from Nate Brown of Detroit Hockey Now,
Detroit Red Wings forward Joe Veleno knows that his team is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. But it doesn’t take away from them leaving everything on the ice when they head to Tampa Thursday.
“Obviously we want to put it all on the line,” Veleno told Trevor Thompson on Bally Sports Detroit. “We know we’re not making the playoffs. I think we gotta come out and finish the year off on a good note, on a positive note. I think we all want that, we want to show some pride.”
The pride has been hit a bit with Detroit surrendering 10 goals in its last two contests, and currently sliding into the season finale on a four-game losing streak. Fans keeping close notes on the draft lottery standings might be hoping for some luck as Detroit currently sits tenth, which garners a 3.5% shot at the #1 pick.
But if both Washington and Vancouver win either of their final games while Detroit loses, the Red Wings chances shimmy up to a 6% chance of winning the lottery.
Over the summer: fix the leaks in the goaltending, fix the soft D, find some more offense, somehow, someway, or you will be looking up at Buffalo and Ottawa next April
yes, Buffalo has some great top end talent.
The Oilers have won eight straight, they’re 18-2-1 since GM Ken Holland’s trade for Mattias Ekholm, and they’ve allowed four goals total in their past six games — never more than one in a single game.
The Wings have allowed 22 goals in 4 games, never LESS than 4 in one game.
Lombardi, 19, skated in 67 games with the Firebirds this season and ranked among the team leaders with 45 goals (1st), 57 assists (1st), 102 points (1st), a plus-23 rating (2nd), 10 power play goals (1st), 24 power play points (1st), two shorthanded goals (T3rd), five game-winning goals (1st) and 207 shots (2nd). The 5-foot-10, 165-pound center finished third in the OHL’s scoring race and became the first player in franchise history to reach the 100-point plateau. Lombardi also recorded seven points (5-2-7) in seven postseason contests. Selected by the Red Wings in the fourth round (113th overall) of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Lombardi signed a three-year entry-level contract with the organization on Dec. 23, 2022. Lombardi spent the 2021-22 season with Flint, tallying 59 points (18-41-59), a plus-nine rating and 24 penalty minutes in 67 games during his first major junior campaign. He also collected 15 points (7-8-15) and six penalty minutes in 19 postseason matchups as the Firebirds reached the Western Conference Final for the first time in franchise history. In total, Lombardi accumulated 161 points (63-98-161), a plus-32 rating and 42 penalty minutes in 134 regular-season games with the Firebirds from 2021-23, in addition to 22 points (12-10-22) in 26 playoff appearances.
A native of Aurora, Ont., Lombardi was originally chosen by the Firebirds in the 13th round (245th overall) of the 2019 OHL Priority Selection. He did not see game action in 2020-21 due to the cancellation of the OHL season. Prior to his major junior career, Lombardi developed with the Toronto Titans AAA program in the Greater Toronto Hockey League. He racked up 37 points (13-24-37) in 33 GTHL appearances with the Titans at the under-18 level during the 2019-20 season, and also logged one assist in six games with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. Lombardi previously notched 27 points (13-14-27) in 38 GTHL contests with the Titans' under-16 squad in 2018-19.
Create an Account
In order to leave a comment, please create an account.