from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

Several blowout losses aside, the Detroit Red Wings are better defensively than they were last season. It is the one area in which they have improved.

That wasn’t apparent, however, from their rash of fundamental defensive mistakes in Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.

Blown coverage allowed the Stars unfettered access to the area in front of the Detroit net, leading to three goals. Another was the result of a turnover. Dallas capped the night with an empty-net goal.

“I think this crew has been pretty good defensively. We haven’t given up many Grade A (scoring opportunities) compared to the rest of the league,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “Tonight, I thought we were terrible defensively in those situations. We competed like crazy in the offensive zone. We were on them. We worked hard. Then they came down and we gave easy goals away. We have to be a great defensive team. What happened tonight isn’t good enough.”

continued

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

THREE HARD LAPS

* The Penguins achieved a first-of-its-kind NHL win after withstanding a six-goal, third-period rally by the Devils.

* Spencer Knight, the first goaltender born in the 2000s to appear in an NHL game, turned aside 33 of 34 shots to earn a win in his League debut.

* The League-leading Golden Knights look to extend their lengthy winning streak in the second half of an NBCSN doubleheader.

The Wngs failed to start the game on time and found themselves down 3-0 after 20 minutes.

Dallas basically sat on the lead and won 5-2.

Detroit goals are below.

Team Stats

added 11:48pm, Below, find a mix of media post game. added11:59pm, Sam Gagner and Jeff Blashill in one video, watch below.

Trouba has not returned.

This is a very quick turnaround. Two games in two nights makes for at least one tired team. Yesterday's game wasn't too bad. It was kind of boring actually. The good news is, the home stretch is in sight, and we'll soon be able to forget about another awful season.

It's a Live Blog!

via the Bob McGown podcast YouTube page,

NBC hockey insider, PIERRE MCGUIRE joins the podcast to let Bob and John know why Sidney Crosby is the most disrespected superstar in the NHL. That leads the gentleman to discuss the top talents in the league, and who is at the top of Pierre's list when it comes to the greatest hockey player playing in the NHL today.

The three also chat about how the size of goaltenders equipment has gotten out of hand, the shelf life of an NHL coach today and Pierre informs us as to why thinks having playoff experience isn't going to make or break your post season performance.

Watch the 46 minutes show below.

NEW YORK (April 20, 2021) – “While we hope the end of the trial offers a chance for healing, we remain committed to actively engaging in the movement for equality and we invite our fans to join us in supporting systemic change.”

from Frank Seravalli of TSN,

On the night Patrick Marleau made history, Connor McDavid offered yet a reminder that his shortened season may be history in the making.

McDavid scooped up a loose puck just inside the Edmonton Oilers’ blueline, fired up the jet packs and picked his way through two Canadiens defenders – including one (Jeff Petry) who will receive Norris Trophy votes this season – to break open a tied game with less than five minutes to play.

Another three-point third period? Yawn. That was McDavid’s league-leading 130th end-to-end rush, according to Sportlogiq, some 28 more than New York Islanders centre Mathew Barzal, the NHL’s next closest player.

“I’m never really afraid to take on two defenders,” McDavid told reporters postgame. “It can get me into trouble sometimes … [but] I was able to get it in good stride and I was just trying to make a play.”

Yes, the greatness of hockey’s most highly evolved player is on display with such regularity that we’ve run out of superlatives to describe McDavid. Nights like Monday, when No. 97 takes a game over, have become routine.

continued

Witness another great goal from McDavid below.

Just over three minutes.

On Blashill, "his contact expires after this season, has had a lot of good conversations with Steve Yzerman, the general manager over the year. They are going to wait until the season ends and then they'll address his situation..."

Joe Micheletti's exact words. He said nothing about a new contract but you decide.

The 'blah' feeling I was experiencing today has been replaced with just get the job done.

So we have Luke Glendening and Jeff Blashill up first and below find the game highlights.

Congrats Patrick Marleau. If Gordie Howe was still around, he would have been the first to shake your hand, of course followed by a sneaky elbow to the ribs.

added 10:31pm, Below a longer version with Randy Hahn, the TV voice of the San Jose Sharks.

I've been fighting a 'blah' feeling all day and it would be unfair for me to do the recap of a Detroit 3-2 shootout loss.

Detroit goals are below, called by the Dallas Stars broadcasting crew.

Team stats and the post game media talk will be posted either late night when most of you are sleeping or early in the moring when most of you are still sleeping.

See you tomorrow at 8:30pm ET, same teams, different channel

No, I'm not quoting scripture here, but, to Red Wings fans this day marked the return of one of our own. Two years ago today, one Steven Gregory Yzerman returned home where we believe he belongs. No, he hasn't changed water into wine. In fact, since his return Wings fans still have plenty of whine. Those expecting miracles will just have to slow it down a notch or two, keep the faith, and, trust the Yzerplan.

In his short tenure as GM he has made a few trades, delt a player who was once considered untouchable, and most importantly, garnered a ton of picks in order to build a viable, competitive, shot at a Stanley Cup team. No one in their right mind should think this rebuild was going to happen overnight. Oh, did I mention there's a pandemic to boot, so try working around that obstacle.

Needless to say, we're still here, all 19 of us. Through thick or thin, and as far as I can tell, we're all in.

It's a Live Blog!

Three minutes worth of top goals.

NEW YORK (April 19, 2021) – Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center RN Michaela Pastorius have been named the NHL’s “First Stars” for the week ending April 18.

