Detroit Red Wings Clips  February 20-22, 2016

Detroit Red Wings PAGE 3 Wings’ Andreas Athanasiou makes best of limited ice-time PAGE 4 Blashill willing to shake up Wings' shoot-out lineup PAGE 5 Saturday's Kalamazoo murders hit home for Wings coaches PAGE 6 Howard shines but Wings lose in overtime PAGE 8 Wings coach Blashill affected by shootings in Kalamazoo PAGE 10 Red Wings Gameday: Jimmy Howard has 4-2-1 record, 1.84 GAA in

career vs. NY Rangers PAGE 12 Red Wings rookie Andreas Athanasiou maximizing limited minutes with

his speed, energy PAGE 14 NHL trade deadline: What do the Red Wings need before Feb. 29? PAGE 15 After righting the ship at home, Detroit Red Wings need to rediscover

winning ways on the road PAGE 17 Red Wings postgame: Is Jimmy Howard back on the right track after big

game vs. Rangers? PAGE 18 Jimmy Howard outstanding, but gets no offensive support in Red Wings'

overtime loss PAGE 20 Second-period analysis: Red Wings, Rangers locked in goaltending duel PAGE 21 First-period analysis: Red Wings' Jimmy Howard starts strong, but so does

Henrik Lundqvist PAGE 22 Klein's overtime goal gives Rangers 1-0 win over Detroit PAGE 24 Wings' Kronwall, Ericsson slowly getting healthier PAGE 25 With Larkin sick, Pulkkinen may play for Wings at Ottawa PAGE 27 Wings need Pulkkinen to be ‘complete’ player PAGE 29 Larkin sick, might be out vs. Senators PAGE 30 Red Wings vs. Rangers game day: Time, TV, radio, etc. PAGE 31 Confident Jurco starting to break through for Red Wings PAGE 32 St. James: To add a player, Wings must subtract salary PAGE 35 $4 million for vacant house? Try the lottery instead PAGE 37 Wings' road woes mount in SO loss to Senators PAGE 39 Brendan Shanahan will play in Detroit Red Wings-Colorado Avalanche

alumni game at Coors Field PAGE 40 Detroit Red Wings notes: Frequent scratch Teemu Pulkkinen needs to

have better 'complete game' PAGE 42 Red Wings Gameday: Detroit trying to avoid first five-game road skid

since March 2012 PAGE 44 Red Wings lineup vs. Senators: If Dylan Larkin (sick) can't play, Teemu

Pulkkinen will get in lineup PAGE 45 Red Wings postgame: Petr Mrazek bounces back but Detroit falls to 1-5 in

shootouts PAGE 46 Red Wings lose lead late in regulation, fall to Senators in shootout

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PAGE 48 Second-period analysis: Andreas Athanasiou, Brad Richards spark Red Wings, with help from Erik Karlsson

PAGE 49 First-period analysis: Red Wings and Senators scoreless in low-shot, low-chance period

PAGE 50 Turris gets only goal in shootout, Senators beat Red Wings PAGE 51 Red Wings hold longer meeting, Watch video after loss PAGE 52 Red Wings vs. Senators game day: Time, TV, radio, etc. PAGE 53 Red Wings players review evidence of ugly defeat PAGE 55 Red Wings Watch video in effort to shore up defense; Petr Mrazek to start

Saturday PAGE 57 Jeff Blashill: Jimmy Howard's showing in mop-up duty for Red Wings

'hopefully a good sign' PAGE 58 Red Wings 'weren't even close' to being good enough defensively in loss

to Penguins PAGE 60 Wings focus on ‘mental freshness'

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Wings’ Andreas Athanasiou makes best of limited ice-time Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 1:46 a.m. EST February 22, 2016 NEW YORK – Andreas Athanasiou keeps finding little ways to stick around. He helped out with a nearly a minute’s worth of penalty killing in Sunday’s 1-0 overtime loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, one night after scoring a goal at Ottawa. It’s that ability to make something happen in not a lot of time that’s kept him in the lineup over more experienced forwards. “He’s done a pretty good job of making positive statements that he’s a reliable player,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “He’s used his speed as a defensive weapon. He’s got to continually work on his face-offs. “I think A.A.’s best quality in the spot he’s in now is he can play 7 minutes and make an impact. Lots of guys have a hard time keeping their attention span like that, and he seems to do it.” Athanasiou, 21, was called up this month (his second stint of the season) to infuse speed into the lineup. In a day-to-day business, he has kept himself in the lineup for what stood to be nine straight games after Sunday. “Whatever opportunity you get, you’ve got to make the most of it,” Athanasiou said. “Do the best to help the guys win, whether it’s build momentum scoring a goal or just going out there and working hard in the defensive zone. “You know how to play the game whether you’re playing 5-10 minutes or 15-20 minutes. It’s hockey. You’ve always got to be ready.” One way Athanasiou can claim more minutes is to excel as a penalty killer. The Wings need a fifth forward behind Luke Glendening, Darren Helm, Riley Sheahan and Justin Abdelkader (especially when one is in the box), and “the better A.A. does, the better the chance of him staying,” Blashill said. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.22.2016

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Blashill willing to shake up Wings' shoot-out lineup Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 11:47 p.m. EST February 21, 2016 NEW YORK -- Jeff Bllashill had a list ready. Sunday's game between the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden ended up in a 1-0 overtime loss for the Wings when Kevin Klein scored at 1:59. Had the game gone to a shoot-out, Blashill just might have had something up his sleeve. Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss at Ottawa left the Wings 1-5 in skills competition this season. Don't blame it on goaltenders; no one is scoring -- not Gustav Nyquist, not Brad Richards, not Pavel Datsyuk. Henrik Zetterberg isn't even in the top three rotation. "It's frustrating," Blashill said. "We've got to score. And the guys who went are guys who have really good numbers, historically, in their careers and in the last three years. Nyqui has had a tough go of it this year. "As a decision maker, you say, do you keep playing the probability that at some point he's going to score based on numbers, or do you take a break? It's a little bit of leap of faith sometimes because there's not a lot of sample for other guys. Justin Abdelkader I don't think has had a chance in the NHL. So it's hard to say what he'd do, but at some point we might have to switch it up because we're not scoring." Asked if had something ready for Sunday, Blashill nodded. "Oh yeah," he said. When asked who might be on it, he gave a "no comment." With 22 games left on the season, it's entirely likely there'll be another shoot-out for Blashill to show his hand. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.22.2016

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Saturday's Kalamazoo murders hit home for Wings coaches Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 7:23 p.m. EST February 21, 2016 NEW YORK -- Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill's first thought was for his good friend. As soon as Blashill saw the news that a man randomly had killed six people Saturday in Kalamazoo, he checked in with assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler. "His family still lives in Kalamazoo, so I let him know as soon as I saw it on the Internet," Blashill said today as he prepared to coach the Wings against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. "That incident wasn't far from Pat's home," Blashill said. "So certainly our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Kalamazoo. It sounded like it was a random, horrific, act. Real sad thing." Blashill himself spent a year in the area when he coached at Western Michigan in 2010-11. He lived for three years in Grand Rapids while coaching the Griffins, from 2012-2015. "I only spent a year there, but it was a great year," Blashill said. "Great, great people in west Michigan. Obviously, spent numerous years in west Michigan, and it's not a spot you think something is going to happen but that talks about how it's a fleeting life at times. Real sad thing." Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.22.2016

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Howard shines but Wings lose in overtime Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 1 a.m. EST February 22, 2016 New York — Jimmy Howard played great on Sunday, but it wasn’t good enough. New York Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein scored on a 2-on-1 rush at 1:59 on overtime to give the Rangers a 1-0 victory. Moments before, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist made a big save on Gustav Nyquist, leading to the Rangers rush. It was one of Lundqvist's 22 saves in the game. Howard was sensational, making 29 saves, but saw his winless streak reach 10 games. He hasn’t won since December 3. “It’s not satisfying because we didn’t get the win,” Howard said. “It doesn’t matter, you still want to get the two points. But it was a fun game to be part of.” Howard played arguably his best game of the season — and in the estimation of defenseman Kyle Quincey, since longer ago than that. “I told him throughout the 11 years on and off (they’ve been teammates), that may have been the best game I’ve ever seen him play,” Quincey said. “We’re happy that he had such a great game and hopefully he can keep going. If he does that, we’re in great shape.” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said, “Jimmy was great. Jimmy certainly deserved the win. He made some especially big saves, and had some big moments.” Howard came on in relief Thursday after starter Petr Mrazek was pulled in Pittsburgh and stopped all six shots in mop-up duty. “Jimmy was great but that goes back … He was really good when he went in against Pittsburgh and really good against the (New York) Islanders (Feb. 15),” Blashill said. “He’s had three good outings in a row and hopefully he can continue to build on that.” Howard got into the game early as the Rangers pressed but couldn’t get a puck past him. “We knew they’d come out hard early and just throw pucks from everywhere,” Howard said. “I just wanted to get my body in front of it. It didn’t really matter how I got it done, I just wanted to get the job done for the boys.” In the midst of a two-month struggle, Howard felt there might be a bright spot in this game. “Maybe this is a step in the right direction, figuring out what my role here is,” Howard said. “It’s been tough to figure out but maybe I’m getting it.” But the Red Wings saw their woes continue, as they’ve lost four straight overall and six straight on the road.

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They earned two points with regulation ties in Ottawa and New York, but they need to begin to stretch some victories together. “It’s not secret it’s tight,” forward Henrik Zetterberg said. “It should be tight this time of year. These two games were a step forward as a team, so if we keep doing this, we’ll be fine.” Howard kept the game scoreless with some brilliant work in the third period. He made a penalty-shot save on Rangers forward Victor Fast at 14:35 after Fast was taken down by defenseman Mike Green. Showing emotion, Howard pumped his fist and looked in the direction of the Red Wings bench after making the stick save on Fast. Howard stopped Fast again on a 2-on-0 attempt right in front of Howard with just under four minutes left, sprawling to keep the game scoreless with a right pad save. Howard and the Red Wings got a break early in the third period on an apparent Rangers goal by Kevin Hayes from a sharp angle at 5:54. But Howard was kicked in the head by a falling Oscar Lindberg while Howard in the crease, although it appeared Lindberg was tripped by Howard, forcing the contact. The replay ruling was that Howard was interefered with by Lindberg before the puck crossed the goal line. “It was a great challenge,” Howard said. “It doesn’t matter who you are, if you get kicked in the face it’s going to take a second to figure out where the puck is again.” Blashill said before Sunday’s game it was important that both goalies play well heading down the stretch. Mrazek has yet to play over 50 games at the professional level and is at 41 with 22 games left in the regular season. “Petr Mrazek hasn’t played in 50-plus games since junior,” Blashill said, “and the schedule is such that you need two (goalies) and you have to have the other guy be able to step in and win games. “When called upon Jimmy has played to a level that is capable of winning. We have to make sure we have to give him a good effort in front of him, especially defensively.” Detroit News LOADED: 02.22.2016

