Dabura

Oh, yeah, don't get me wrong -- I certainly don't think we should rule out Newhook and the others staying at center and ultimately becoming NHL centermen. It's just that, for a number of these guys, there's a possibility that they aren't future centerman. If we feel we badly need a centerman and we really don't need more wingers, it's something to consider.

I think we're starting to see glimpses of what this team, with some hypothetical and/or imminent upgrades, could be capable of. I haven't seen people talking about it, but lately this team is showing much better in the shot counts. January 2 - SOG: DET 32, CGY 35 January 4 - SOG: NSH 30, DET 39 January 6 - SOG: WSH 34, DET 25 January 8 - SOG: MTL 25, DET 32 January 11 - SOG: DET 35, WPG 27 January 12 - SOG: DET 37, MIN 18 January 15 - SOG: ANA 24, DET 25 January 18 - SOG: DET 35, CGY 36 January 20 - SOG: DET 37, VAN 31 January 22 - SOG: DET 27, EDM 34 February 1 - SOG: TOR 21, DET 33 And that's with a patchwork D corps plus a power play that generally 1) doesn't see as much action as other teams' power plays do (i.e. we struggle to draw penalties), 2) doesn't put more than two shots on net, and 3) doesn't score much. Defensively, we seem to be playing the "entrenched zone defense" pretty effectively, giving the opposition the perimeter but clogging the high-danger areas. Offensively, we seem to be doing a better job of pressuring on the forecheck and battling to regain and maintain possession of the puck in the O zone. We've seen how effective Gerard Gallant's ultra-aggressive forechecking system can be (with the Panthers and the Knights). While we're not quite playing that system, you can see how a speedy and tenacious future Wings forward group -- with some high-percentage shooters spread all throughout the top nine -- could be a handful for opposing defenses. There were some sequences in last night's game where we came in really hard and fast on the forecheck and smoked the Leafs out of their own zone, sort of like a dog herding sheep. No matter how good a team's blue line is and no matter how precise a team tends to be in its breakouts, no one wants to be rushed when they're trying to move from defense to offense and no one wants dogs nipping at their heels when they're trying to move through the neutral zone. Apply pressure, create anxiety, force mistakes. It's good to see the Wings doing more of this and spending more time in the role of aggressor.

Points update: Athanasiou (3A) - 17 goals and 33 points thru 46 games Nyquist (1G, 1A) - 12 goals and 45 points thru 52 games Larkin (1G) - 22 goals and 49 points thru 52 games Vanek (1A) - 10 goals and 24 points thru 44 games

Well dang. This was a fun win and a wish I could've live-blogged it with y'all, but like I said my internet connection was being a dingus. Hopefully everything's sorted out with that and I can join in tonight. SUCK IT, LEAFS! SUCK IT, SENS!

My interweb connection is being a dingus. Frking snow squall.

Nearly ten minutes in and the Leafs don't have a shot on goal. *nervous laugh* PP

Write this on my tombstone.

I agree that most will probably end up in the middle. I guess I'm just cautioning against putting too much stock in position. Zegras's defensive game needs some work and, to me, he's sometimes looked more comfortable on the wing. Granted, when you're flanking Jack Hughes, it's easy to look good. Newhook reminds me a lot of AA; speed for days, skill for days, but there isn't much in his game that screams center, IMO. Also, he's beating up the BCHL, which warrants an asterisk. Krebs has played some wing. He's a great two-way player, so I think he probably should become a centerman's center, but I could also see him being a terror as a winger. I'll be surprised if Dach doesn't stay in the middle. It wouldn't shock me, though. Just my two cents.

Red Kelly was cool. Start the damn game.

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I have to admit, it's much harder to attain Absolute Worst Team in the League status than I'd thought. Wings probably finish outside the bottom three again, because Wings.

Smallish, not physical, not especially good on the defensive side of the puck. Playing wing would, in theory, free him up to do what he does best: attack, attack, attack, score, score, score.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying they won't be centermen. I'm saying Turcotte is the only one I can point to and say, "He's absolutely not going to become a winger. No chance."

While there's an unusually high number of high-end centermen in this draft class, Alex Turcotte is the only one who strikes me as a total lock to be a full-time pivot at higher levels. I'm probably the only person with this opinion, which probably means I'm probably way off. But it's some food for thought.

Grand Rapids Griffins 5 at Texas Stars 3 [GriffinsHockey.com]

Notes: Red Wings hit the ice after eight-day break [DetroitRedWings.com] tl;dr Bertuzzi out this weekend (upper body), Frk in 1st line: Nyquist--Larkin--Abdelkader 4th line: Ehn--de la Rose--Frk Hronek staying in GR for a little while longer Cholowski back in

Red Kelly Jersey Retirement Ceremony to begin at 7:00 PM [DetroitRedWings.com]

Standings / Hughes Watch: https://www.nhl.com/standings/2018/league

cool scheduling bro

The tank rolls on!