from Ansar Khan of Mlive,
Lucas Raymond was having a strong, bounce-back season for the Detroit Red Wings. Then he elevated to a higher plane Thursday in the most important game of the season.
Raymond was the driver in the first period, scoring twice. He was clutch in the final seven minutes, setting up Dylan Larkin’s goal and notching the game-tying tally to complete his second career hat trick.
The Pittsburgh Penguins won 6-5 in overtime, but the Red Wings’ point could loom large as the playoff race wraps up over the next few days.
Even if the Red Wings don’t make it in, Raymond has displayed the skills and fortitude of a young player emerging as a star.
“He showed some stones tonight to play the way he played in a game like that,” Larkin told reporters after the game. “He was the best player on the ice with some world-class players. That’s how you show up and play in a game like that. For a young guy to do that, it’s unbelievable.
“I think the way Lucas played tonight, if you’re looking at a step in his career, then that’s a performance that I’m very impressed by. I think that was a good statement to the hockey world.”
from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,
The old saying is that a tie is like kissing your sister but if it comes to NHL postseason tiebreaking scenarios, the Detroit Red Wings might as well kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.
Looking though the tiebreaking situations the league would employ to break any deadlocks between two or more teams, the Red Wings come out on the short end of the equation.
Currently, the Pittsburgh Penguins are sitting in the cat birds seat for the final Eastern Conference wild card with 86 points. Detroit, the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers all have 85 points.
All four teams are in action on Saturday. Detroit is playing at the Toronto Maple Leafs. Every team save the Flyers show three games remaining on their schedules. Philadelphia is left with just two games to play.
continued
Most, if not all fans knew they were not making the playoffs. Better and more fun season to watch. The off-season is the highlight. What does Steve Yzerman do with this roster?
There are varying issues:
1) goaltending.
2) better defensemen.
3) add more youth.
4) keep Edvinsson on the big club.
5) makes some trades.
6) buyout a player.
7) do not overly sign too many vets or midfielders.
8) start drafting more forwards.
9) whoever is added, make sure they are tougher than what we have.
-Dakota Joshua perhaps?
-Tanev or Roy?
-Necas or Zegras in a trade?
Raymond, the Red Wings highest pick since 1990 (fourth overall in 2020)
It's pretty shocking to think that #4 is the highest pick the Wings have had in 34 fricking years (in spite of finishing last by a mile in 2020). There was a four-year period around that time when the Wings dropped a total of 11 out of a possible 12 spots in the draft lottery. That stinks of more than just "bad luck."
Having said that, Yzerman still came away with the likes of Seider, Raymond and Edvinsson in those drafts. Pretty damn impressive when you think about it.
As for Raymond, he's done everything a team could ask for -- and more. It'll be interesting to see how much that translates into term and dollar amount this summer. I'm not even going to guess what that might be.
At this point, Raymond is a perfect role model for Berggren to follow. I watched the Griffins game on local TV last night, and while Burgers showed a feistier side to his game, he also showed that he needs to put in a lot of work when it comes to managing the puck and making smart decisions with it. If the Wings think he can do that, he'll be in Detroit next year. If they think he can't, he'll probably be gone at some point this summer.
Remember, we got Raymond when we picked fourth. We missed on Stutzle but Raymond is looking good. Colorado also picked Makar 4th. So, not winning the lottery isn't the worst thing to happen, unless you lose out on Lemiuex, McDavid, MacKinnon, Ovechkin, Crosby, or Matthews. The league is full of "elite" players who weren't picked first. We got Yzerman 4th.
And that's why I said, "Yzerman still came away with the likes of Seider, Raymond and Edvinsson in those drafts. Pretty damn impressive when you think about it."
What is interesting in those names is they are the only draft picks, since 2019, that are playing with the big club. :-(
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