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Wings coach Blashill affected by shootings in Kalamazoo Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 8:26 p.m. EST February 21, 2016 New York — The tragic shootings in Kalamazoo Saturday night cut close to the Red Wings. Head coach Jeff Blashill spent a season as head coach at Western Michigan in 2010-11, and his assistant there, Pat Ferschweiler, is currently an assistant with the Red Wings. Ferschweiler spent four seasons with the Broncos, and both coaches were there when defenseman Danny DeKeyser played at Western. When Blashill read reports of what was transpiring Saturday — a single shooter randomly killing six people at different Kalamazoo locations — it struck home. “Horrible,” Blashill said of his emotions. “My first thought was actually Pat Ferschweiler’s family still lives in Kalamazoo so I let him know as soon as I saw it on the Internet. That incident wasn’t far from Pat’s home. “Certainly our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Kalamazoo. It sounded like a random, horrific act. A real sad thing.” Kalamazoo is a close-knit, college town, and the spots where the shootings occurred, such as a local car dealership and Cracker Barrel restaurant were spots Blashill was familiar with. “I only spent a year there but it was a great year,” Blashill said of his season in Kalamazoo. “And great, great people in west Michigan, I’ve spent numerous years in west Michigan and it’s not a spot you think something like that will happen but it talks to how it’s a fleeting life at times and a real sad thing.” Taking advantage Andreas Athanasiou isn’t getting the playing time with the Red Wings he received in the minor leagues with Grand Rapids. But Athanasiou is doing a good job maximizing that limited ice time. Athanasiou scored his second NHL goal during Saturday’s shootout loss in Ottawa, and made several fine plays, while playing just under seven minutes (6:54). “Whatever opportunity you get, you have to make the most of it and do the best to help the guys win,” Athanasiou said of his chances in the NHL. “Whether it’s scoring a goal to build momentum or just going out there and working hard in the defensive zone. “You’ve got to be ready whenever you hear your name called. You know how to play the game whether you’re playing five to 10 minutes, or 10-20 minutes. It’s hockey. You’ve always got to be ready.” Athanasiou has been impressive with his speed and hockey instincts — his goal Saturday came about when he saw Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson outnumbered by

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Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist and called for the puck, which Karlsson backhanded to Athanasiou open in the slot. Blashill likes what Athanasiou has done in limited playing time. “He’s made positive steps and statements that he is a reliable player,” Blashill said. “He used his speed once or twice as a defensive weapon (in Ottawa). AA’s best quality is in the spot he’s in, if he’s playing seven minutes, he can make an impact.” Lineup changes With Dylan Larkin (illness) returning to the lineup Sunday after missing the Ottawa game, Blashill took Tomas Jurco out and kept in Teemu Pulkkinen. One of the reasons for keeping Pulkkinen is his ability to play on the power play, while Jurco has yet to secure a role. “That’s one thing, Jurco doesn’t have a specialty team so that’s kind of the crux of the decision,” Blashill said. “When you’re not on either special team it’s easier to be eliminated from the lineup.” Blashill would like to develop a fifth penalty killer to join Luke Glendening, Riley Sheahan, Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm, with Athanasiou possibly getting first crack at the spot. Skate canceled There was no morning skate Sunday, as St. John’s played Seton Hall in a college basketball game at noon at Madison Square Garden eliminated that possibility. Detroit News LOADED: 02.22.2016

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Red Wings Gameday: Jimmy Howard has 4-2-1 record, 1.84 GAA in career vs. NY Rangers Print Email Brendan Savage | bsavage@mlive.com By Brendan Savage | bsavage@mlive.com on February 21, 2016 at 3:03 PM GAME INFORMATION • Who: Detroit Red Wings (29-20-10) at New York Rangers (33-19-6) • Where: Madison Square Garden • When: 7 p.m. • TV: NBC Sports Network • Radio: 97.1 The Ticket and Red Wings radio network • Social media: Follow MLive sports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. • Twitter: Follow Ansar Khan and Brendan Savage • Live coverage: Join our open thread at 6 p.m. GAME NOTES • After Petr Mrazek played Saturday in Ottawa, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill could opt to start Jimmy Howard in goal today. Howard, who stopped all six shots he faced in relief of Mrazek during the final 11:08 of Thursday's 6-3 loss in Pittsburgh, had a 2-0-0 record vs. the Rangers last season, when the Red Wings won two of three games. Howard is 4-2-1 with a 1.84 GAA in seven career games vs. the Rangers. Two of those losses came in shutouts. • Because of Saturday's game in Ottawa and the Red Wings' late arrival in New York, there was no morning skate prior to the game vs. the Rangers. Blashill will announce his starting goaltender in a 5 p.m. media briefing. • The Red Wings have lost four straight games at Madison Square Garden. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has been in the Rangers' net for all four, recording two shutouts and a 0.98 goals-against average during the streak. • Dylan Larkin is expected to be back in the Red Wings lineup after missing Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss in Ottawa with an undisclosed illness. Larkin leads the Red Wings in goals (19), is second in points (39) and third in assists (20). His plus-21 rating is tied for eighth in the NHL. • The Rangers will be without defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward Rick Nash. McDonagh, their team captain, was elbowed in the face by Toronto's Leo Komarov Thursday and suffered a jaw contusion as well as neck spasms. Komarov was suspended for three games. Nash, who has 12 goals and 33 points, has missed 11 games with a bone bruise in his left leg.

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• Derick Brassard, who leads the Rangers with 22 goals, has scored four in the last three games and seven in the last 10. He has 14 points in those 10 games. ... Mats Zuccarello, the Rangers' leading scorer with 46 points, has two goals and five assists in the last four games. He has 12 points in the last 10. ... The Rangers are 21-6-3 at home. Only Washington (22-4-2) has lost fewer home games this season. New York has won four straight at Madison Square Garden. Michigan Live LOADED: 02.22.2016

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Red Wings rookie Andreas Athanasiou maximizing limited minutes with his speed, energy Print Email Ansar Khan | akhan1@mlive.com By Ansar Khan | akhan1@mlive.com on February 21, 2016 at 2:01 PM, updated February 21, 2016 at 2:42 PM NEW YORK – Andreas Athanasiou's ice time has been limited as he gets acclimated to the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings in a tight playoff race. But he is maximizing his few minutes, making plays at both ends of the ice with his tremendous speed and impressing teammates. "He's obviously an elite skater, he can create offense just with his legs," Justin Abdelkader said, following his team's 3-2 shootout loss Saturday against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. "I think he's got a good skill-set to go with it. So he's been a positive. "As he earns coaches' confidence, he'll get more and more ice time. I think for him, just continue plugging away, that's working on having a two-way game all-around, defensively and offensively. I think he can be a really good player for us." Athanasiou blasted a shot past Craig Andersson from close range to open the scoring at 10:46 of the second period. It was his second goal in 14 NHL games this season. Athanasiou apparently tricked Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson into passing him the puck while he was being pressured in the corner by Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist. "(Athanasiou) yelled for it," Karlsson told the Ottawa Sun. "I had two guys on me and I automatically assumed it was one of our guys." It was a veteran move by a 21-year-old. "Whatever opportunity you get you have to make the most of it and do the best to help the guys win, whether it's scoring a goal to build momentum or just going out there and working hard in the D-zone," Athanasiou said. He was playing 18-to-20 minutes a game in all situations with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Now he's logging 8:25 a game, none of it on the power play and only a little on the penalty kill. "You've got to be ready whenever you hear your name called," Athanasiou said. "You know how to play the game whether you're playing 5-10 minutes or 10-20 minutes. It's hockey. You've always got to be ready." The more defensively responsible line of Luke Glendening, Darren Helm and Riley Sheahan logged twice as many shifts as Athanasiou's line, with Tomas Jurco and Teemu Pulkkinen, in the close game against the Senators. Blashill said Athanasiou is the kind of player who can have an impact with limited ice time.

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"It's real hard to play seven minutes and keep your focus and be able to go out and still have a positive impact in the game," Blashill said. "I thought he had a positive impact in the game. So good for him, keep battling, keep doing things the right way." Athanasiou said of his adjustment to the NHL: "There's so much ice out there and these players, when they get that time can really wind up and get that speed going. You can see that and I think it's a lot of fun." The Red Wings are high on Athanasiou's potential. "He's a good player, he's got really good speed. I think he sees the ice really well," Henrik Zetterberg said. "He's going to be a good player for us for many, many years." Michigan Live LOADED: 02.22.2016

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NHL trade deadline: What do the Red Wings need before Feb. 29? Print Email Brendan Savage | bsavage@mlive.com By Brendan Savage | bsavage@mlive.com on February 21, 2016 at 12:12 PM, updated February 21, 2016 at 12:38 PM The NHL trade deadline is barely a week away and like most teams, the Detroit Red Wings would love to upgrade their roster heading down the regular-season stretch. But will they be able to do it? The Red Wings don't want to mortgage the future by trading away too many top prospects, the salary cap is another hurdle and general manager Ken Holland has said any moves would have to be a dramatic upgrade. But if the Red Wings could make a move, what is their biggest need? They appear to be set in goal with Petr Mrazek, who would undoubtedly be their No. 1 man in the playoffs should the Red Wings extend their postseason streak to 25 seasons, and it's unlikely they'd be able to trade Jimmy Howard given his $5.3-million salary. So what else could they use? A top-six forward who could provide some goals; a bottom-six forward who could add a physical presence; an offensive defenseman; or a defensive defenseman? You tell us. Michigan Live LOADED: 02.22.2016

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After righting the ship at home, Detroit Red Wings need to rediscover winning ways on the road Print Email Ansar Khan | akhan1@mlive.com By Ansar Khan | akhan1@mlive.com on February 21, 2016 at 6:01 AM, updated February 21, 2016 at 6:09 AM OTTAWA – The Detroit Red Wings established some semblance of control at Joe Louis Arena during their recent five-game homestand. Now they must rediscover their winnings ways on the road. They were 14-6-3 away from home at the All-Star break. They've since gone winless in five on the road (0-4-1), including Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. "It's funny because we played so well on the road for a stretch there, now we've seemed to kind of get away from that," Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader said. "I think anytime you're on the road you've got to play a more simple game. "I think even at the start of this game, we were turning pucks over, weren't getting pucks behind. We're a team that likes to get the tempo as high as possible and skate and I think we can do a better job of that." Their task won't be any easier Sunday against the New York Rangers (7 p.m., NBC Sports Network exclusive). The Rangers have won four in a row at home against the Red Wings, whose last win at Madison Square Garden was on Dec. 6, 2009. The Rangers will be rested. The Red Wings will be playing on consecutive nights. Detroit is 4-6-1 on the second night of back-to-backs, having lost five in a row. The Red Wings felt they played well enough to win the front end, especially defensively. They had allowed 15 goals in their past three games but limited Ottawa's opportunities. Still, the Senators capitalized on one of their chances when Dion Phaneuf scored the tying goal on a screened shot from the point with 3:51 remaining in regulation. The Red Wings had a 7-2 edge in shots in the overtime but Craig Anderson came up big and then denied all three shooters in the shootout. Kyle Turris scored the lone shootout goal against Petr Mrazek, earning the Senators the extra point. "They're a team that's battling for their lives. They're a few points back and they're almost in must-wins each night," Abdelkader said. "We're right there on the fringe now after losing a few so we've got to find a way to accumulate points and get wins." Frustrated not to get that second point, the Red Wings, who got second-period goals from Andreas Athanasiou and Brad Richards, couldn't complain about their performance. "I thought we were much better defensively," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. "First of all, our defensemen played really good. But I thought as a five-man unit we did a good job of reloading back above the puck. I didn't think we gave them lots until the third there

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when they started to push a little bit. But I thought overall a much better defensive effort." Said Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg: "We played better, we didn't give them that much. I think we focused a little bit more on not turning the puck over. I thought it was a lot of nothing-nothing shifts, 50-50 shifts. It was turnovers that both teams capitalized on." Zetterberg believes they took a step forward. "Obviously, we want two points when we come back and play a little bit better," he said. "We kind of gave away a few points here lately. But we get one and we move on to the Rangers tomorrow." A longer than usual team meeting and video session with coaches on Friday yielded results. "I told the guys yesterday that we could play great and not win," Blashill said. "That's the reality sometimes, and I'm not saying we played great. But we played a lot better. We got to do the same thing tomorrow night. You just have to have repeatable efforts night in and night out." Michigan Live LOADED: 02.22.2016