Throughout the 2020-21 season the NHL is celebrating the remarkable efforts of the off-ice stars who make it possible for us to play our games amid a pandemic by honoring frontline healthcare heroes from the regions represented by the League’s weekly and monthly “Stars.”

Pastorius works as a nurse at Buffalo’s Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, where just a few years ago she was walking the same halls as a patient battling a cancer diagnosis. Pastorius put nursing school on hold while going through treatment, but vowed to finish her degree and now works alongside the nurses who once cared for her as a patient.

The inpatient unit at Roswell Park where Pastorius works – known as 6West – is typically for cancer patients with solid tumors, but has become a designated COVID-19 space over the past year. Pastorius understands what these patients are going through and brings a positive attitude to the floor despite the incredibly challenging and emotional experience of the pandemic on both patients and staff.

"When I was going through inpatient chemotherapy at Roswell Park, the Buffalo Sabres gave me motivation to continue fighting,” Pastorius says. “The amount of support the Sabres show for Roswell and its patients felt personal to me since I am such a big fan . . . The appreciation I had and still have for their support is bottomless.”

Rounding out the “Three Stars” of the week are New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin and Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone. More on each NHL player’s performance can be found below:

Blashill says Joe Veleno on the trip but won't play in either game in Dallas.

from Bob McKenzie of TSN,

The TSN Mid-Season 2021 NHL Draft Rankings have become a Power Ranking.

As in, Owen Power.

It’s unanimous - 10 out of 10 NHL scouts surveyed by TSN have the 6-foot-5 1/2 University of Michigan freshman defenceman at No. 1. The Mississauga, Ont., native has solidified and enhanced his No. 1 standing from last fall’s preseason rankings, when only four of those same 10 scouts had him ranked first overall.

That said, it should be noted that Power’s No. 1 status on draft day is not an absolute lock. His mantle is not unassailable. Most of the scouts who ranked him first do allow for the possibility he could still be challenged for top spot and a name other than Power could be called out on July 23.

He is, however, the consensus favourite.

“I don’t know what percentage number you would want to put on it,” said one scout, “60, 70 per cent? I’m not sure. It’s certainly more than 50 per cent, but this is not a draft where there’s one dominant prospect who is the unquestioned No. 1 choice. I mean, it’s close enough between Power and the other top guys that you couldn’t rule out someone else. There are some defencemen who could still challenge him and if the team picking first overall this year really wants or needs a forward, well, there are a couple of forwards who could still be [viable options at] No. 1.”

It’s a draft year like no other.

continued, with 100 names on the list...

from Max Bultman of The Athletic,

Unsatisfying as it may be, Yzerman’s Day 1 decision to not set a timetable was probably for the best. Because while the Red Wings are finally starting to see some fruits of the rebuild (in Zadina, Rasmussen, and soon, Seider), their odds of making the playoffs next season are no better than they were the day Yzerman took over. Moving players like Mantha certainly doesn’t speed up the path to the postseason, and it may well delay it.

More hard years await. And while the arrival of players like Seider and Raymond, on top of growth from the existing core, should result in positive momentum, Detroit can’t expect a neat, step-by-step ascent from the bottom to the middle to the top.

In all likelihood, Detroit will remain at the bottom of the pack next season, barring a major unexpected push this offseason. Even a 2023 playoff berth seems too ambitious at this stage.

Both as the captain of the Red Wings’ last great era and as the architect of the NHL’s current juggernaut in Tampa Bay, Yzerman has built up the credibility to ask for that kind of patience in Detroit. When he said there was a lot of work to do on Day 1, he meant it. And two years later, it looks like he was right.

What’s jarring as his tenure enters Year 3, though, is how much work still seems to remain, and just how long it might take to accomplish.

much more (paid)

Watch the incident below.

update 4:15pm, Suspended 2 games for kneeing.

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

Stock up

Michael Rasmussen

Rasmussen had a goal and two assists last week, tallying his second multipoint game of the season when he contributed two assists April 12 at the Hurricanes. (His first was Jan. 28 against the Stars). Rasmussen, a first-round pick in 2017, is noticeable every game for how he uses his big body to protect the puck, or drive to the net for a scoring opportunity. He led his team with six shots on net Saturday and nearly scored. He’s playing with so much confidence, and the improvement from even the start of the season is remarkable.

Jakub Vrana

What a debut for the trade-deadline acquisition: Out of the penalty box and straight up the ice for the winning goal. Vrana looks like he can be a good fit — he has won puck battles, and gone to hard areas. As his comfort level with new teammates grows, and as he finds chemistry on a new line, Vrana could be a bright spot over the final 10 games.

Stock down

Dennis Cholowski

The first time the 2016 first-round pick was called up this season, he appeared in two games before being sent back down. He has been up again since April 10, with steadily growing minutes — and no points. Saturday, he played 21:19, and 5:14 of that was power-play time. That’s the area where Cholowski, 23, needs to make an impact if he’s to gain traction. He’s an NHL-caliber skater, but needs to be more assertive with the puck.

more ($$$), no other players in the down section, also in the up are Stecher and DeKeyser.

THREE HARD LAPS

* History will be made when Sharks forward Patrick Marleau steps on the ice tonight at T-Mobile Arena.

* Braden Holtby made a season-high 37 saves and Vancouver scored three unanswered goals – bookended by tallies from Bo Horvat – to rally past Toronto in its return to action.

* The Islanders and Flyers required overtime in six contests during their eight-game season series, which concluded on Sunday.