from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,
Around 11 a.m., the team found out that Friday's game at the Ottawa Senators was postponed because of winter weather. That meant that instead of a practicing and going to the airport, coach Derek Lalonde instead had players go through a good hour-long practice that included a three-on-three game and a bag skate. At the end, as players circled mid-ice to stretch, Lalonde stood on the center dot, tapped his stick, and told everyone to, "enjoy the break."...
"You get an extra day in the Christmas break, which is nice," Ville Husso said. "It's nice to stay home and spend time with the family and just relax."
He is among the many who will benefit from the extra day of rest and relaxation; others include Dylan Larkin, who is dealing with a sore right hand, and — well, pretty much everyone who has been playing regularly, because that doesn't come without bumps and bruises.
It's a little different for Jakub Vrana, who only just a week ago returned to the team after spending two months in the players assistance program. There was a sweet little scene after the three-on-three game, when he scored to give the white shirts a victory, and was surrounded by happy teammates.
"It's nice to see him having fun again," Husso said. "You can see that little smile on his face. Good for him, nice to see that he scored."
read on ($)
from Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now,
The Grand Rapids Griffins pulled off a hockey version of a Christmas miracle when they overcame a four-goal deficit to beat the Chicago Wolves 8-7 in overtime Thursday night.
That is the second-most goals the Griffins have given up and still won the game. In 2010, the Griffins won a 10-8 game over the Wolves.
We told readers two days ago that Christmas came early for the Griffins when Austin Czarnik was returned to the team and the Red Wings traded for Danny ORegan. Both of those players contributed four points to the the Griffins. ORegan had two goals and two assists. Czarnik scored the game-winner 16 seconds into OT. Steven Kampfer, recently sent back to Grand Rapids, also had four assists.
Offensive heroics were needed. It was because 2021 first-round pick Sebastian Cossa had a night to forget. Cossa gave up six goals on 13 shots in the first period.The Wolves built a 6-2 lead. Jussi Olkinuora replaced Cossa.
continued
In once Detroit related news, Givani Smith recalled today by the Panthers,
He will play tonight per Paul Maurice.
via Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News ($),
Lalonde is hopeful that an extra day off, and this long weekend in general, will help Larkin, who is playing through some sort of hand injury. Larkin scored two goals against Tampa, so the discomfort isn't overwhelming him.
"When it (the injury) happened, the doctor was like he may play the next game or be out for eight weeks, so it was a little bit of an unknown," Lalonde said. "The fact he's played and played at a pretty good level is a positive."
DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings today signed center Amadeus Lombardi to a three-year entry-level contract.
Lombardi, 19, is currently in his second season with the Ontario Hockey League's Flint Firebirds, where he ranks among the team leaders with 21 goals (1st), 23 assists (1st), 44 points (1st), a plus-10 rating (4th), five power play goals (T1st), one shorthanded goal (T3rd), three game-winning goals (T1st) and 80 shots (T4th) in 31 games. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound center made his major junior debut with the Firebirds in 2021-22, recording 59 points (18-41-59), 24 penalty minutes and a plus-nine rating in 74 appearances. He also tallied 15 points (7-8-15) and six penalty minutes in 19 postseason contests to help the Firebirds reach the Western Conference Final for the first time since the franchise relocated from Plymouth. Lombardi did not see game action in 2020-21 due to the cancelation of the OHL season.
Originally selected by the Red Wings in the fourth round (113th overall) of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Lombardi developed with the Toronto Titans AAA program in the Greater Toronto Hockey League before starting his major junior career. The Aurora, Ontario, native registered 37 points (13-24-37) in 33 games for the Titans at the under-18 level during the 2019-20 season, in addition to one assist in six appearances with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. He also logged 27 points (13-14-27) in 33 GTHL contests with the Titans' under-16 squad in 2018-19.
Amadeus Lombardi, Center
Born Jun 5 2003 -- Aurora, ONT
Height 5.10 -- Weight 165 -- Shoots L
Selected by Detroit Red Wings round 4 #113 overall 2022 NHL Entry Draft
Signing Amadeus. That Rocks.
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