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Red Wings postgame: Is Jimmy Howard back on the right track after big game vs. Rangers? Print Email Brendan Savage | bsavage@mlive.com By Brendan Savage | bsavage@mlive.com on February 21, 2016 at 10:42 PM, updated February 21, 2016 at 10:45 PM If you missed the Detroit Red Wings' 1-0 overtime loss Sunday against the New York Rangers, we've got you covered. Here's a quick snapshot: THREE STARS 1. Jimmy Howard – The Red Wings veteran goaltender desperately need a good performance to perhaps get back on track and he got it. Howard was outstanding before finally getting beat 1:59 into OT. He kept the game scoreless by stopping a penalty shot and 2-on-0 in the third period while making 29 saves. 2. Henrik Lundqvist – The Rangers netminder turned aside all 22 shots he faced. 3. Kevin Klein – He scored the game's only goal during a 2-on-1 to give the Rangers their fifth straight victory over Detroit at Madison Square Garden. BY THE NUMBERS 1 – Number of times in his last nine starts Howard didn't give up at least three goals. 4 – Shutouts by Lundqvist this season after blanking the Red Wings. 5 – Hits by Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader, matching New York's Tanner Glass for game-high honors. 6 – Consecutive road losses by the Red Wings, who finished their four-game trip with a 0-2-2 record. 18 – Shots blocked by the Rangers, six more than the Red Wings. 82 – Regular-season games the Red Wings had gone without being shutout until losing in New York. Their last shutout loss was 1-0 the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 24, 2015. TV TALK "I feel bad for Jimmy Howard, who I thought had a terrific game here tonight. But I think it was justice for the New York Rangers. I didn't like the call on the interference call and I thought the Hayes goal should have held up after review. It did not. In the end it didn't matter and the Rangers take home two big points." – Mike Milbury, NBC Sports. Michigan Live LOADED: 02.22.2016

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Jimmy Howard outstanding, but gets no offensive support in Red Wings' overtime loss Print Email Ansar Khan | akhan1@mlive.com By Ansar Khan | akhan1@mlive.com on February 21, 2016 at 11:11 PM NEW YORK – It was vintage Jimmy Howard Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, the kind the Detroit Red Wings haven't seen in some time, certainly not this season. The embattled Howard was outstanding, almost single-handedly stealing the game. With a 29-save performance. The problem was he received no offensive support. Kevin Klein scored at 1:59 of overtime during a two-on-one break to lift the New York Rangers to a 1-0 victory. "It's not satisfying because we didn't get the win," Howard said. "It doesn't matter. You still want to get the two points. But it was a fun game to be a part of. It's always fun being a New York boy and being able to come back here and play." Howard's personal winless streak was extended to nine games (0-5-4). He hasn't won since Dec. 3, but this was certainly a step in the right direction. Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves for his fourth shutout of the season, the 59th of his career. The Red Wings were the only team in the NHL that hadn't been shut out this season. It snapped their regular season streak of 82 games without being blanked, dating back to Feb. 24, 2015 (1-0 at Los Angeles by Jonathan Quick). The last time the Red Wings were shut out was Game 7 of their playoff series against Tampa Bay (1-0 by Ben Bishop). The Red Wings (29-20-11) are winless in four games overall (0-2-2) and six in a row on the road (0-4-2). The Rangers are 34-19-6. Howard stopped Jesper Fast on a penalty shot with 5:25 remaining in regulation, after the Rangers forward was taken down on a breakaway by Mike Green. Minutes later, Howard denied Fast from point-blank range following a defensive breakdown. "If they put that (penalty shot) in, they were playing so well we were going to have a tough time scoring," Detroit's Kyle Quincey said. "We were excited for (Howard) and excited for us. That was a huge save for us." Those were some of the plays that enabled the Red Wings to earn a point. "I thought Jimmy certainly deserved the win, especially when he made a big save on the penalty shot and just had real big moments," Blashill said. "That goes back, I thought he played real well when he went in against Pittsburgh (mop-up duty on Thursday) and thought he was good against the Islanders (4-1 loss last Monday). I think he's had three good outings in a row and hopefully he can continue to build on that."

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The Red Wings went 0 for 4 on the power play, registering just one shot. The Red Wings had difficulty getting pucks through and the Rangers did a good job of blocking shots. "We got to be better, too, to get pucks to the net," Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "It's not always from the point, maybe we have to get it from down low, too, to create some more chaos in front of the net." The Rangers went 0 for 4 on the power play, recording eight shots. The Rangers appeared to take a 1-0 lead at 5:54 of the third period when Kevin Hayes fired a shot from a sharp angle that squirted in between Howard and the goal post. Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill challenged the goal, claiming goaltender interference. The call of a goal on the ice was overturned because Oscar Lindberg's stake hit Howard in the mask, even though Howard was the one who tripped the Rangers forward. "I thought it was a great challenge," Howard said. "It doesn't matter who you are. When you get kicked in the face it's going to take you a second to figure out where the puck is again." The rested Rangers registered the game's first seven shots on goal against a Red Wings club coming off a 3-2 shootout loss at Ottawa on Saturday. But the Red Wings regrouped and actually were outshooting New York for a brief time in the second period. "We knew they were going to come to the net hard early and just throw pucks from everywhere," Howard said. "Just wanted to get my body in front of it. Didn't really matter how I got it done. Just wanted to get the job done for the boys tonight." The Rangers have won five in a row at home against the Red Wings. It was the first of three games between the teams this season. Michigan Live LOADED: 02.22.2016

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Second-period analysis: Red Wings, Rangers locked in goaltending duel Print Email Ansar Khan | akhan1@mlive.com By Ansar Khan | akhan1@mlive.com on February 21, 2016 at 8:43 PM, updated February 21, 2016 at 10:03 PM NEW YORK – The Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers are engaged in a goaltending duel through 40 minutes Sunday at Madison Square Garden. It's embattled Jimmy Howard vs. King Henrik Lundqvist and it's scoreless. Howard, seeking his first win since Dec. 3, has stopped 21 shots. Lundqvist has made 17 saves. Howard is looking to end a personal eight-game winless streak (0-5-3). Michigan Live LOADED: 02.22.2016

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First-period analysis: Red Wings' Jimmy Howard starts strong, but so does Henrik Lundqvist Print Email Ansar Khan | akhan1@mlive.com By Ansar Khan | akhan1@mlive.com on February 21, 2016 at 7:51 PM, updated February 21, 2016 at 8:19 PM NEW YORK – Jimmy Howard, looking to end a personal eight-game winless streak, got off to a good start Sunday. But so did his counterpart. The Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers are scoreless after one period at Madison Square Garden in a game that has seen big stops at both ends. The Rangers registered the first seven shots on goal and ended the period with a 12-10 edge. The Red Wings had their share of close-in opportunities against Henrik Lundqvist as well. Howard is 0-5-3 since his last win on Dec. 3. Michigan Live LOADED: 02.22.2016

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Klein's overtime goal gives Rangers 1-0 win over Detroit By TOM CANAVAN, AP Sports Writer POSTED: 02/21/16, 10:41 PM EST | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO # COMMENTS NEW YORK >> Kevin Klein scored on a 2-on-1 break at 1:59 of overtime and the New York Rangers beat Detroit 1-0 on Sunday night, spoiling a magnificent effort by Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard. Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves in picking up his fourth shutout and helping the Rangers win for the seventh time in nine games (7-1-1). Howard made 29 saves as the Red Wings lost their sixth straight road game, their longest skid since March 2012. However, he forced the overtime with a pad save on a penalty shot by Jesper Fast with 5:25 left in regulation and then a sliding pad save on Fast in close with 3:45 to go. Kevin Hayes led the 2-on-1 with Klein after Lundqvist barely stopped a shot by Gustav Nyquist in close and Chris Kreider cleared the puck from the crease and started the breakout. Hayes carried the puck into the Red Wings zone and slid the puck to the defenseman on the left side for a shot that found the top right hand corner of the net. Hayes had an apparent bad-angle goal nullified early in the third period when officials ruled that Oscar Lindberg’s skate came up and hit the goaltender in the mask as he skated through the crease. Howard momentarily lost his balance and the shot came right after that. The Red Wings’ bench challenged the goal and won out. They still lost the game. Howard, who had not won since Dec. 3, looked like the Jimmy Howard of old when the Red Wings won Stanley Cups. He might have even won the game had not shots by Henrik Zetterberg in the second period and Pavel Datsyuk in the third hit goalposts. The Red Wings are 4-4-3 in their past 11 games. Lundqvist’s best sequence came with 13 minutes left in the second period when he stopped a shot by Andreas Athanasiou on a shot breaking in from the left side and the ensuing rebound attempts in close by Brendan Smith and Teemu Pulkkinen. Zetterberg’s shot banged a shot off the goalpost four minutes later. Howard’s best save in the middle period was a stop on Kreider right in front of the net with 7:40 to go. The Rangers’ bench was livid early in the period when Red Wings forward Darren Helm knocked J.T. Miller to the ice with a crunching elbow to the head.

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The referee did not make a call and Rangers center Derick Brassard was called for a holding penalty when he went after Helm in the corner. The goaltenders handled all 22 shots in the first period, with Howard stopping the first seven shots of the game, including a couple in close by Brassard. Lundqvist made his best stops on a break by Justin Abdelkader and a point-blank shot by Riley Sheahan. NOTES: Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh was sidelined for the fifth time in seven games, the past two with jaw and neck issues. ... Rangers F Rich Nash missed his 12th straight game with a left leg bone bruise. ... Detroit rookie Dylan Larkin returned to the lineup after sitting out Saturday in Ottawa with an illness. ... Rangers forward Marek Hrivik made his NHL debut. ... New York’s Alain Vigneault moved into 18th place ahead of Brian Sutter in the NHL’s all-time games coached list appearing in his 1,029th contest. Macomb Daily LOADED: 02.22.2016

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Wings' Kronwall, Ericsson slowly getting healthier Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 2:02 p.m. EST February 20, 2016 OTTAWA - The Detroit Red Wings are getting closer to being at full strength on defense. Niklas Kronwall, who hasn't played since a knee scope in mid-January, has skated for several days in a row now. In order to activate him off long-term injured reserve, the Wings would need to create enough salary cap space. Xavier Ouellet was called up from the minors to help the defense. He's minus-2 in three games. Jonathan Ericsson also took part in Saturday's morning skate at Canadian Tire Centre. He told the Free Press he won't play this trip - which includes Sunday at the New York Rangers, but might be available soon afterwards. "Tuesday is not of of the question yet," Ericsson said. The Wings host the Columbus Blue Jackets that night, when they will celebrate the greatest defenseman in Wings history, Nicklas Lidstrom, in honor of his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame earlier this season. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.21.2016

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With Larkin sick, Pulkkinen may play for Wings at Ottawa Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 1:39 p.m. EST February 20, 2016 OTTAWA - Teemu Pulkkinen showed off his shot Saturday morning. He might get to do so again in the evening. Dylan Larkin missed the morning skate because of illness, and will be a game-time decision for the Detroit Red Wings as they take on the Ottawa Senators (7 p.m., FSD) at Canadian Tire Centre. Head coach Jeff Blashill said if Larkin can't play, Pulkkinen will get into the lineup. He wouldn't necessarily slide into the spot occupied by Larkin next to Brad Richards and Tomas Tatar, with Blashill saying Gustav Nyquist might be in the spot. Larkin leads the Wings with 19 goals. That would be the only lineup change, as Blashill is making no changes on the back end, and Petr Mrazek will start in net. Much as every game is important, this one carries the benefit that if the Wings win, they keep down a divisional opponent chasing a playoff spot. The Senators have 60 points (the Wings are at 67) and were six points out of the second wild-card spot before Saturday's games. The Wings beat the Senators Feb. 10 in Detroit. "Every team is pretty close to getting that last playoff spot," Riley Sheahan said. "We've got too be ready to play. They are looking for that playoff spot as much as we are." The Wings are also looking to overturn a four-game losing streak on the road, and are tightening up after allowing 15 goals the last three games. The worst of that was a low-energy performance Thursday at Pittsburgh, which led to Friday being an optional practice, as Blashill preached mental freshness. Many veterans did skate that day, though, including 37-year-old Pavel Datsyuk. Henrik Zetterberg had an explanation for that. "There's something wrong with his passport, I think." As for seeing Helm wince after taking a hit from Pulkkinen, Zetterberg said, "sometimes there will be some innocent guys that get hit, but that's part of the game." Pulkkinen was taking part in power play drills during the morning skate when he fired a shot that hit Darren Helm in the knee. Helm needed a few minutes to shake off the pain, and told the Free Press he is "OK to play." Pulkkinen is known for his blistering shot. "I keep telling Pulkky to shoot it," Blashill said, smiling. "Helmer wasn't happy. No, he's fine." Pulkkinen said it was an accident, of course. "Helmer told me that Tats (Tomas Tatar) usually likes to go short side and I was trying to go far side. It was kind of unlucky. But the shot wasn't that hard." Pulkkinen was last in the lineup on Feb. 3, and hasn't played regularly since early December.

