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Line Changes As Tyler Bertuzzi Returns

11/15/2022 at 7:04am EST

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

Coach Derek Lalonde confirmed Tyler Bertuzzi will be back in the lineup Tuesday when the Wings face the Ducks at Honda Center, giving the Wings a shot in the arm as they try to nip a three-game slide. Bertuzzi practiced on a line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, reuniting a trio that has clicked since last season. Getting back Bertuzzi, who has been out since suffering a broken hand in the second game of the season, gives the Wings better options for shaping their lines and creating more potential for scoring.

Lalonde had David Perron practice with Joe Veleno and Jonatan Berggren to see if that's a grouping that could click. Veleno and Berggren have played together two games since Berggren was called up last week, and in Saturday's game against the Kings, it was their group that got the Wings going with an energetic shift four minutes into the first period.

"That’s part of our role, and with every shift that we get, we want to make the most out of it," Veleno said. The last two games it’s been really good and we just need more of that energy coming."

Veleno and Berggren have chemistry going back to being teammates with the Grand Rapids Griffins (and, as Veleno likes to tell it, he also served as Berggren and Raymond's chauffeur while they were all at development camp together in 2021), and part of the energy they provide is from being able to make plays with the puck.

"We want to create as much as we can," Veleno said. "We talk to each other, we’ve played with each other, I think it makes everything smoother. We’ve been really good with every chance we get, we just want to make the most out of it."...

The other lines had Andrew Copp with Kubalik and Oskar Sundqvist, and Michael Rasmussen with Pius Suter and Adam Erne. Defenseman Gustav Lindstrom is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, and defenseman Jake Walman could make his season debut after recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

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Paul

from Max Bultman of The Athletic,

I think hes been playing really good, Lucas Raymond said Monday afternoon in Anaheim. Hes super skilled, he has a lot of tools and great skating. I think hes been looking good.

And while Berggrens arrival may have been the product of circumstance, it also may prove to be the perfect time. Detroit is a team reeling for five-on-five offense, entering Monday with the second-fewest five-on-five expected goals for per 60 minutes in the league. That just happens to be one of the things Berggren does best. Raymond said it best, hes super skilled, bringing slick moves and creative playmaking at a high pace.

Tuesday, the Red Wings will also get back one of their best scorers Tyler Bertuzzi, who missed the last month with a broken hand. Mondays practice saw Bertuzzi skating in his usual place alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, and Berggren paired up with Joe Veleno and David Perron on the most offensively-skilled third line Detroit has had in some time.

Lalonde cautioned that he wasnt sure if they would go with that trio tomorrow, but the fact Detroits even looking at that combination says something.

You look back, those were two of our better players (Berggren and Veleno) in our last game, Lalonde said. I know its maybe a little different matchups, but theyre generating offense because theyre working, theyre playing fast. So the look today was (to) give two guys that have been playing well an offensive player (on their line). Its just kind of a little bit of a reward for them, and kind of wanted to see how it looked today.

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Wingding

Berggren is already better than Zadina.

retrospecdWingding

By miles. It's not even close.

Zadina is a 4th liner and a 3rd liner on his best day.

Seider cannot play nearly as well under the new coach/system.

He is spending far too much time concerned about blocking shots and passing way too much on the PP and 5v5.

dca

Andrew Copp with Kubalik and Oskar Sundqvist

I would much rather have Perron on that line.

Berggren = assist man while Zadina was supposed to be a sniper. You won't be able to judge his season due to the nature of the injury (while blocking a shot). The Wings challenged him to make the right plays and part of that was being more defensive minded in his own end and limiting turnovers on the other end. I've been calling for a trade now for a full season and a month of this season--but that isn't going to happen now. Might as well face facts: his contract is cheap, and he's signed for two more years going forward.

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