonight marks the first time in 107 games the team is the betting favorite to win an NHL game.

The Red Wings are a -126 favorite to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at Little Caesars Arena

The interesting aspect of that is the Blue Jackets are off to an unexpectedly strong start. They thumped the Arizona Coyotes 8-2 and downed the Seattle Kraken 2-1 in overtime. Goalie Elvis Merzlikins won both of those games and sits with a 1.48 goals-against average and .948 save percentage.

But the Detroit Red Wings have also started strongly, earning a point against the two-time defending Stanley Cup Tampa Bay Lightning and beating the Vancouver Canucks.

Rumor of the Day

Craig Morgan of PHNX Sport reports The Coyotes are shopping Phil Kessel. He wants out. AZ is working aggressively to make it happen.  

#ICYMI Check out the latest on Phil Kessel, Dylan Strome and Vitali Kravtsov in today’s #NHL rumor mill. https://t.co/ryOFJkNBkD

— Spector's Hockey (@SpectorsHockey) October 18, 2021

Canada Hockey Now

Toronto: Auston Matthews is back in the lineup, but New York Rangers beat the Maple Leafs in OT.

Montreal: Mike Hoffman returned to the practice and coach Dominique Ducharme is juggling lines again.

Vancouver: One oddity of this season’s Canucks’ squad is they have fewer Europeans. For so many years, the Canucks had a Euro flavor, especially when the Sedin twins were leading the charge.

National Hockey Now

Boston: A sad follow-up to Jimmy Hayes’s death–an autopsy revealed Hayes had fentanyl and cocaine in his system.

Detroit: Bob Duff opines that since former enforcer George Parros took over as the NHL discipline guru, chaos has reigned. The NHL has a policing problem.

Meanwhile, Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin talked about his one-game suspension for the first time and reported that he and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Mathieu Joseph apologized to each other.

Colorado: Adrian Dater reports Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon tested negative for Covid. He immediately left for Washington where the Avalanche play the Capitals in a game on Tuesday. 

Florida: Rookie Spencer Knight is the team’s star of the future. That has prompted some Panthers followers  to turn on Sergei Bobrovsky. He isn’t listening to them. He is just playing well. 

New York Islanders: Without Matt Martin, the NHL’s top fourth line hasn’t discovered its identity. 

San Jose: The league handed Evander Kane a 21-game suspension for a fake Covid test document and breaking COVID protocols.

Washington: Our Sammi Silber had a one-on-one interview with Justin Schultz. When Schultz is confident, he’s an impact defenseman. But he’s not always confident. But this season his swagger is back. 

Vegas: Mark Stone is injured, but the Golden Knights have some players coming back. Rookie Peyton Krebs could be the odd man out.

The post The Daily: Detroit Red Wings Favored for First Time in 107 Games appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The best tutor for the Detroit Red Wings’ highly-anticipated rookie defenseman Moritz Seider would be Nicklas Lidstrom. But he is in Sweden. The second best would be Niklas Kronwall and he is in Traverse City doing all that he can to prepare Seider to be an impact player.

“He was in Sweden with me,” Seider said. “We saw each other a bunch of times and had some really good meetings during the year. It’s cool having him out there these days, too. All in all I think a really great person to work with. He’s been known for his great personality and obviously for his hard work on the ice and off the ice, too. That’s what I want to take from him and want to be better at this year.”

Kronwall was a memorable open ice hitter, and Seider is expected to be a hitter.  Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff talks about why it’s Seider’s time to shine:

Niklas Kronwall working with Moritz Seider #LGRW pic.twitter.com/ZirxyR9297

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) September 23, 2021

Trade Rumor of the Day

Columbus: If a team needs a goalie, then start your search in Columbus. Hockey News analyzes the trade market from From Joonas Korpisalo to Jonathan Quick. 

Around the NHL

Philadelphia: Jimmy Hayes’ sudden death affected many in the hockey world. Hayes’s brother, Flyers center Kevin Hayes, talked about the outpouring of support in the story: “Life is fragile.”

Washington: Alex Ovechkin is already looking sharp. Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette wants to experiment with a few new line combinations, too. 

New York Islanders: The Islanders are requiring vaccination proof or a negative test to attend games this season. 

The post Kevin’s Daily Hash: Kronwall Tutors Seider, Soft Goalie Market and Snakes in Vegas appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

 The Detroit Red Wings connect Kevin Bacon-style to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s quest to win back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships.

Supposedly, there’s only six degrees of separation between actor Bacon and everyone else in Hollywood. Look at the work history of any actor. That actor worked with someone who worked with someone else. Quickly you connect to an actor who was in a movie with Bacon.

The connection between the Red Wings championship aura and the Lightning championship aura requires only four degrees of separation. 

This is how they connect: In 1982, Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch hired Jim Devellano to be Red Wing general manager. He mentored Devellano. A year later, Devellano drafted Steve Yzerman and then hired Ken Holland. The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 1997 with Yzerman at captain. A month later, Devellano accepted a promotion and Holland was named GM. The Red Wings repeated in 1998.

Yzerman was Holland’s protege

Several years later, Yzerman retired and joins Holland’s management team. Yzerman trains under Holland to be a general manager. In 2010, he accepted the job as Tampa Bay’s GM. He hired Julien BriseBois to be his assistant and mentored him. The Lightning win in 2020 and have a good chance of winning again.

But Devellano wasn’t the favorite, at least not at first. If Devellano wasn’t hired, it would have changed history

Devellano recalls Ilitch saying his final list included Pat Quinn, Red Berenson, Ron Mason, David Poile and Devellano.

Mason was Michigan State’s coach. The Blues had fired Berenson as coach. The Flyers had fired Quinn. Poile was a rising young executive for the Calgary Flames, who had recently moved from Atlanta.

Devellano worked as New York Islanders GM Bill Torrey’s protege. But he thought he was up against a tough field.  

Ilitch spent time with Poile

Poile recalls an in-person interview with Ilitch.  But he came away believing Ilitch was more interested in his ideas for changing the team than hiring him.

Poile’s read was on target. Ilitch told Devellano years later that Devellano emerged as the favorite after Ilitch started comparing candidates.

Devellano noted to Ilitch that he had been up against  a group with impressive credentials. “But none of them had won the Stanley Cup,” Ilitch said. 

The Red Wings hired Devellano after the Islanders won their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship. So with a fifth degree of separation, you can take the Lightning’s repeat quest back to Islanders’ dynasty. The Lightning are playing the Islanders now in the semifinals.

The post Four degrees of separation between Red Wings and Lightning’s winning ways appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.