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"The one thing with Teemu is, it's not a lack of my confidence in him," Blashill said. "I like him lots as a player. Different players have different roles. There are certain guys you've got to have - you've got to have penalty killers, you've got to have guys that bring energy to your team, you've got to have physicality. "I think Teemu is a real good player and I think ultimately he'll score goals in the NHL. He's scored to some degree so far. The more he scores, the more he'll play in that sense, but he's got to do it with a complete game. When Teemu is at his best, he's attacking, he's doing a good job moving his feet, he's managing the puck and he's anticipating well, not cheating. When he struggles, he cheats too much." Pulkkinen came into the season aiming to be a regular, but despite scoring six goals in 29 games, he is one of several smaller, skilled forwards on the team, and if he can't supplant Tatar or Nyquist, there's no room on the lines. "I just have to work hard and be ready for every day," Pulkkinen said. "Just stay positive and work hard. Everybody wants to play, so when you're not playing, you're not kind of happy, but it is what it is. It's pro hockey. There's only a number of guys who can dress, and some guys have to sit." Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Wings need Pulkkinen to be ‘complete’ player Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 1:48 p.m. EST February 20, 2016 Kanata, Ontario – How hard is Teemu Pulkkinen’s shot? Darren Helm can tell you after Saturday’s morning skate, given that Helm took a sizzling Pulkkinen slap shot during a special teams drill at Canadian Tire Center, ahead of the game against the Senators. Helm took the shot around the side of his leg and was in obvious pain momentarily before skating it off and resuming his workout. “I keep telling Pulky to shoot it and Helmer wasn’t happy (about it), but he’s fine,” coach Jeff Blashill said. Pulkkinen could be re-entering the lineup Saturday since Dylan Larkin missed the morning skate because of illness. Blashill said Larkin is a game-time decision. Pulkkinen hasn’t played in eight games and is aching to return to the lineup. He admits sitting and watching has been difficult. “Everybody wants to play,” said Pulkkinen, who has six goals and six assists (12 points) in 29 games. “When you’re not playing, you’re not going to be happy but it’s pro hockey and there’s only a number of guys who dress and some guys have to sit. “Just work hard and be ready every day. There’s not much you can do. Just stay positive and work hard.” Pulkkinen appears to be mired in a numbers game, stuck behind offensive players such as Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar. Pulkkinen is not physical enough to play a grinder’s role. “It’s not a lack of confidence in him, I like him a lot as a player,” Blashill said. “We’ve got different players at different roles. Teemu is a real good player and ultimately he’ll score goals in the NHL and the more he scores, the more he’ll play.” But Pulkkinen needs continued development in his all-around game. “He has to play a complete game,” Blashill said. “When he struggles is when he cheats too much to try to get offense. When he’s really good, he anticipates well. It’s a fine line there.” Pulkkinen felt bad about nailing Helm with the shot but explained there was a good reason for the mishap. “The shot wasn’t too hard,” said Pulkkinen, adding he took something off the velocity. “It was unlucky. Helmer told me Tats (Tomas Tatar) usually plays that side and he likes to go (shoot) short side. I was trying to go far side. “It was kind of unlucky.” Looking out for No. 1

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The Wings appear headed for a wild ride to the end of the regular season. Going into Saturday’s games, the Wings had 67 points, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference. But they were just two points from fourth place -- and also two points from ninth. Blashill keeps track of the standings, but insists it’s important to concentrate on getting his own team to be as good as it can be. “The No. 1 focus is just making sure we play good hockey and giving ourselves the best chance to win every game,” Blashill said. “I see the standings, I’m not blind to that. But you can control what you can control and that is your own play.” Ice chips Blashill made no changes to his lineup, other than the possibility of Pulkkinen playing for Larkin if the rookie is out due to his illness. … Defensemen Jonathan Ericsson (lower body) and Niklas Kronwall (knee) are skating but remain out of the lineup. The lack of actual practice time is making it difficult to gauge their game-readiness. Red Wings at Rangers Faceoff: 7 p.m., Sunday night, Madison Square Garden. TV / radio: NBC Sports Network / 97.1 FM, 1270 AM. Outlook: It’s late in the season, but in a scheduling quirk, this will be the first meeting between the Wings and Rangers. They also play March 12 in Detroit and April 9 back at MSG in the regular-season finale. … The Rangers are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and G Henrik Lundqvist is regaining his elite form (.922 save percentage, 2.33 GAA) after a brief slump. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Larkin sick, might be out vs. Senators Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 12:48 p.m. EST February 20, 2016 Kanata, Ontario –The Red Wings might be without Dylan Larkin Saturday night in Ottawa. Larkin missed the morning skate Saturday because of an illness. Coach Jeff Blashill said Larkin’s availability will be determined before Saturday night’s 7 p.m. game against the Senators. Larkin has only missed one game this season, a sensational rookie campaign in which he leads the Red Wings with 19 goals; he also has 20 assists. If Larkin isn’t capable of playing, Teemu Pulkkinen will enter the lineup. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Red Wings vs. Rangers game day: Time, TV, radio, etc. Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press 3:11 a.m. EST February 21, 2016 NHL: Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators Detroit Red Wings (29-20-10, 68 points) vs. New York Rangers (33-19-6, 72 points) When: 7 p.m. Where: Madison Square Garden, New York. TV: NBC Sports Network. Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; Click here for other radio affiliates). The skinny: A step in the right direction for the Red Wings on the road came Saturday night. Though they coughed up a late lead in Ottawa, they played much better than their previous two road games. At the start of the day, the Wings find themselves in the top wild-card spot, two points up on the Penguins and three points up on the Devils. Dylan Larkin, who missed Saturday's shoot-out loss with an illness, is expected to play tonight on Broadway. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Confident Jurco starting to break through for Red Wings Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 1:46 a.m. EST February 21, 2016 OTTAWA – The gratification is there on both sides. Tomas Jurco took three goals in his last 11 games into Saturday’s contest between the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre, which the Wings ended up losing in a shoot-out, 3-2. The personal numbers have boosted Jurco’s confidence and underscored Jeff Blashill’s belief in a young player he first coached with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2012-13. After slumping through his sophomore NHL season, Jurco began this one challenged by Blashill to rediscover the player who scored eight goals in 36 NHL games as a rookie in 2013-14. That’s what Jurco has accomplished over the past month. “Those three goals have come as a result of three weeks’ worth of really good play, where I thought he was on the forecheck and he was on the track,” Blashill said. “I think what you’ve seen lately is his ability to score real good NHL-type goals.” Jurco, 23, was on the outs when the season began. He was sent to the minors for two weeks, during which he racked up five goals and four assists in five games. That was the booster shot Jurco needed. “To be able to score goals in this league, you have to learn how to read the game, predict what’s going to happen,” Jurco said. “I feel like I wasn’t that good at it before. When I was in G.R., I felt like puck was finding me all the time. Here, I had to work harder on that. On last few goals, the puck came right to me, so I think I’m finding those spots better now. “When I went to G.R., it helped me a lot. I found myself scoring so much. I realized I can still do it. I feel way better now, and I hope it keeps coming.” One of Jurco’s advantages is his size: At 6 feet 1 and 200-plus pounds, he stands out on a smaller team. “I’ve thought that for some time, going back to when I had him in the AHL, that he can really bring a different element,” Blashill said. “If he can be that total package of physicality, great skating and skill, he’s got a chance to be a real good player in the league.” Jurco impressed his fellow Wings when he joined them in 2013-14 and helped get them into the playoffs. After scoring three goals in 63 games last season, he again looks like he belongs. “He’s a good player,” captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “He has everything, skates really well and has got a really good shot. I think he’s playing better here lately, and also the opportunity to play a little more has benefitted him.” Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.21.2016

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St. James: To add a player, Wings must subtract salary Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 12:26 a.m. EST February 21, 2016 The phone calls have started to come daily. The NHL is in its final countdown to the Feb. 29 trade deadline, offering teams a last chance to try to improve before the playoffs. The Red Wings will be looking — but they have to be especially conscientious buyers. For starters, they have very little in the way of salary-cap space. General manager Ken Holland told the Free Press last week that “if we do anything, from a cap standpoint, to bring in the type of player that would have a real impact, we would have to move somebody out.” Basically, the Wings are in a dollar-in, dollar-out situation. That’s because they have had several players on long-term injured reserve, which affects a team’s salary cap. Pavel Datsyuk was on LTIR the first five weeks of the season, and Johan Franzen has been on since two games into the season. Franzen and Drew Miller are on the list through the end of the season. That makes it impossible for the Wings to simply add an impact player before the deadline. Not that many are available because all but a handful of teams are in contention to make the playoffs. The Wings had interest in Winnipeg’s Dustin Byfuglien, a multidimensional behemoth, but the Jets locked him up. The Jets are trying to do the same with forward Andrew Ladd, but if they do end up moving him, expect the price to be a high pick and a prospect — and in the Wings’ case, they’d also have to get rid of a player if the range of Ladd’s $4.4-million salary. Holland made two things clear: If he makes a trade, it will be for someone significant, and he is not moving goaltender Jimmy Howard, whose struggles have seen him drop to the backup job. “I’m keeping Howard,” Holland said. It would have been hard to move Howard given that he has three years left at $5.3 million, but the other issue is that the Wings don’t have anyone in their system ready to serve as backup. As for making a move for a forward or defenseman, it’s only going to happen if the player is considerably better than someone already on the team. “We don’t need depth,” Holland said. “We’re a deeper team than we were a year ago, and part of that is because we put people on waivers and they cleared, so now we have flexibility to move them in and out. So I’m not looking to acquire depth. “If there is a player out there we think can come in and be a top-nine forward or a top-four defenseman, at a price we’re prepared to pay, and at the same time, I have to consider next season’s team and next season’s salary cap.”

