Detroit Red Wings put Jakub Vrana on waivers

Associated PressJan 3, 2023, 4:03 PM EST

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings placed forward Jakub Vrana on waivers two-plus weeks after he returned from the player assistance program set up by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association.

It also comes a week after he was assigned to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins on a conditioning loan. The 26-year-old from the Czech Republic has 98 goals and 91 assists in 323 career regular-season games.

The NHL and NHLPA started the player assistance program in 1996, giving players access to a confidential phone line and counselors in each city in the league. The jointly funded group assists players and their families with mental health, substance abuse and other matters.

Vrana had a goal and an assist in a win at New Jersey in October – one of two games he’s played in this season – and wasn’t in uniform for the next game against the Los Angeles Kings due to personal reasons.

“There’s bigger things than hockey in life and you have to get it in order,” Vrana said last month. “You have to make some decisions that are important in your life and then hockey.”

Vrana was selected by Washington with the No. 13 pick in the 2014 draft. Detroit acquired Vrana in a trade with the Capitals in April 2021, along with Richard Panik, a first- and second-round pick in exchange for Anthony Mantha. Last year, the Red Wings gave him a three-year contract worth $5.25 million per season.

Detroit, which is four games over .500, next hosts the New Jersey Devils.

Red Wings snap six game skid, take down Tampa Bay 7-4

Associated PressDec 21, 2022, 10:58 PM EST

Dave Reginek/Getty Images

DETROIT — Rookie forward Elmer Soderblom‘s fourth goal of the season snapped a tie early in the third period and gave the Detroit Red Wings the lead for good as they downed the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-4 on Wednesday.

With the victory, the Red Wings ended a season-high six-game losing streak (0-4-2). Their previous victory was a 4-2 verdict over the Lightning at Tampa Bay on Dec. 6. The Lightning are 7-3 in their last 10 games, with Detroit accounting for two of those losses.

Tampa Bay goalie Brian Elliott retrieved a loose puck behind his net and attempted to rim it around the boards. Detroit center Joe Veleno intercepted the puck and quickly fed Soderblom for the tap in into the vacated net 3:48 into the third.

Detroit captain Dylan Larkin scored what proved to be the game-winning goal midway through the final period, giving the Red Wings a 5-3 lead. It was his second goal of the night and team-leading 12th of the season.

After pulling Elliott for an extra attacker, Nikita Kucherov scored for the Lightning to narrow Detroit’s lead to a goal. David Perron and Michael Rasmussen, with his second goal of the night, scored empty-net goals to ice the game for the Red Wings.

Larkin’s first goal of the night at 11:08 of the second period gave the Red Wings their first lead of the game at 3-2. But Tampa Bay’s Ross Colton pounced on a turnover by Detroit forward Adam Erne just over two minutes later to tie the score.

Brayden Point and Alex Killorn scored in the first period to twice give Tampa Bay one-goal leads. However, Olli Maatta and Rasmussen responded for the Red Wings and it was tied at 2 at the end of the period.

Tampa Bay went 0-for-5 on the power play, including a five-on-three advantage for 1:53 during the first period.

Elliott made 24 saves as he dropped to 8-2 on the season. Ville Husso had 34 stops in the Detroit net while ending a personal 0-3-2 slump.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Detroit has no timetable as to when forward Jakub Vrana might see game action. He rejoined the club last week after spending two months in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

UP NEXT

Lightning: Tampa Bay’s game at Buffalo on Friday was postponed due to an impending winter storm and rescheduled for March 4. The Lightning are off until Dec. 28 when they host the Montreal Canadiens.

Red Wings: At the Ottawa Senators on Friday night.

Orlov scores in OT, Caps hand Red Wings 6th straight loss

Associated PressDec 19, 2022, 10:54 PM EST

Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

WASHINGTON — Nic Dowd scored twice in 11 seconds, Dmitry Orlov had the overtime winner and the Washington Capitals won their second in a row by beating the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 Monday night with Alex Ovechkin still waiting for his next major milestone.

