from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,
"That was a goalie win," Lalonde said of goaltender Alex Lyon, who made 37 saves and looked like the Alex Lyon from earlier in the season with his poise, confidence and competitiveness in net. "I know we shut them out five-on-five, but that's a high-end offensive team. We blocked shots (27), did good things in the hard-scoring area.
"But that was a strong performance by him, and we needed it. He was our best player in the third period. That team had some looks and some real good looks, that he kept out of the net."...
Lyon feels the Wings are getting increasingly comfortable in these sort of high-pressure, season-defining games.
"For sure," Lyon said. "It's always a learning experience, a lot of the guys in our room have played in big games. It's muscle memory and it's brain memory and kind of the way you're thinking and feeling, and the more you expose yourself to it, it's like anything else, you get better at it."...
The Wings blocked 27 shots Sunday, with Moritz Seider's 10 blocks totalling more than the Sabres had as a team (nine).
It's a statistic Lalonde enjoyed hearing and feels is important for a winning team.
"A little of that is them having the puck in the third (period) and especially the goalie pull situation but it's our willigness to do it," Lalonde said. "Winning is hard and we're finding out how hard it is. It's real hockey, it's the NHL, and it's always tough but this is next level type of stuff.
"Our guys stepped up."...
Raymond's goal and assist, along with a team-leading five shots and two takeaways in over 21 minutes of ice time has been indicative of his recent play.
"You can see guys elevating (their play) and Raymond has been unbelievable," Lalonde said. "You could see Raymond building in the last two years I've been here, the whole package. Now he's driving us in these big games."
more ($)
Below catch the extended game highlights.
from Max Bultman of The Athletic,
In the waning moments of a must-have game in a playoff race, here is what the Detroit Red Wings lineup looked like: Dylan Larkin, J.T. Compher, Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson.
Two of those players are under 23 years old. The other turned 23 yesterday. One has only been on the team for the last three weeks.
Set that same scene a year or two ago, and the takeaway would have been a glimpse of the Red Wings future. Back then, the future was all there was around here. But Sunday, with Detroit clinging to a 3-1 lead over the Buffalo Sabres, it was very much about the now. With Seiders usual partner Ben Chiarot in the box, it was those five players whom Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde entrusted with the moment.
And heres the key: Not a soul would have argued it....
Edvinsson was Detroits 2021 first-round pick and, until last month, had spent nearly the entire season in Grand Rapids. Seeing him play now, in a top-four role, it only gets more mystifying as to why a call-up took so long. But he is up now, and hes playing a huge role in the biggest moments of Detroits season.
Lalonde acknowledged after the game that whatever he might have expected from the 21-year-old when the team called him up in March, Edvinsson has exceeded it. That doesnt mean its seamless, as the Red Wings staff still gets a little itchy watching Edvinsson get in on the forecheck as a defenseman and his poise with the puck can be a double-edged sword.
The ice time, though, speaks for itself: At five-on-five Sunday, only Chiarot and Seider were counted on more.
Hes great with the puck, but I probably didnt give him (enough) credit (for) how hard he is defensively. And hes doing a great job. You can see (assistant coach Bob Boughner)s trusted him in a lot of situations. Hes playing in the top four and youre playing Tampa, youre playing Buffalo, youre playing the Rangers thats a whole different world top six that hes up against. So hes done a really good job, and hopefully we can keep building it.
Whichever way this race turns out, games like these are the ones the Red Wings will point to in terms of how they learned to play when the stakes are high.
But again: This year, Detroit does not yet have to defer those conclusions to the future. It all matters right now. And this young trio is showing its ready for all these moments entail.
more ($) on Seider and Raymond...
Lyon was the reason they won, but not a good game plan for success.🧐
I would say a majority of the wins this season has been "Goalie Wins". What do you think BF? 🙃
You are probably right.😋
Pick up a point ahead of Caps today and leap over Pens, at least until tomorrow.
Cool Hand Luke is nailing down extension $$ equal to Seider probably. Expect theyll be similar. Have to shed some dollars maybe, the long term Copp thing is there although not as bad as the Holl deal, except longer. I havent looked specifically at numbers and years because they will figure it out, and Im just not very bright.
Would love to see the wings get in the playoffs if for no reason then to reward Kane for wanting to come here. Other than the network broadcast today, anymore no one is even talking about his minutes or coming off of surgery, just expecting him to contribute 16 to 18 minutes a night.
where would this team be without Lyon. his numbers arent even that dominant, but very good when you consider whos in front of him. team isnt exactly a lockdown operation.
from Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News,
No time to waste, no points to squander. The Wings handled it quickly Sunday, scoring three times in the first eight minutes and holding off Buffalo, 3-1. They absolutely had to have this one, against another playoff contender. One layer of pressure lifted, five thicker games remaining.
As the Wings left Little Caesars Arena, they were straddling the playoff cut line, bunched with five teams two or three points apart. The Wings (84 points) created some separation from the Sabres (79), but are nowhere near in the clear. The Capitals (82 points) come to LCA next, on Tuesday. Then the Wings go to Pittsburgh (83) and Toronto, and close with two games against Montreal. The Islanders and Flyers are also in the mix.
Every time it looks too daunting, the Wings get some help. Every time it looks doable, they slip up. Id put their playoff chances at precisely 50-50 right now, and I reserve the right to change it every 24 hours. Its hard to predict how a team that hasnt made the playoffs the past seven years will handle the heat.
Were slowly gobbling some points, keeping ourselves in the fight, Derek Lalonde said. Weve been getting some help around the league, but it comes to the point where we have to take care of ourselves.
his is how you take care of it. You get your captain, Dylan Larkin, back from injury to reignite the offense, with eight points in his past eight games. You get your goalie, Alex Lyon, back to form and he stones the desperate Sabres, who fired 38 shots. You get your defensemen sacrificing legs and liberty to deflect shots, led by Moritz Seider, who blocked 10 Sunday.
After Mondays much-anticipated eclipse, the next one isnt expected for 20 years. The Wings next playoff push will come sooner than that (I promise), and while theyve been stuck on the rebuild treadmill, its an upward incline. Before the season, they were considered a playoff longshot. Then they went and built an eight-point cushion, and by late-February had the faint look of a lock.
No such thing in the wild Eastern Conference. If the Wings dont make the playoffs now, it would be a disappointment, not a disaster. But this is the last year we can honestly say that. Steve Yzerman has plugged the road to the future with veterans such as Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, David Perron, Christian Fischer and others, and now its time for the core guys to anchor it.
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