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The Wings especially like their depth on defense. Alexey Marchenko came up from the minors mid-October and has made himself a regular. Xavier Ouellet has gotten a little more experience recently and is earmarked to be on next season’s squad along with Marchenko, Niklas Kronwall, Danny DeKeyser, Mike Green, Jonathan Ericsson and Brendan Smith. Then there’s Jakub Kindl, who cleared waivers, and prospect Nick Jensen. “If you look at our ‘D’ compared to a year ago, when we went out and got Marek Zidlicky, we’ve added Mike Green, we’ve developed Alexey Marchenko,” Holland said. “We feel pretty good about our defense. We like the depth. We’ve got eight or nine defensemen we feel can play in the NHL.” The Wings have lacked a superstar defenseman since Nicklas Lidstrom retired in 2012, but those types of players — think Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty, Duncan Keith, Shea Weber — are rarely relinquished. And if they are, the price is astronomical, such as in the case of the Montreal Canadiens possibly shopping P.K. Subban. To pull off such a trade between divisional rivals is even more prohibitive. Up front, the Wings are showing signs of resembling the team that finished last season top 10 in scoring with an average of 2.82 goals per game. The Wings have been in the lower third most of this season, but since Datsyuk has regained his form, he significantly has improved the offense. In the dozen games from Jan. 22 through this past Thursday, the Wings scored 37 goals, averaging a touch more than three per game. “If you look at our team now compared to the team that lost in Game 7 to Tampa Bay last year,” Holland said, “we’ve added Mike Green and Brad Richards and Dylan Larkin. We haven’t scored as much as we’d like to, but the first 20 games, we didn’t have Pavel. We’ve scored a lot more lately. We feel we have four good lines, and that’s with Teemu Pulkkinen being a healthy scratch. And he led the AHL in goals last year.” Pulkkinen gives the Wings depth at forward, as does Andreas Athanasiou. A year ago, Holland made two additions at the deadline: Erik Cole, a big forward who ended up playing 11 games before an injury scuttled his career, and Zidlicky, who gave the Wings on offensive defenseman who shot right-handed. Cole wasn’t even on the Wings’ radar until the week leading up to the deadline. That’s when chatter heats up. “Teams are assessing where they are at, seeing where something might fit,” Holland said. “You exchange ideas. But most teams want to see what goes on the last few games before the deadline.” The Wings aren’t willing to give up high draft picks. They can’t afford to, not as they seek to rebuild on the fly as Datsyuk, Kronwall and Henrik Zetterberg all have rolled into their mid-30s. As is habit, Holland will gather his front-office staff and pro scouts next weekend in Dallas, where the Wings play on deadline day. “Based upon all the information from our scouts, based upon calls with other general managers, based on internal conversations, gut instincts, conversations with the coaching staff, we’ll either do something or we won’t do something,” Holland said. “I

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think 27 teams would say they have areas they’d like to address. We all want to get better. But at what cost?” Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.21.2016

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$4 million for vacant house? Try the lottery instead John Gallagher, Detroit Free Press 11:30 p.m. EST February 20, 2016 Real estate may be many things, but a lottery ticket should not be one of them. Last week, colleague JC Reindl and other news outlets reported that the owners of one of the last hold-out properties in Detroit’s developing arena district were asking $4 million for their vacant, fire-damaged house at 2712 Cass Ave., next to the future home of the Detroit Red Wings. That’s quite an asking price, considering that the house last sold in 2002 for a mere $25,000, and it sits on a 40-foot-by-120-foot lot. That translates into more than $800 per square foot for the entire lot and more than $1,000 per foot for the structure itself. By way of comparison, even pricey real estate in Detroit sells in the $100- to $300-per-foot range these days. Real estate pros shake their heads over that asking price. “This is like asking when you and I land on the moon, what are we going to have for lunch. It’s never going to happen at that price,” said Steve Morris, managing principal at Axis Advisors in Farmington Hills. Among the many reasons: The house and lot are simply too small to do much with. The lot isn’t big enough to squeeze a major office building or hotel on the lot and leave room for parking. A buyer might be able to renovate the existing house as a small inn, or tear it down to build a modest restaurant or retail store. But any investor who pays $4 million for the property and puts another, say, $1 million into it would never make that investment back, given the typical revenue that sort of use generates. Put it another way: If the owners were willing to sell for a mere $100,000, a buyer could pay that, demolish the house, build a modest restaurant and do OK. But $4 million upfront? “The numbers are ridiculous,” Morris said. “They’re clearly looking for the Ilitches to step forward.” Critics of the Ilitch family’s arena development have elevated this hold-out property to folk-hero status, a little guy standing up to a big bad giant. But let's not confuse magical thinking with principle. Property records list the house's owner as CM&S Family Limited Partnership. As my colleague Reindl reported, the house, built in 1880, has been more or less vacant since a January 2013 electrical fire. The last known occupant told the Free Press in fall 2014 that the house lacked heat and electricity since the fire and that he lived there rent-free in exchange for guarding against scrappers. Morris suggests that the owners don’t really expect to get anywhere near $4 million. They’re merely trying to attract another offer from the Ilitch family’s Olympia Development, which reportedly has spent more than $50 million in buying up properties

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for their arena district. The Ilitches have passed on what the holdout owners were asking, at least until now. Any speculator buying the property for that inflated asking price would be taking a big gamble. Once the Red Wings arena is up and running and the rest of the district is taking shape, the lonely little house could just sit there for a long, long time. Again by way of comparison, the 15-bedroom Fisher Mansion in upscale Palmer Woods sold last year for $1.55 million to Dan Ammann, president of General Motors, and his wife. That one of the best homes in Detroit sold for only about a third of what the owners are asking for the house on Cass shows how nutty that asking price is. Even a lottery ticket might be a better bet. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Wings' road woes mount in SO loss to Senators Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 5:26 a.m. EST February 21, 2016 Kanata, Ontario — Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson did everything he could but the Red Wings still couldn’t win. The shootout was 1-0 in favor of the Senators with Kyle Turris scoring the lone goal against Petr Mrazek while Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson stopped all three shots by the Wings, who’ve lost three consecutive games. Despite the loss, the Red Wings felt they played better defensively. “Much better defensively,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “All the defensemen played real well, and as a five-man unit we did a real good job, we didn’t give them a lot until the third period when they started to push a little bit. Overall a much better defensive effort.” Said captain Henrik Zetterberg: “We did play better, we didn’t give them that much, we focused a little bit more on not turning the puck over. “We played better. Obviously we would have wanted two points, we’ve kind of given away points here lately, but you get one and move on.” The Red Wings seemed to have the two points secured until Phaneuf’s goal at 16 minutes, 9 seconds. Phaneuf’s shot from the point went by Mrazek — who was screened — to tie the game and ignite the Senators. “We have to find a way, up 2-1, to close it out,” forward Justin Abdelkader said. The loss was the Red Wings’ fifth consecutive on the road (0-4-1), the first time that has happened since March 2012 when they went winless in seven games (0-5-2). “It’s funny because we played so well on the road for a stretch of time, but now we seem to get away from that,” Abdelkader said. “Anytime you’re on the road you have to play a simple game and even at the start of this game we were turning pucks over and weren’t getting pucks behind. “We’re a team that wants to get the tempo as high as possible and skate and we can do a better job of that.” The Red Wings received a lot of help from Karlsson, the two-time Norris Trophy winner who practically gifted two goals — a truly forgettable night for the dynamic Karlsson. Andreas Athanasiou and Brad Richards scored for the Red Wings by way of Karlsson’s miscues. On the first goal, Karlsson was bothered by Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar in the corner and backhanded a poor pass into the slot.

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Athanasiou was there alone — Karlsson said Athanasiou called for the puck, a crafty veteran-like move — and blasted a shot past Anderson at 10:46 of the second period. It was Athanasiou’s second goal. “I hopped off the bench and saw they had him outnumbered,” Athanasiou said. “They were putting a lot of pressure on him. I was fortunate to have the puck pop out with their pressure.” But the Senators tied it a minute later on a Red Wings turnover. Brendan Smith broke his stick, which led to the Senators gaining possession. Senators forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau centered the puck to Zack Smith driving through the slot, and Zack Smith redirected the puck past Mrazek at 11:46. “We had some bad breaks, some bad bounces, but that happens in hockey games,” Mrazek said. But then Karlsson came into play once more — much to the Red Wings' delight. With the teams skating 4-on-4, Richards got the puck at the point and lifted a shot toward Mike Green driving to the net. Instead, Karlsson redirected the puck past Anderson for Richards’ sixth goal at 17:52 of the second period. But Phaneuf scored late, and after a scoreless overtime — which saw Mrazek make a brilliant save on a breakaway by Bobby Ryan — the Senators won in a shootout. “It was a fairly even game, they played hard too, but were in positioned to get the second (point) and that was frustrating,” Blashill said. “But frustration, we can’t let that get to us. “We played a lot better. We have to do the same thing (Sunday in New York), you have to have repeatable efforts night in and night out.” Larkin sick Dylan Larkin missed Saturday’s game with an illness but Blashill expects Larkin to play Sunday against the Rangers. Teemu Pulkkinen replaced Larkin in Saturday’s lineup. “I anticipate Larkin to play,” Blashill said. “Larkin could have played (Saturday) but it would have been at 80 percent and I’m not a big believer when you have 100 percent guys there. “I didn’t want (Larkin) to play two 80-percent games with the back-to-back (games), it’s hard to play sick tonight and play tomorrow.” Blashill wouldn’t name a starting goalie for Sunday, saying that’ll be evaluated by the coaching staff. Detroit News LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Brendan Shanahan will play in Detroit Red Wings-Colorado Avalanche alumni game at Coors Field By Ansar Khan on February 20, 2016 at 5:59 PM, updated February 20, 2016 at 6:36 PM OTTAWA -- Brendan Shanahan is the latest former Detroit Red Wing who has committed to play in the NHL Stadium Series Alumni Game against the Colorado Avalanche at Coors Field on Friday, Kris Draper confirmed to M-Live. The one-time power forward Shanahan was a key player on three Stanley Cup-winning teams during his nine seasons in Detroit from 1996-97 to 2005-06. He ranks eighth on the all-time franchise list in goals (309), 11th in assists (324) and 10th in points (633). Shanahan tallied 656 goals and 698 assists for 1,354 points in 1,524 career games during his 21-year NHL career with New Jersey, St. Louis, Hartford, Detroit and the New York Rangers. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013. Shanahan is the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Boyd Devereau also has been added to the roster for the Red Wings alumni. Draper said it's still to be determined whether Sergei Fedorov will participate. It depends on how far his CSKA Moscow advances in the Kontinental Hockey League playoffs. Fedorov is the team's general manager. Here is an updated list of players who have committed to play in the game (7 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit): Detroit: Doug Brown, Chris Chelios, Dino Ciccarelli, Ty Conklin, Mathieu Dandenault, Boyd Devereau, Kris Draper, Steve Duchesne, Jiri Fischer, Tomas Holmstrom, Joe Kocur, Mike Knuble, Martin Lapointe, Igor Larionov, Manny Legace, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kirk Maltby, Darren McCarty, Larry Murphy, Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman. Colorado: Craig Billington, Rob Blake, Ray Bourque, Adam Foote, Peter Forsberg, Milan Hejduk, Dan Hinote, Valeri Kamensky, Mike Keane, Jon Klemm, Claude Lemieux, Curtis Leschyshyn, Eric Messier, Sandis Ozolinsh, Shjon Podein, Mike Ricci, Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, Chris Simon, Stephane Yelle. Michigan Live LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Detroit Red Wings notes: Frequent scratch Teemu Pulkkinen needs to have better 'complete game' Ansar Khan on February 20, 2016 at 4:35 PM, updated February 20, 2016 at 4:37 PM OTTAWA – Teemu Pulkkinen has been a healthy scratch for an extended time for the first time in his career at any level. But Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said it is not due to a lack of confidence in Pulkkinen's ability. It is due to a crowded roster. "I like him lots as a player," Blashill said. "We've got different players in different roles. There's certain guys you got to have as penalty killers, got to have guys that bring energy to your team, got to have physicality. "I think Teemu is a real good player and I think ultimately he'll score goals in the NHL. He scored to some degree so far. The more he scores the more he'll play in that sense. But he's got to do it in a complete game." As in a 200-foot game. "When Teemu is at his best, he's coming back, he's great in the D-zone, he's stopping when he comes back in our end," Blashill said. "He's attacking up the ice. He's doing a good job with his feet, he's managing the puck, he's anticipating well, not cheating. When he struggles, he cheats too much to get offense. When he's good he anticipates great. It's a fine line. I got lots of belief in Teemu." Pulkkinen was scratched in eight consecutive games before Saturday. He scheduled to play against the Ottawa Senators only if Dylan Larkin, who was sick and missed the morning skate, wasn't able to dress. Pulkkinen admitted sitting is frustrating. "I think everybody wants to play, so when you're not playing, you're not kind of happy," Pulkkinen said. "It is what it is. This is pro hockey and there's only a number of guys who can dress and some guys have to sit." Pulkkinen essentially slipped below Tomas Jurco and Andreas Athanasiou on the depth chart. Blashill likes Jurco's size and skating ability, and he has picked up his play of late. He likes Athanasiou's speed and penalty-killing ability. Pulkkinen is one-dimensional, but it's an important dimension: His offensive ability. He has a cannon for a shot and he shoots right – a rarity on this roster. He has been a prolific scorer with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. He has six goals and 12 points in 29 games this season with Detroit (he missed 18 games with a dislocated shoulder). "Just work out hard, be ready for every day," Pulkkinen said. "There's not much you can do. You can just stay positive and work hard." RED WINGS NOTES

