Patrik Nemeth

WATCH LIVE: Bruins visit Red Wings on NBC

By Sean LeahyFeb 9, 2020, 12:05 PM EST

NBC’s coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with Sunday’s matchup between the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. Coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.

After beating Buffalo on Thursday to snap a nine-game losing streak, the Red Wings lost 2-0 at Columbus on Friday. Detroit was outshot 44-16 against Columbus, the second time in the past three games that the Red Wings have been held to just 16 shots. They have now been shut out in three of their last four games.

The Red Wings, perennial contenders during their recent 25-season playoff streak, are headed towards missing the postseason for the fourth straight year. They are currently in their longest playoff drought since 1979 to 1983, when they missed the postseason in five straight seasons.

The Bruins have won six straight games, outscoring their opponents 21-7. It is their third winning streak of at least six games this season. They have the best defense in the NHL this season, allowing 2.38 goals/game. They have allowed two or fewer goals in each of their last six games during this current winning streak.

David Pastrnak has 38 goals this season (3rd in NHL). However, Pastrnak has just one goal in his last six games as he looks to become the first Bruin to score 40 goals in a season since Glen Murray in 2002-03 (44 goals). Pastrnak, who held a four-goal lead over Auston Matthews as the top scorer in the league on January 12, now sits two goals behind both Matthews and Alex Ovechkin (40 goals).

With Tuukka Rask playing against Arizona on Saturday, Jaroslav Halak is set to start against Detroit. Halak has been excellent as Rask’s backup, going 14-6-6 with a 2.36 GAA and .921 SV% this season.

[COVERAGE BEGINS AT 12:30 P.M. ET ON NBC]

WHAT: Boston Bruins at Detroit Red Wings
WHERE: Little Caesars Arena
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 9, 12:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
LIVE STREAM: You can watch the Bruins-Red Wings stream on NBC Sports’ live stream page and the NBC Sports app.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

BRUINS
Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk – David Krejci – Karson Kuhlman
Sean Kuraly – Charlie Coyle – Anders Bjork
Anton Blidh – Par Lindholm – Chris Wagner

Zdeno Chara – Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug – Brandon Carlo
Matt Grzelcyk – John Moore

Starting goalie: Tuukka Rask

RED WINGS
Justin Abdelkader – Dylan Larkin – Robby Fabbri
Tyler Bertuzzi – Valtteri Filppula – Brendan Perlini
Taro Hirose – Andreas Athanasiou – Luke Glendening
Adam Erne – Christoffer Ehn – Givani Smith

Patrik Nemeth – Alex Biega
Madison Bowey – Filip Hronek
Trevor Daley – Gustav Lindstrom

Starting goalie: Jonathan Bernier

Mike Emrick and Brian Boucher will call the matchup from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. Kathryn Tappen hosts studio coverage with Mike Milbury and Keith Jones.

WATCH LIVE: Flyers visit Red Wings on NBCSN

By Sean LeahyFeb 3, 2020, 6:30 PM EST

NBCSN’s coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with Monday’s matchup between the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.

The Flyers currently occupy the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference under new head coach Alain Vigneault. Vigneault, who has led each of his previous two teams (Canucks and Rangers) to the Stanley Cup Final, is turning around a Flyers team that finished 16 points outside the playoffs last season.

Starting goaltender Carter Hart remains out with an abdominal strain that has kept him sidelined since mid-January. While Hart is back skating and could return to action later this week, Brian Elliott and Alex Lyon continue to fill his spot in net. Lyon earned his first win of the season on Saturday, while Elliott has earned points in each of his last five starts (3-0-2). The Flyers are 4-1-1 in their last six games since Hart went down injured.

Detroit has lost 41 of their first 53 games this season, which includes four separate losing streaks of six or more games. Their 28 points on the season are 15 fewer than any other team.

[COVERAGE BEGINS AT 6:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN]

WHAT: Philadelphia Flyers at Detroit Red Wings
WHERE: Little Caesars Arena
WHEN: Monday, Feb. 3, 6:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
LIVE STREAM: You can watch the Flyers-Red Wings stream on NBC Sports’ live stream page and the NBC Sports app.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

FLYERS
James van Riemsdyk – Claude Giroux – Travis Konecny
Joel Farabee – Sean Couturier – Jakub Voracek
Scott Laughton – Kevin Hayes – Tyler Pitlick
Michael Raffl – Connor Bunnaman – Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Ivan Provorov – Matt Niskanen
Travis Sanheim – Philippe Myers
Robert Hagg – Justin Braun

Starting goalie: Brian Elliott

RED WINGS
Tyler Bertuzzi – Dylan Larkin – Andreas Athanasiou
Robby Fabbri – Valtteri Filppula – Brendan Perlini
Darren Helm – Luke Glendening – Adam Erne
Justin Abdelkader – Christoffer Ehn – Givani Smith

Filip Hronek – Dennis Cholowski
Patrik Nemeth – Alex Biega
Trevor Daley – Madison Bowey

Starting goalie: Jonathan Bernier

John Forslund and AJ Mleczko will call the action from Detroit. Paul Burmeister will anchor studio coverage alongside Patrick Sharp and Mike Johnson.

