krsmith17

He was playing center which is good news, the bad news is he wasn't very strong on the draws. He wasn't terrible, he won a few key faceoffs in the defensive zone and on the power-play in the offensive zone but if I were to guess, I would say he was well below 50%. Whether that's the norm for him or not, I'm not sure. He did only convert toward the end of last season if I'm not mistaken so I'm sure he'll improve a fair amount as long as he sticks at center, which I hope he does. Other than that though, he was dominant all over the ice. I'm very excited for this kid. Svech's first goal was a pass he took off the skate and just directed it in the net. The play was under review but was determined to be a good goal. The second one he took a pass in the neutral zone, stepped over the blue line and wired a wrist shot past the goaltender. Rocket of a shot.

Huge first game of the season for Svechnikov tonight. 2 goals and 2 assists.

amato, I do agree that that line has looked great in camp / preseason so far, but I'd rather see if Larkin and Mantha can gain some chemistry down in GR this upcoming season. Who's put on the other wing doesn't really matter to me, whether it's Athanasiou, Bertuzzi, Miele or whoever. I just want to see what Mantha can do on a line with Larkin all season. It wouldn't hurt for some of Dylan's work ethic to rub off on Anthony. Although it seems that Mantha really is willing to put the work in off the ice, he still seems to lack that drive and intensity every shift. Rivalred, did you happen to notice our roster? We didn't exactly have a "star" studded roster by any stretch either. It would haven been cool to see what Larkin's line could have done up against Crosby though...

I can't speak for other fans, but the only person that matters knows what he's capable of... Jeff Blashill. The fact that, like you said, Babcock made Pulkkinen believe that he should fire the puck from anywhere any chance he gets, is just another point to how Babcock completely misused certain players. I have faith that Blash will use both Pulkkinen and Jurco to their full potential, something Babcock never seemed capable of doing...

Jesusberg, isn't that exactly what he's been showing all camp and preseason so far? He is far from the one trick pony that some suggest. He has been a dominant player at every level he has ever played, and from the small sample size we've seen in the NHL so far, there's no reason to believe that he won't, at the very least, be a very productive player for the Wings. As far as starting lines go. I'd be shocked if he's not in on opening night, especially if he continues to produce the way he has so far in preseason. Datsyuk is obviously out, I'm thinking Helm will start the season on IR, and hoping no one else gets injured, this is what I see on opening night... Nyquist - Zetterberg - Abdelkader Tatar - Richards - Jurco Franzen - Sheahan - Pulkkinen Miller - Glendening - Ferraro Helm, Andersson Exactly darkmanx, his passing is very underrated. Give it a rest 9. There's no possible way you actually believe that. You don't think Pulkkinen can hack it at the NHL level? "*eye roll*"

How the hell can people still suggest that Pulkkinen is one dimensional? He literally scored 3 completely different ways the past two games and not a single one of them was using his "holy slapper". His goal against the Hawks, he crashed the net and batted in a rebound. His first goal against the Pens was a wrist shot from the left circle, perfectly picking the top corner. And the second one last night was on a breakaway, picking the fivehole... Pulkkinen can and will score in a multitude of different ways, but not only that, he is an extremely good passer. Per Khan on quotes from Blashill... "Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill coached Pulkkinen in Grand Rapids and said he's more than just a sniper. "I told him that" Blashill said. "When he comes up here he feels pressure to shoot the puck. He can make plays too, and he's going to have to do that." He's not terrible defensively either. He's probably not going to win any Selke's, but I personally wouldn't want him to. He's got the confidence of the coach and there's not a question in my mind that he will be in the lineup on opening night. In my opinion, he's no more "one dimensional" than Tatar, and he's a fan favorite...

I was thinking it would be the exact same lineup as we seen in Chicago, with Franzen added in. He would presumably be placed on the line with Sheahan and Glendening, but that would make Miele the odd man out. I'm not sure if that will be the case though, with the strong outting he had last game. If not Miele, I would want Andersson out, however he too had a very strong game. I'm just hoping Svechnikov isn't the odd man out. Who knows though, maybe it's a complete mishmash of lines... I'm sure the kids will be playing though... Larkin, Mantha, Athanasiou, Bertuzzi and likely Pulkkinen...

Thanks Crash!

No 3 on 3 tonight? Why last night and tomorrow night, but not tonight?...

Jurco made that goal possible with his work in the defensive zone. Yet again, no point haha.

Andersson actually played a very strong game last night. Still, I'm hoping he's nowhere near the lineup at any point this season...

I agree. I've always been a fan of Callahan and I'm happy to see him having a good showing tonight.

And imagine a 4th line of Helm - Glendening - Ferraro / Miller...

Jurco is having a great game and is complementing Tatar and Richards really well. And while they both have two points each, Jurco hasn't hit the score sheet yet. Keep going kid.

He'll be playing tomorrow night with the same group that played last night.

The only reason I brought it up, is because Kindl seems to get on the scoresheet, even when he is having an awful game and even though they are secondary assists. The first one, he made a decent outlet pass to Tatar, the second one, he just happened to be on the ice, and the last one to touch the puck before that great pass by Kronwall. Either way, good job Jakub. Keep it up.

So Kindl has played a piss poor game and has two assists to show for it... Unreal.

I'm confused... Who's in tonight? Quincey or Smith? I originally seen Smith penciled in, then I heard it was a mistake and Quincey is in, but just a few minutes ago the DetroitRedWings just tweeted out that Smith is in...

We'll have to see, but I'm 95% sure it's Quincey in with Kindl tonight, not Smith...

Nope, Quincey is in as far as I know. I'm pretty sure Smith was a misprint...

Why? Quincey is in tonight...

Great showing by the kids. Larkin played great, but I'm still hoping he plays a full season down in Grand Rapids, and in all likelihood he will. Mantha played a good game too and looks to be gaining confidence every game he plays (including intrasquad games). I'm hoping Larkin and Mantha can get a full season playing together, gaining some more chemistry and be a great duo in Detroit in the future. I'm kind of surprised to see so many people say that they weren't impressed with Athanasiou. I thought he was one of our better forwards. He had a few really good looks, lead the team in shots on goal with 5, not including the post he hit, that ended up being an assist on Glendening's game tying goal. Bertuzzi wasn't as noticeable as I was hoping, neither was Pulkkinen, despite his goal. Svechnikov played a good game for an 18 year old kid. I thought the plan was to convert Svech to center... is that still the plan for him in Cape Breton this season? I hope so... I was surprised by both Andersson and Miele and how well they played. I still don't think Andersson should be in the lineup, but good for him. Smith had a decent game, and once again Jensen is impressing in camp / preseason games. I wonder if he will once again be the last defenseman to be sent down... Howard had an awful game, hopefully he can bounce back. And McCollum had a great showing. Overall impressive game against a Stanley Cup winning squad...

Assist, goal, same thing. Nice one Glendening.

My bet is Athanasiou getting the lying goal coming up here...

Sheahan's having a great game too. Nice goal, and great board work down low.