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Young D pair learning: Blashill said he was keeping the young defense pairing of Xavier Ouellet and Alexey Marchenko together Saturday despite their combined minus-5 rating the past two games. "We've gotten scored on too much," Blashill said. "That's not just on their shoulders but they're part of it. As a group of defensemen and as a team we got to not give up as many chances and be as loose as we've been. I think they've fared fine. I don't think the chemistry is where it would be if they played a lot longer together, but they got to get that chemistry real fast because points are critically important. I think they're both good players and they can play better." Standings WATCH: Blashill said he doesn't pay too much attention to the ever-changing Eastern Conference standings at this point of the season. "Focus is making sure we play good hockey and that we're giving ourselves the best chance to win every night," Blashill said. "Secondly, we judge ourselves on our own segments, both cumulatively and where we're at in that segment. And third, I see the standings; I'm not blind to that. I just think you got to control what you control and that's your own play." Michigan Live LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Red Wings Gameday: Detroit trying to avoid first five-game road skid since March 2012 By Brendan Savage on February 20, 2016 at 3:03 PM, updated February 20, 2016 at 3:04 PM GAME INFORMATION • Who: Detroit Red Wings (29-20-9) at Ottawa Senators (27-26-6) • Where: Canadian Tire Centre • When: 7 p.m. • TV: Fox Sports Detroit, CBC • Radio: 97.1 WXYT-FM, 1270 WXYT-AM and Red Wings radio network • Social media: Follow MLive sports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. • Twitter: Follow Ansar Khan and Brendan Savage • Live coverage: Join our open thread at 6 p.m. GAME NOTES • Petr Mrazek, who is coming off his two worst outings of the season, will get a chance to try and get back on track tonight against the Senators. Mrazek has allowed five goals in each of his previous two starts, a 6-5 win over the Boston Bruins and Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Those are the only two games in which he's allowed more than four goals this season. He was pulled for the first time this season with the Red Wings trailing Pittsburgh 5-2 in the third period. Mrazek is 2-0-1 with a 1.62 GAA in three career starts vs. Ottawa. • The Red Wings will be trying to avoid their first five-game losing streak on the road in almost four years. The last time they dropped four straight on the road was from March 6-28, 2012, when they went 0-5-2 during a seven-game stretch. They ended the skid by winning their final road game of the season before losing a five-game playoff series to the Nashville Predators. • If there's anywhere the Red Wings have a good chance at getting their road fortunes turned around, it's probably Ottawa. They've won three straight at Canadian Tire Center and seven of their last eight. That record includes two victories this season. They won 5-3 Oct. 31 in Ottawa, where five players scored goals and Mrazek made 33 saves, before beating winning 4-3 in overtime Nov. 16, when Tomas Tatar scored 2:04 into OT and Jimmy Howard made 22 saves. • Gustav Nyquist has thrived against the Senators this season with two goals and four assists. Nyquist has had a point in his last seven games against vs. the Senators, getting five goals and four assists in that stretch.

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• Dylan Larkin leads the Red Wings with 19 goals. His next goal will make him the 15th first Red Wings rookie in history to score 20 and the first since Henrik Zetterberg in 2002-03. Zetterberg finished with 22 goals as a rookie. • The last time the Red Wings faced the Senators, they won 3-1 at Joe Louis Arena behind 22 saves by Mrazek. That was part of a five-game homestand that saw the Red Wings post a 4-0-1 record while giving up nine goals in regulation or overtime. But the Red Wings' defense has taken a sharp dip in the past three games, when they've allowed a total of 15 goals during a 1-2 stretch that includes back-to-back losses to kick off a four-game road trip. They've allowed 10 goals during the first two games of the trip. • This is the fifth and final game of the season between the Senators and Red Wings, who lead the series 3-1 after dropping the first meeting 3-1 Nov. 4 in Detroit. ... Senators goaltender Craig Anderson is 0-1-1 with a 4.45 GAA in two appearances vs. the Red Wings this season but has a 1.23 GAA in his last four starts at home. ... Ottawa will be trying to win three straight games for the first time since taking four in a row from Nov. 19-25. Michigan Live LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Red Wings lineup vs. Senators: If Dylan Larkin (sick) can't play, Teemu Pulkkinen will get in lineup By Ansar Khan | on February 20, 2016 at 12:57 PM, updated February 20, 2016 at 1:08 PM OTTAWA – Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin was sick this morning and did not skate, so his status for tonight's game against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre (7 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit) will be determined at game time. If Larkin can't play, Teemu Pulkkinen will be inserted into the lineup. Pulkkinen has been a healthy scratch the past eight games. Pulkkinen filled in in Larkin's spot on the line with Brad Richards and Tomas Tatar during the morning skate, but coach Jeff Blashill indicated he might move Gustav Nyquist into Larkin's spot and play Pulkkinen on the line with Andreas Athanasiou and Tomas Jurco, if Larkin can't go. Larkin leads the club with 19 goals and his 39 points are second to Henrik Zetterberg's 41. Larkin has missed only one game this season. Darren Helm was shaken up after being hit in the ankle from a shot by Pulkkinen at the skate but he finished the practice and Blashill said he is expected to play tonight. Here are the lines they skated with this morning: Henrik Zetterberg-Pavel Datsyuk-Justin Abdelkader Teemu Pulkkinen-Brad Richards-Tomas Tatar Tomas Jurco-Andreas Athanasiou-Gustav Nyquist Darren Helm-Luke Glendening-Riley Sheahan Blashill said the defense will remain the same: Kyle Quincey-Danny DeKeyser Brendan Smith-Mike Green Xavier Ouellet-Alexey Marchenko Jakub Kindl (healthy scratch) In goal: Petr Mrazek (starting) Jimmy Howard Here are the power-play units they practiced with: Zetteberg-Datsyuk-Abdelkader (net front), Richards-Green Pulkkinen-Nyquist-Tatar, Helm (net front), Smith Michigan Live LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Red Wings postgame: Petr Mrazek bounces back but Detroit falls to 1-5 in shootouts Brendan Savage | on February 20, 2016 at 10:38 PM, updated February 20, 2016 at 10:39 PM If you missed the Detroit Red Wings' 3-2 shootout loss Saturday night against the Ottawa Senatgors, we've got you covered. Here's a quick snapshot: THREE STARS 1. Craig Anderson – The Senators goaltender stopped 25 shots, including all seven he faced in overtime, after entering the game with a 0-1-1 record and 4.45 GAA in two appearances vs. Detroit this season. 2. Petr Mrazek – The Red Wings goalie bounced back after allowing five goals in each of his past two outings. He stopped 18 shots, none bigger a breakaway by Bobby Ryan in overtime. 3. Dion Phaneuf – The Senators defenseman scored the tying goal late in the third period, was plus-1, had four shots on goal and four hits. BY THE NUMBERS 1 – Red Wings' victories in six shootouts this season. 2 – Games Red Wings rookie Dylan Larkin has missed this season after not feeling well all day leading up to the final meeting of the season with the Senators. 10 – Goals scored by the Red Wings in their last five road games. 12.5 – Percentage of power plays the Red Wings have scored on during their five-game road skid. They have two goals in 16 manpower advantages. 18 – Red Wings games that have gone to overtime or shootouts this season. They have an 8-10 record. 66.6 – Percentage of penalties the Red Wings have successfully killed during the last five games. They've allowed five goals in 15 chances. 21 – Goals allowed by the Red Wings during their five-game road losing streak. TV TALK "The Red Wings, at times in when they're in the shootout, haven't scored enough goals and that really cost them again. Really didn't even get a real good look or even close to scoring on any of those opportunities." – Chris Osgood, Fox Sports Detroit. TWEET TWEET Mrazek stops Bobby Ryan in OT pic.twitter.com/llGcVbe4I3 — Stephanie (@myregularface) February 21, 2016 Michigan Live LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Red Wings lose lead late in regulation, fall to Senators in shootout Ansar Khan | on February 20, 2016 at 11:01 PM, updated February 20, 2016 at 11:11 PM OTTAWA – The Detroit Red Wings achieved their goal of tightening up defensively on Saturday, but not enough to end their losing ways on the road. Dion Phaneuf tied it late in regulation and the Ottawa Senators defeated the Red Wings 3-2 in a shootout at Canadian Tire Centre. The Red Wings (29-20-10) are winless in five consecutive road games (0-4-1) and three in a row overall (0-2-1). Ottawa (28-26-6) has won three in a row. Kyle Turris scored the only goal in the shootout. Craig Anderson made 29 saves in regulation and overtime and stopped shots by Gustav Nyquist, Brad Richards and Pavel Datsyuk in the shootout. The Red Wings got goals in regulation from Andreas Athanasiou and Brad Richards. "Tight game, weird goals," Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg said. "Unfortunately, we couldn't go all the way." Despite the loss, Petr Mrazek bounced back after allowing 10 goals in his past two starts, including five Thursday in Pittsburgh, when he was pulled for the first time this season. "I thought in the end it was a fairly even game," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "They played hard, too. I thought we were certainly positioned to get the second (point) and we didn't, so that's frustrating. But frustration, we can't let that get to us, we got to make sure we keep playing the right way." The Red Wings wrap up a stretch of four consecutive road games Sunday at the New York Rangers. Phaneuf tied it at 2-2 with 3:51 left on a shot from the point through traffic after the Senators had some sustained pressure. It was the defenseman's first goal in six games with Ottawa. "I didn't see it," Mrazek said. "I think it was like three guys in front of me there. I just lost the puck. Tried to find it through traffic. Just couldn't see it." The Red Wings outshot the Senators 7-2 in overtime. Both teams had good scoring chances, none better than Bobby Ryan's breakaway that Mrazek denied by extending his left pad. "Anderson made some big saves as well," Mrazek said. "Three-on-three, lots of chances back and forth. Too bad we didn't score. Pav (Datsyuk) had some good chances there."