Rangers roll past stumbling Red Wings: 3 takeaways

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By Scott CharlesNov 7, 2019, 12:08 AM EST

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The New York Rangers recorded two power-play goals and one shorthanded tally in a 5-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday Night Hockey.

Tony DeAngelo, Chris Kreider and Ryan Strome each scored in a three-goal second period as the Rangers picked up their fourth win in the previous six outings. Henrik Lundqvist made 35 saves, including 16 in the final frame in his first start since October 27.

Valtteri Filppula scored Detroit’s lone goal, and Jimmy Howard stopped 26 shots but the Red Wings fell to 1-11-1 in their last 13 games after suffering a fourth consecutive loss.

Rangers spread the wealth

The Rangers benefited from a complete team effort against the Red Wings as five different skaters found the back of the net and 11 members of the Blueshirts recorded at least one point.

Three different goal-scorers lit the lamp in an explosive second period, before Greg McKegg and Artemi Panarin sealed the deal in the final frame.

The Rangers appear to be on the right track since an embarrassing loss against the Boston Bruins. The club has picked up impressive victories against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators before a slip up against the Ottawa Senators earlier this week.

Howard falters against the Rangers

Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard has performed at his best against the Rangers throughout his career. He entered the game with a 10-3-3 record against New York coupled with a 1.77 GAA and 0.948 save percentage. Prior to the matchup on Wednesday, the two teams have played one-goal games in 14 of the previous 15 matchups

But on Wednesday, Howard allowed five goals on 31 shots, as the Red Wings’ four-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden was snapped.

The 35-year-old goaltender was born in Syracuse, NY, and grew up a Rangers fan.

Swedish influence lessened in Detroit

When the Red Wings took the ice Wednesday, it was odd to see only two Swedish-born players in the lineup, Christoffer Ehn and Patrik Nemeth. Whether it was Nicklas Lidstrom, Johan Franzen, Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall or others, Detroit always had a strong Swedish influence during an incredible streak of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs 25 straight seasons.

Earlier this week, the final Swedish connection to the 2008 Stanley Cup champion team, Jonathan Ericsson, cleared waivers and will remain within the organization. Darren Helm is the only player on the active roster that was a part of the organization when they hoisted the cup that season.

As Steve Yzerman attempts to help the Red Wings become an elite organization once again, he would be wise to follow the blueprint that was successful the previous few decades.

Note: Following the game on Wednesday, Detroit shipped Jacob De La Rose to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Robby Fabbri.

—

Scott Charles is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @ScottMCharles.

Red Wings vs. Rangers livestream: How to watch Wednesday Night Hockey

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By Sean LeahyNov 6, 2019, 7:00 PM EST

3 Comments

NBCSN’s coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with the Wednesday Night Hockey matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.

These two Original Six teams face off in the first of three meetings this season. Both clubs have been perennial contenders in this era but currently each is mired in a multi-season playoff drought. Neither team has gotten off to a strong start this season – both sitting below .500 as these storied franchises look to return to prominence, rather than extend their non-playoff streaks. Each of the last six meetings have been decided by one goal, including five of those reaching overtime and two being decided in a shootout.

The Red Wings returned home on Monday from a two-game road trip and could not turn things around. Andreas Athanasiou scored his first goal of the season 2:35 into the game but the Predators responded by outscoring the Wings 5-0 in the second period to chase Jimmy Howard (4 GA on 8 shots in 2nd per.) and added another in the third for the five-goal win.

Artemi Panarin, New York’s splashy free-agent signee this past offseason, leads the team in both goals (6) and points (12). His point/gm average is right in line with his last two seasons in Columbus when he set career highs each year. Kaapo Kakko, the second overall pick in last June’s draft, scored on Monday and added an assist for his first career two-point game.

