from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,
When he skated out to face the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday afternoon, Detroit Red Wings goalie Ville Husso had never faced a penalty shot as an NHL netminder. Two games later, he’s two-for-two saving penalty shots.
This season, Husso is doing things he’s never done before as an NHLer. And thanks to him, the Red Wings are remaining within striking distance of achieving an objective that’s proven elusive to them over the past six seasons – qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“Like always, he gave us a chance to win, played solid and I guess at the end he wanted to be centerpiece of the action,” Detroit center Pius Suter was joking with Bally Sports in a post-game interview....
Husso is 10-0-1 this season when making 32-or-more saves.
It would be relatively easy to make a case of captain Dylan Larkin as MVP of the Red Wings. Scoring twice for the second straight game on Monday, he’s definitely driving the bus for Detroit offensively.
That being the case, no player is as vital this season to Detroit’s cause as Husso. He won his 20th game of the season on Monday. The Red Wings are 20-12-5 with him in the net, a .608 points percentage.
from Max Bultman of The Athletic,
It can be tough to pinpoint when exactly things are going to click for a young hockey player.
For Simon Edvinsson, its still probably too soon to declare that time now. But after some ups and downs in his transition to North America this fall, the Red Wings 2021 No. 6 pick has started to surge with the AHL Griffins of late.
When its (not) clicking, you try to figure out what to do for it to click, otherwise you would play good all the time, Edvinsson said. But I feel like I had a good talk with Detroit about my game, like how I want to play. And they gave me some input on it and how I can make it easier to come to that level that I want to play. And since then, I feel like I (have started) to realize like, (the) North American hockey style, I guess.
Among the improvements Edvinsson has noticed in his game after that midseason talk with the Red Wings brass which he said included Niklas Kronwall, Dan Cleary, Shawn Horcoff and Steve Yzerman he has been playing more easy, like I dont take high risks in my game when I dont need to. They also talked about physicality and about playing the puck.
I feel like now, when I play like that, I dont go out and think how to play hockey, I just go out and play, Edvinsson said. I feel like Im back to that level that I (was) last year. I feel, like, even better.
That should be music to the Red Wings ears.
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