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Mrazek was shaken up at 4:05 of the first period when hit in the mask with a slap shot from Patrick Wiercioch, but remained in the game and said afterward he is feeling no ill effects. "I didn't see the puck coming," Mrazek said. "I saw it at the last second. Hit a piece of the plastic on my neck but I was fine." The Red Wings played without star rookie Dylan Larkin (flu), who leads the team with 19 goals. Teemu Pulkkinen, a healthy scratch the previous eight games, was inserted into the lineup. "I'd anticipate Larkin playing tomorrow for sure," Blashill said. "I think Larkin could have played tonight, but it would have been about 80 percent and I'm not a big believer in playing guys like that when you have 100 percent guys there. The other side of it, too, I didn't want him to play two 80 percent games back to back." After a scoreless first period, the Red Wings took a 2-1 lead in the second, with unassisted goals from Athanasiou and Richards, though Erik Karlsson helped. Athanasiou scored his second goal in 14 games this season on a slap shot from close range at 10:46. Karlsson turned the puck over after being pressured in the corner by Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist. "I hopped off the bench and saw they had them outnumbered," Athanasiou said. "They were putting a lot of pressure on them, which is huge there and I was fortunate for that puck to pop out with their pressure. ... Anderson was deep in his net, so it was just a good bounce for me and I was happy to put it in." Zack Smith tied it at 11:46, after Brendan Smith broke his stick in front of the net and coughed up the puck. Richards scored at 17:52, when his shot from the point deflected in off of Karlsson's stick. It was his sixth goal. The Red Wings weren't able to protect the lead in the third period, a problem that plagued them earlier in the season. But they were pleased with their defensive effort. "I think a step in the right direction that way," Justin Abdelkader said. "But we've got to find a way, being up 2-1, to kind of close it out there. Unfortunate we gave up that one towards the end, but that's how it goes." Michigan Live LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Second-period analysis: Andreas Athanasiou, Brad Richards spark Red Wings, with help from Erik Karlsson Ansar Khan on February 20, 2016 at 8:50 PM, updated February 20, 2016 at 9:23 PM OTTAWA – Goals by Andreas Athanasiou and Brad Richards gave the Detroit Red Wings a 2-1 lead over the Ottawa Senators Saturday at Canadian Tire Centre. Both goals were unassisted, but star defenseman Erik Karlsson facilitated both of them. Athanasiou scored on a slap shot from close range at 10:46. Karlsson turned the puck over after being pressured in the corner by Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist. Zack Smith tied it at 11:46, after Brendan Smith broke his stick in front of the net and coughed up the puck. Richards snapped the tie at 17:52, when his shot went in off Karlsson's stick. Michigan Live LOADED: 02.21.2016

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First-period analysis: Red Wings and Senators scoreless in low-shot, low-chance period Ansar Khan | on February 20, 2016 at 7:52 PM, updated February 20, 2016 at 9:21 PM OTTAWA – The Detroit Red Wings, trying to snap a four-game road losing streak, played to a scoreless tie in the first period Saturday against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. The Red Wings, looking for their fourth win a row over the Senators in the fifth and final meeting of the season between the teams, outshot Ottawa 9-6. The Senators had the lone power play. Petr Mrazek, who's allowed 15 goals in his past three starts, was shaken up at 4:05 of the period when hit in the mask with a slap shot from Patrick Wiercioch, but he remained in the game. The Red Wings are playing without star rookie Dylan Larkin (flu). Teemu Pulkkinen, a healthy scratch the previous eight games, was inserted into the lineup. Michigan Live LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Turris gets only goal in shootout, Senators beat Red Wings Posted: 02/20/16, 10:41 PM EST | Updated: 1 hr ago AP OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Kyle Turris scored the shootout winner and Dion Phaneuf got his first goal with the Ottawa Senators in a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night. Zack Smith also scored for the Senators. Ottawa has won three straight games for the first time since Nov. 19-24. Craig Anderson turned away 29 shots. Andreas Athanasiou and Brad Richards scored for the Red Wings, and Petr Mrazek made 25 saves. The Senators have struggled when giving up the first goal this season but were able to change their fortune on this night thanks to their newest player. Phaneuf tied it with 3:51 left in the third period when he ripped a shot through traffic to beat Mrazek. Anderson got the fans in the game with a double-stack pad save on Justin Abdelkader early in the first period. The Red Wings then opened the scoring at 10:46 of the second when Erik Karlsson made a brutal giveaway, putting the puck right on Athanasiou’s stick, and he quickly beat Anderson. Ottawa tied the game exactly 1 minute later when Jean-Gabriel Pageau found Smith skating through the slot. Smith redirected the puck through Mrazek’s legs and tied a career high for goals with his 14th of the season. Detroit regained the lead late in the second on an unlucky play for Karlsson, who attempted to bat the puck out of the air but sent it right past Anderson instead. Richards was given credit for the goal. The Red Wings had a scare early in the game when Mrazek appeared shaken after taking Patrick Wiercioch’s shot early in the period, but he remained in the game. NOTES: Senators C Shane Prince and D Chris Wideman were healthy scratches for the Senators. ... Detroit’s leading scorer C Dylan Larkin was unable to play due to illness and D Jonathan Ericsson missed his fourth straight game due to a lower-body injury. D Jakub Kindl was a healthy scratch. ... The Senators head out for a three-game western trip, while Detroit will wrap up its four-game trip Sunday against the New York Rangers. Macomb Daily LOADED: 02.21.2016

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Red Wings hold longer meeting, Watch video after loss Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 4:03 p.m. EST February 19, 2016 OTTAWA -- Henrik Zetterberg left Canadian Tire Centre making plans for lunch. So did several Detroit Red Wings teammates. Some, including Pavel Datsyuk, spent the early afternoon partaking in an optional practice, others opted for off-ice workouts, then a good meal. But one thing was different: A meeting that lasted double the usual seven-to-eight minutes. The coaching staff spent much of it on video. "It's just showing stuff we need to improve on," Justin Abdelkader said. "Giving up five goals is not the style and the type of play that is going to move us forward. We've got to be better, have better attention to detail. We've got 24 games left, so it's a sprint to the finish here." Petr Mrazek will be back in net for Saturday's game against the Ottawa Senators. Mrazek has allowed 10 goals his last two starts, but no one lacks confidence in the young goaltender. "I don't think Pete has played nearly to his high level," Blashill said. "But that's the ebb and flow of the year. I'd be concerned if I saw real flaws. I don't see flaws. He just hasn't been as sharp as prior." Neither have the Wings, who have lost their last two games overall and last four on the road. It was the 6-3 drubbing Thursday at Pittsburgh that prompted today's reflections, and renewed sense of urgency. The Wings are still inside the top three spots in the Atlantic Division, but with 15 goals allowed the last three games, they're not headed in the right direction. "The biggest part of my job is to make sure we keep getting better as a hockey team," Blashill said. "We meet lots. Try not to meet too much. But today, there are areas in our game we've got to be better at. I spoke last night about making sure we're better defensively, so we want to make sure that we're learning. One of the best ways to learn is by seeing it on video. The video never lies, so we went through some stuff that we've got tot to be better at." Thursday's game is the most damning of the last three; the 6-5 win against Boston was just one of those crazy events that occur during a long season, and Monday's 4-1 loss to the Islanders has to be looked at in light of coming 18 hours after the Bruins game. But the Wings were fresh coming into the Penguins game, and were inexcusably lax defensively. "I didn't love our energy level two days ago in practice, I didn't love our energy level last night in terms of the energy around the room, and it's a grind," Blashill said. "So (it was) giving the guys a chance to mentally refresh and make sure that our focus level is extremely high." Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.20.2016

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Red Wings vs. Senators game day: Time, TV, radio, etc. Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press 2:35 a.m. EST February 20, 2016 Detroit Red Wings (29-20-9, 66 points) vs. Ottawa Senators (27-26-6, 60 points) When: 7 p.m. Where: Canadian Tire Center, Ottawa. TV: Fox Sports Detroit. Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; Click here for other radio affiliates). The skinny: After dropping their fourth straight road game Thursday, the Wings had a chance to really break things down and access their performance. Petr Mrazek, who allowed five goals and got pulled two days ago in Pittsburgh, will start yet again in goal. As for the Sens, they're going for their third win in a row. Ottawa is six points out of a playoff spot, making the game a vital one for both sides. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.20.2016

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Red Wings players review evidence of ugly defeat Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 5:04 p.m. EST February 19, 2016 Kanata, Ontario — The video doesn’t lie. And when reviewing Thursday’s 6-3 loss to the Penguins, the Red Wings had an opportunity to see all the ugly details before Friday’s practice at Canadian Tire Center. The pre-practice meeting extended a bit longer than usual as coach Jeff Blashill wanted to make sure details that needed to be addressed were, while turning the planned practice Friday into an optional one. Blashill downplayed the longer than usual pre-practice meeting — it was longer by a matter of minutes, nothing too lengthy — as nothing more than a teaching tool. Too many defensive lapses and playing too loose defensively had come into play, specifically the loss to the Penguins. “The biggest part of my job is to make sure we keep getting better as a hockey team,” Blashill said. “I don’t think you can meet every single day. We meet lots, and try not to meet too much, but today … there are certain areas in our game we have to be better at. “We have to be better defensively and we have to make sure we’re learning. One of the best ways to learn is see it on video. The video never lies and we went through some stuff we have to be better at. “For me, it’s just a process of again, my job is to try to teach and make sure we’re learning and getting better as a hockey team.” But also, along with the defensive issues, Blashill has been concerned about the energy level — or lack thereof. “Sometimes mental freshness is real important,” Blashill said. “So that’s why we didn’t practice (fully) today. I just thought you go through long periods of the year and it can be a grind on you mentally. I didn’t love our energy level two days ago in practice and I didn’t love our energy level just last night (in Pittsburgh) in terms of the energy around the room. “It’s a grind, so giving the guys a chance to refresh and make sure our focus level is extremely high, working hard gets you in the door, but you have to have a high focus of attention to detail and doing it right every single shift in order to have to success and we didn’t do it right enough certainly last night (in Pittsburgh).” Mrazek starts Blashill named goaltender Petr Mrazek the starter for Saturday’s game in Ottawa. It’ll be an opportunity for Mrazek to bounce back after allowing five goals each to Boston and Pittsburgh in his last two starts.

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Mrazek was replaced Thursday in the third period by Jimmy Howard as Mrazek has hit his first bump in a successful season. Blashill expected some sort of slip eventually. “I don’t think Pete’s played nearly to his high level and that’s the ebb and flow of the year,” Blashill said. “He was 95 percent (save percentage) or something like that through January and that’s not sustainable. I know that’s not sustainable, nobody does that. “I’d be concerned if I saw real flaws, but I don’t see flaws. He just hasn’t been quite as sharp as he’d been prior, but I expected that at some point.” Blashill didn’t feel Mrazek’s teammates helped the goaltender much against the Penguins. “We didn’t help ourselves,” Blashill said. “He wasn’t as sharp as he’d been in the past, but we gave up way too much (defensively) to judge our goalie on.” Ice chips Blashill wouldn’t divulge if there would be any lineup changes, saying the coaching staff was still mulling any moves. … Defensemen Jonathan Ericsson (lower body) and Niklas Kronwall (knee) skated Friday but both are still doubtful to rejoin the lineup this weekend. … Because of a college basketball game between St. John’s and Seton Hall Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, the Red Wings will not have a morning skate before the Sunday night game against the Rangers. Red Wings at Senators Faceoff: 7 p.m., Saturday night, Canadian Tire Center. TV/radio: FSD; 97.1, 1270 Outlook: The Senators (27-26-6, 60 points) have snuck past Montreal and are six points behind Tampa and seven behind the Red Wings…D Erik Karlsson (65 points) is again in the discussion for the Norris Trophy. Detroit News LOADED: 02.20.2016

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Red Wings Watch video in effort to shore up defense; Petr Mrazek to start Saturday By Ansar Khan on February 19, 2016 at 5:05 PM, updated February 19, 2016 at 5:21 PM OTTAWA – The Detroit Red Wings' recent defensive lapse prompted a team meeting that apparently was a little longer than usual Friday before practice at Canadian Tire Centre. Coach Jeff Blashill didn't elaborate much, but said coaches showed players video of areas that need improvement after the team allowed 15 goals in its past three games. "The biggest part of my job is to make sure that we keep getting better as a hockey team," Blashill said. "I don't think you can meet every single day, but we meet lots. There's just areas in our game that we've got to be better at. "I spoke last night about making sure we're better defensively, so we want to make sure that we're learning. One of the best ways to learn is by seeing it on video. The video never lies so we went through some stuff that we've got to be better at. Again, my job is to try to teach and make sure that we're learning and getting better as a hockey team." Justin Abdelkader told DetroitRedWings.com: "Just showing some stuff that we need to improve on. Obviously, giving up five goals is not the style and the type of play that we want to ... that's going to move us forward here. We've got to be better with some better attention to detail." Petr Mrazek will start in goal Saturday against the Ottawa Senators (7 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit). Blashill said everyone who played in Thursday's 6-3 loss at Pittsburgh is available. He said he'll decide Saturday whether to make any lineup changes – forward Teemu Pulkkinen and defenseman Jakub Kindl are the only healthy replacement options. The Red Wings, before this recent defensive lapse, had allowed four goals in four games. Blashill believes part of problem is mental, which is why Friday's practice was optional, though most players skated. "The one thing I said last night was sometimes mental freshness is real important," Blashill said. "I just thought you go through long periods of the year and it can be a grind on you mentally. I didn't love our energy level two days ago in practice. I didn't love our energy level last night in terms of the energy around the room. "It's a grind. ... Working hard gets you in the door. You have to have a high focus of attention to detail, doing it right every single shift in order to have success. And we didn't do it right enough last night." The Red Wings were far too loose defensively on Thursday, giving the Penguins too much skating room.