Ovechkin, for a third consecutive game, was unable to score his 801st goal and tie Gordie Howe for second on the NHL career list. He remained stuck on 800 with Howe’s sons Mark and Marty in attendance and thinking it would be fitting if Ovechkin tied their father’s mark against his longtime team, with which he played 25 seasons.

Even without a goal from Ovechkin, the Capitals will take the victory on Orlov’s goal with 21.3 seconds left in 3-on-3 overtime, especially after playing without winger T.J. Oshie. And it took coming back from a two-goal deficit to get it.

Ovechkin started the rally by setting up Dowd’s first of back-to-back goals in the second period, the succession of which are the second-fastest by a player in franchise history.

After the Red Wings reclaimed the lead early in the third period with Ovechkin on the ice, defenseman Erik Gustafsson scored just 70 seconds later to pull Washington even again. While everyone has been awaiting Ovechkin’s latest pursuit of hockey history, Gustafsson has scored four times in two games.

David Perron, Oskar Sundqvist and Lucas Raymond scored in regulation for Detroit, which has now lost six in a row and nine of 11. Ville Husso made 38 saves.

Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren stopped 16 of the 19 shots he faced in his eighth consecutive start.

NOTES: The Red Wings took part in a three-team, minor league trade prior to the NHL’s holiday roster freeze, in which they received center Danny O'Regan from Anaheim, sent winger Givani Smith to Florida and the Ducks got veteran defenseman Michael Del Zotto from the Panthers. … The Capitals say winger T.J. Oshie is day to day with an upper-body injury. Oshie left the game Saturday in pain and has not skated with the team since. … Darcy Kuemper was in uniform backing up Lindgren for the first time since getting injured Dec. 3.

UP NEXT

Red Wings: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning, who coach Derek Lalonde worked for as an assistant for the past four seasons and won the Stanley Cup twice, on Wednesday.

Capitals: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.

Red Wings’ Jakub Vrana back from player assistance program

Associated PressDec 17, 2022, 11:06 AM EST

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

DETROIT — Detroit Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana practiced for the first time in two months, returning to the team after entering the player assistance program of the NHL and NHL Players’ Association.

Vrana declined to specify why he entered the program.

“There’s bigger things than hockey in life and you have to get it in order,” Vrana said. “You have to make some decisions that are important in your life and then hockey.”

The 26-year-old Vrana had a goal and an assist in a win at New Jersey in October and two days later, he didn’t play against the Los Angeles Kings due to personal reasons.

Vrana, from the Czech Republic, has 98 goals and 91 assists in 323 career regular-season games.

He was selected by Washington with the No. 13 pick in the 2014 draft. Detroit acquired Vrana in a trade with the Capitals in April 2021, along with Richard Panik, a first- and second-round pick in exchange for Anthony Mantha. Last year, the Red Wings gave him a three-year contract worth $5.25 million per season.

Canadiens rookie Slafkovsky suspended 2 games for boarding

Associated PressNov 9, 2022, 9:54 PM EST

Dave Reginek/Getty Images

NEW YORK — Montreal Canadiens rookie forward Juraj Slafkovsky was suspended by the NHL for two games on Wednesday for boarding Matt Luff of the Detroit Red Wings.

The incident happened in the third period of Montreal’s 3-2 shootout win at Detroit on Tuesday.

The 18-year-old Slafkovsky, the first overall pick in the 2022 draft, was assessed a major and game misconduct for driving Luff head-first into the boards with a check from behind.

Slafkovsky, who had three goals in 10 games this sesaon, will forfeit $10,270 in salary. He will miss Montreal’s game Wednesday night against Vancouver and Saturday’s home game versus Pittsburgh.

Slafkovsky is eligible to return when Montreal hosts New Jersey on Tuesday.