Dabura

PP I thought so too at first, but seems it was for closing his hand on the puck. Boy's gotta stay out of the box. We need him on the ice! must resist

PK PK

Power play remains toothless.

PP

End of 1st. Wings lead 1-0. Pretty good road period. Hicketts looks comfortable.

BERTUZZI! 1-0! Larkin and Athanasiou with the assists. Larkin's 30th assist on the season.

Hicketts wearing Brendan Smith's #2. The nerve!

Adding to their woes, Palat's out for 6-8 weeks. https://www.nhl.com/news/lightning-ondrej-palat-out-6-8-weeks/c-295184558

Hall out for the Devils tonight. https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-njd/2018/01/22/2017020727#game=2017020727,game_state=preview

http://mynhltraderumors.com/nhl-rumors-lightning-rangers-mcdonagh-nylander-maple-leafs-carolina-hurricanes/2018/01/22/ The Lightning are 30th in the league in faceoff win percentage and could use a ‘faceoff man’ like Anaheim Ducks Antoine Vermette. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Lightning also looked at adding a defenseman before the trade deadline. GREEN + GLENDENING FOR KUCHEROV DO IT NOW

We know what we have in Russo. Hronek is 20 and raw. Dan Cleary himself said Hicketts very nearly made the team out of camp; it's time to give him a look, see what we've got. Basically, what krsmith and CRL said.

He knows the way, but he is not the real Queen. (HYPE!)

Let's be real: If we don't get the #1 pick and Svechnikov is on the board when we do use our first pick, we're taking Svechnikov. We have his brother in the system, he himself has said he wants to be a Red Wing, he's NHL-ready, and he's probably the safest bet for a future 40-goal scorer in this draft class. We can debate pros and cons and alternative plans...but there's something to be said for not looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Dahlin tops midterm ranking of international skaters for 2018 NHL Draft "Dahlin is in a class of his own," said Goran Stubb, NHL Director of European Scouting. "Then it's wide open. There are no superstars outside of Dahlin but many good, reliable prospects." Two other Sweden players are ranked behind Dahlin, defenseman Adam Boqvist of Brynas' team in Sweden's under-20 league, and Lulea center Isac Lundestrom. Boqvist (5-11, 168), a right-handed shot, currently is on loan from Brynas to Almtuna in Allsvenskan, Sweden's second division. He missed time earlier this season because of a concussion, but is a dynamic talent. He has 19 points (12 goals, seven assists) for Brynas' under-20 team and had one assist and a minus-1 rating in eight games with Brynas in the SHL. "He has a very good understanding of the game with tremendous on-ice awareness that allows him to move the puck extremely well," Stubb said. "He has a good shot and his overall skills are outstanding. He plays bigger than he is and that has resulted in some injury problems." Lundestrom (6-0, 185), a left-hand shot, has 10 points (three goals, seven assists), 29 shots on goal, and a plus-2 rating while averaging 16:23 in ice time in 28 games for Lulea. He excelled on a checking line for Sweden at the 2018 WJC, and scored twice in a 3-2 win against Slovakia in the quarterfinals. "He's a strong skater with a lot of speed, very poised and patient," Stubb said. "He's very responsible in all areas of the ice, is reliable and consistent." (Worth keeping in mind: Boqvist, born in August of 2000, is on the young side relative to many of his draft class peers.) Svechnikov tops midterm ranking of North American skaters for NHL Draft Svechnikov, a 6-foot-2, 186-pound right wing, has 32 points (19 goals, 13 assists), 92 shots on goal and a plus-11 rating in 24 games for Barrie this season. He hasn't missed a beat since returning to the lineup Dec. 8 after missing 17 games because of a hand injury sustained Oct. 14, with 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 14 games. He also had five points, all assists, and four shots on goal in five games as the youngest player for Russia at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo. "Svechnikov has the power game getting the puck through checks and driving to the net," said Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting. "He's able to create and finish scoring chances in a timely manner." Rounding out the top five in the North American midterm rankings are right wing Filip Zadina of Halifax in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League; left wing Brady Tkachuk of Boston University in Hockey East; defenseman Quintin Hughes of the University of Michigan in the Big 10; and defenseman Evan Bouchard of London (OHL). "There are strong cases to be made for either Svechnikov or Zadina to be ranked in the No. 1 spot," Marr said. "Both are first-year players who quickly established themselves on their respective teams and in their leagues as impact players capable of influencing the game every time they're on the ice. "There are more similarities than differences, which is why it's tough at this stage to distinguish a No. 1 or No. 2, but Svechnikov got the slight edge." Zadina (6-0, 196) has 53 points (27 goals, 26 assists) in 38 games with Halifax. He had eight points and led all 2018 NHL Draft-eligible players with seven goals, including four power-play goals, and 37 shots on goal for the fourth-place Czech Republic at the 2018 WJC. "Zadina has the quick, skilled game to capitalize on opportunities as well as having an excellent finishing touch," Marr said.

Don't look now but we're a bottom-five team again. https://www.nhl.com/standings/2017/league We're not going to outsuck Arizona or Buffalo, but that 29th overall spot is up for grabs.

Joe "Clicketts" Hicketts

Joe knows the way. In time, he will show us the way.

And we're back! From yet another break! https://www.nhl.com/redwings/news/up-next-carolina-hurricanes/c-295079856 https://www.nhl.com/redwings/news/notes-wings-try-out-new-power-play-units-in-practice/c-295088758 https://www.nhl.com/standings/2017/league HYPE! LGRW

Howard injured, Mrazek gets the start. https://www.nhl.com/redwings/news/notes-howard-out-for-sundays-game-against-lightning/c-294720756 Let's head into our bye week (Monday-->Friday) on a positive note. HYPE! LGRW

If I go quiet, it's cuz I fell asleep. Cuz I'm tiiired. LGRW

Jimmy Howard scores four goals tonight. I feel good about this prediction. He's due for a big game.

I am. Sort of.

What have you done for me lately, Hakan?