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Blashill was asked if they need to be more physical or abrasive, make it harder on opponents. "When I look at the chances against, I guess the first area in physicality could be our first contact in our D-zone where you can separate the man from the puck quicker so we can get out of our zone faster," Blashill said. "The defensive lapses were maybe more physical in front of the net. Those two areas in our D-zone we can do a better job of. "I think the pendulum swings all year long between real defensive, real offensive. I think we swung it too far where we were giving up too many chances on the defensive end. So we have got to do a better job making sure we're above people. We've got to do a better job (being) proactive, getting above 50-50 pucks, so if they pop the wrong way we're still in great defensive position. We've got to do a good job of being proactive so that if somebody were to get beat there's another layer of support. And then we've got to do a better job in our own end. In our own end physicality plays a part in it." Blashill reiterated that he's not concerned about Mrazek, who has allowed 10 goals in his past two starts after a dominant stretch that had propelled him to the top of the NHL in goals-against average and save percentage. "I don't think Pete's played nearly to his high level," Blashill said. "Honestly, that's the ebb and flow of the year. I think he was 95 percent (save percentage) or something like that through January. Well, that's not sustainable. Nobody does that, so I'd be concerned if I saw real flaws. I don't see flaws. He just hasn't quite been as sharp as he has been prior. But I expected that at some point. "Against Boston (6-5 win on Sunday) we were able to, I guess the word would be 'bail him out.' Last night I don't think we helped ourselves. He had to make too many good saves early last night; right off the bat there's a two-on-one. I didn't think he was as sharp as he's been in the past. But again, we gave up way too much last night to judge a goalie on." Michigan Live LOADED: 02.20.2016

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Jeff Blashill: Jimmy Howard's showing in mop-up duty for Red Wings 'hopefully a good sign' By Brendan Savage on February 19, 2016 at 10:10 AM PITTSBURGH – Less than 12 minutes of shutout hockey isn't going to cure what's been ailing Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard. But coach Jeff Blashill is hoping it's a step in that direction. That's why Blashill decided to pull Petr Mrazek early in the third period of the Red Wings' 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins Thursday and put Howard between the pipes. Mrazek has been the Red Wings' workhorse since the start of the calendar year as Howard tries to work his way out of a slump that has lasted more than two months. Howard hasn't won a game since Dec. 3 so when the Penguins took a 5-2 lead on Phil Kessel's second goal of the game at 6:26 of the third period, Blashill decided to yank Mrazek for the first time this season and insert Howard. Howard responded by stopping all six shots he faced in 11:08 of action. Pittsburgh's lone goal after Mrazek left the game was an empty-netter by Sidney Crosby in the final minute. "I think it's good for him," Blashill said. "That was the No. 1 reason we wanted to do that at that point, to get him in the game and hopefully he'd see some shots and stop them and get his game going a little bit and he looked good. "But I thought he looked good (Monday in New York), too. I thought he was on his game. The result wasn't what anybody wanted but I thought he was on his game. It's good. "He's worked hard to prepare himself, so hopefully that's a positive sign." Howard, who was the Red Wings' No. 1 goalie for the previous six seasons, is in the midst of perhaps the worst slump of his career. Before facing the Penguins, he had allowed at least three goals in his previous eight appearances and hasn't won since beating Arizona 5-1 Dec. 3. In the aforementioned eight games, Howard gave up a total of 29 goals. In 22 games this seasaon, Howard has a 7-9-4 record, 2.92 GAA and .903 save percentage. Given the way he played during his brief stint vs. Pittsburgh and the fact that the Red Wings have back-to-back games this weekend, there's a chance he could start Saturday in Ottawa or Sunday in New York against the Rangers. Michigan Live LOADED: 02.20.2016

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Red Wings 'weren't even close' to being good enough defensively in loss to Penguins By Brendan Savage | on February 19, 2016 at 6:06 AM, updated February 19, 2016 at 11:21 AM PITTSBURGH – Petr Mrazek's goaltending has been good enough to give the Detroit Red Wings a chance to win most of the games he's played this season. Thursday wasn't one of them. Mrazek had his second consecutive off-night, the Red Wings' team defense in front of him was even worse and the result was predictable – a 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center. Mrazek failed to finish a game for the first time in 40 appearances this season, getting replace by Jimmy Howard 6:26 into the third period after Phil Kessel's second goal of the game gave the Penguins a 5-2 lead. It was the second straight game Mrazek has allowed five goals – the most he's given up this season – but nobody was blaming him. Not after he played so well in his first 38 games that he's still among the NHL leaders in goals-against average and save percentage. "Some nights he's going to stand on his head and some nights he's going to be human," said veteran forward Brad Richards. "It's a group thing tonight, where we all know that's not how we're going to play hockey the rest of the year and how we're going to win. "They got (incredible) talent but we weren't as sharp as we usually are mentally and detailed. When that happens and they are, they're going to get chances and they buried them." Mrazek finished with 27 saves before being replaced by Howard, who has been struggling himself for more than two months. Howard, who hasn't won a game since Dec. 3, stopped all six shots he faced. The lone goal the Red Wings allowed after Mrazek departed was into an empty net by Sidney Crosby with 47.1 seconds remaining. Mrazek's night got off to a poor start when the Penguins opened the scoring midway through the first period, when a shot by Ben Lovejoy deflected off Darren Helm's stick in the slot and eluded Mrazek, who was clearly not pleased at the way the Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead. It didn't get any better. The Red Wings battled back and tied it twice, the second time on Dylan Larkin's 19th goal of the season 2:19 into the second period. But the Penguins needed just 24 seconds to regain the lead on Kessel's first goal and the Red Wings never recovered.

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"That was a big one for them for sure," Mrazek said. "When we tied the game, if we keep it 2-2 for longer, it may be a different game. I feel like the fourth goal was maybe the break point there. "Obviously they played well. They came hard and they had a lot more chances than we did." Tomas Jurco and Henrik Zetterberg also scored for the Red Wings, who dropped their fourth straight on the road. That's their longest losing streak on the road since they also lost four straight from March 4-16, 2014. The Red Wings were hoping for a much better performance after getting two days off between games for the first time in two weeks. "I didn't think we were good enough defensively," said coach Jeff Blashill. "I didn't think as a five-man unit we weren't even close. We cannot play that way and have long-term success. "I thought we were way too loose, we gave up way too many chances. Certainly credit to them, they played really well but I focus on our team. I thought it was our weakest five-man unit defensively we've had in a while." In Mrazek's last start, the Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins 6-5 to complete a homestand that saw them earn nine of a possible 10 points. Blashill thought Mrazek was better against the Penguins than he was vs. the Bruins, when he faced just 22 shots. "I thought he was fine tonight," Blashill said. "I thought the other night he was a bit off. He would tell you that as well. Tonight I didn't see that. The only thing is making sure his crease management is real good, where he doesn't get too far out of the cage, so he can continue to battle for all those rebound goals. "But I just think – I don't care who's in the net – you can't play that way defensively and have long-term success." Michigan Live LOADED: 02.20.2016

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Wings focus on ‘mental freshness' By Chuck Pleiness, The Macomb Daily POSTED: 02/19/16, 5:23 PM EST | UPDATED: 45 SECS AGO Three games and 15 goals later, Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill decided to hold a longer than usual team meeting Friday afternoon. “The biggest part of my job is to make sure that we keep getting better as a hockey team,” Blashill said. “I don’t think you can meet every single day, but we meet lots. We try not to meet too much, but there are just areas in our game that we’ve got to be better at. “I spoke last night about making sure we’re better defensively, so we want to make sure that we’re learning,” Blashill continued. “One of the best ways to learn is by seeing it on video. The video never lies so we went through some stuff that we’ve got to be better at. But for me it’s just a process. My job is to try to teach and make sure that we’re learning and getting better as a hockey team.” The Wings, who held an optional skate in Ottawa on Friday, are coming off a 6-3 defeat Thursday at Pittsburgh and have dropped their last four on the road. “I think mental freshness is real important, so that’s why we didn’t practice today,” Blashill said. “I just thought you go through long periods of the year and it can be a grind on you mentally, and I didn’t love our energy level two days ago in practice. I didn’t love our energy level just last night in terms of the energy around the room. “It’s a grind, so I think given the guys a chance to mentally re-fresh and make sure that our focus level is extremely high,” Blashill added. “Working hard gets you in the door. You have to have a high focus of attention to detail, doing it right every single shift in order to have success. And we didn’t do it right enough certainly (Thursday).” Blashill will go back with Petr Mrazek in goal despite allowing 10 goals against in his last two starts. “I don’t think Pete’s played nearly to his high level,” Blashill said. “Honestly, that’s the ebb and flow of the year. I think he was 95 percent or something like that through January. Well, that’s not sustainable. I know that’s not sustainable. Nobody does that, so I’d be concerned if I saw real flaws. I don’t see flaws. He just hasn’t quite been as sharp as he has been prior. But I expected that at some point. I knew at some point that would happen.” A week and a half ago Mrazek led the league in goals-against average (1.97) and save percentage (.933). He’s now fourth in goals-against average (2.11) and sixth in save percentage (.927). “Against Boston we were able to, I guess the word would be ‘bail him out’, (Thursday) night I don’t think we helped ourselves,” Blashill said. “Now he had to make too many good saves early (Thursday) night too, like right off the bat there’s a two-on-one. I didn’t

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think he was as sharp as he’s been in the past. But again, we gave up way too much (Thursday) night to judge a goalie on.” MORE PHYSICAL ON DEFENSE There are two areas Blashill wants his defensemen to improve on. The first is contact in their zone where they can separate a skater from the puck quicker so they can get out of the zone quicker. The second is being more physical in front of the net. “I think the pendulum swings all year long between real defensive, real offensive,” Blashill said. “I think we’ve swung too far where we were giving up too many chances on the defensive end. We need to do a better job making sure we’re above people. We’ve got to do a better job where we’re pro-active getting above 50-50 pucks, so if they pop the wrong way we’re still in great defensive position. We’ve got to do a good job of being pro-active so that if somebody were to get beat there’s another layer of support, and then we’ve got to do a better job in our own end. In our own end physicality plays a part in it.” Macomb Daily LOADED: 02.20.2016