[COVERAGE BEGINS AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN]

WHAT: Detroit Red Wings at New York Rangers
WHERE: Madison Square Garden
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
LIVE STREAM: You can watch the Red Wings-Rangers stream on NBC Sports’ live stream page and the NBC Sports app.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

RED WINGS
Tyler Bertuzzi – Dylan Larkin – Anthony Mantha
Andreas Athanasiou – Valtteri Filppula – Adam Erne
Taro Hirose – Frans Nielsen – Brendan Perlini
Justin Abdelkader – Jacob De La Rose – Darren Helm

Patrik Nemeth – Filip Hronek
Dennis Cholowski – Dylan McIlrath
Joe Hicketts – Madison Bowey

Starting goalie: Jimmy Howard

RANGERS
Artemi Panarin – Ryan Strome – Jesper Fast
Chris Kreider – Filip Chytil – Pavel Buchnevich
Brendan Lemieux – Brett Howden – Kaapo Kakko
Micheal Haley – Greg McKegg – Brendan Smith

Libor Hajek – Jacob Trouba
Brady Skjei – Tony DeAngelo
Marc Staal – Adam Fox

Starting goalie: Henrik Lundqvist

Liam McHugh will host Wednesday’s coverage on NHL Live alongside analysts Jeremy Roenick and Keith Jones and NHL insider Darren Dreger. Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk and Brian Boucher will call Red Wings-Rangers from Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y.

NBC Sports will premiere “The Russian Five” documentary, a feature on the first five Russians to play hockey together in the NHL, Wednesday, November 6, following Wednesday Night Hockey between the Red Wings and Rangers. The documentary tells the story of how Sergei Fedorov, Slava Fetisov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Slava Kozlov, and Igor Larionov were able to defect from their homeland and transform the Detroit Red Wings into perennial contenders and back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions in 1996-97 and 1997-98.

Steve Yzerman wisely avoiding making promises with Red Wings

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Associated PressSep 25, 2019, 3:30 PM EDT

4 Comments

DETROIT — Steve Yzerman is not making any promises about quickly being able to turn around the Detroit Red Wings.

That’s probably a good idea.

Yzerman, who earned a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame for his play in Detroit, is entering his first season as the general manager of a franchise plodding through a rebuilding project.

The Red Wings have failed to make the playoffs for three straight years, following a run of 25 straight postseasons that included four Stanley Cup titles. Detroit’s drought is expected to extend through Yzerman’s debut season in charge of the front office Ken Holland led for two-plus decades.

”It just takes time, ”Yzerman said. ”I can’t tell you in three years we’re going to be this. In five years, we’re going to be this.”

The Red Wings appear to have a handful of promising players, including center Dylan Larkin, but they still seem to be at least another year away from being talented enough to earn a spot in the postseason.

”This is year two or three where we’re pegged to be a bottom-five team in the NHL,” Larkin said. ”To me, that stings a little bit.”

Detroit opens the season Oct. 5 at Nashville.

WHO’S HERE

Yzerman did not attempt to make a splash in free agency, figuring a high-priced free agent wouldn’t suddenly turn the team into a contender. Yzerman did add 35-year-old center Valtteri Filppula, who he signed away from the Red Wings in 2013 when he was leading Tampa Bay after the Finn was drafted and developed in Detroit. Yzerman acquired another familiar face in August, trading a fourth-round pick next year to the Lightning for 24-year-old winger Adam Erne. Patrik Nemeth, who has 250 games of NHL experience, was also signed to bolster the blue line.

WHO’S NOT

Detroit lost some depth on the backend when Niklas Kronwall decided to retire. The team chose not to bring back 35-year-old winger Thomas Vanek, creating more opportunities for younger players. Holland agreed to step down as general manager to clear the way for Yzerman’s hire before leaving to lead Edmonton’s front office.

KEY PLAYERS

Detroit’s top two lines have to be spectacular for this to be a surprising season. Larkin is coming off a career-high, 73-point season. He is expected to center the top line with Anthony Mantha, who had a career-high 25 goals last season, and Tyler Bertuzzi, coming off a career-high, 47-point season. Andreas Athanasiou is back at wing after the speedy player was a center last year and the team needs him to make the transition smooth.

The Red Wings are desperately hoping Mike Green, Trevor Daley and Jonathan Ericsson can stay healthy to make up for the veteran presence lost when Kronwall decided to be an adviser for Yzerman instead of playing for him. They would be pleasantly surprised if 19-year-old winger Filip Zadina, drafted No. 6 overall last year, is ready to contribute on the third line.

Detroit decided to keep a standby in net, signing Jimmy Howard to a one-year contract extension. He has 244 victories since Detroit drafted him in 2003 and he gives the team its best chance to win this season.

OUTLOOK

Red Wings fans have been clamoring for Yzerman to come back to lead the franchise. They got what they wanted, but Yzerman isn’t going to be able to make miracles happen with a team that doesn’t have much offense after its top two lines and a defense that is average at best. Coach Jeff Blashill acknowledged the organization has to be surprised by many of its players to speed up the turnaround.

PREDICTION

Detroit seems destined to win a little more than 30 games for a fourth straight season. Yzerman retained Blashill, who was given a two-year contract last spring, but there may be a change on the bench by this time next year.