Red Wings Rumblings
Hey gang, good news/bad news.
The good news is that this road trip is almost over for the Red Wings. The bad news is that the trip has gone pretty poorly! I guess this isn’t “news” but it got your attention didn’t it?
With 11 games left, the Wings are three points from the second wild card spot in the east. Unfortunately, Montreal has a game in hand with the teams scheduled for one more matchup on April 8th. That game is sandwiched between two games against Florida. We’ve been saying it over and over again, but the schedule is BRUTAL for Detroit.
I’ve accepted that barring an absolute miracle, the Red Wings will miss the playoffs again. Detroit has won just three games in March, which simply is NOT playoff caliber hockey.
Goaltender Sebastian Cossa was called up from Grand Rapids yesterday and backed up Alex Lyon in Denver. Coach Todd McLellan said yesterday that Cam Talbot tweaked something recently and his status is unclear for Thursday’s game. With Mrazek also banged up, it would be nice if Cossa’s second call-up yields him at least one start. I think it would be a wise move to get him some playing time at this point. What do you have to lose?
This is also the time of year where prospects are departing their junior or European clubs to join the NHL system. WHL star Emmitt Finnie was recently assigned to Grand Rapids. The Griffins play Texas at home tonight, so maybe we’ll see Finnie get some time playing pro hockey. Axel Sandin Pellikka and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard are still in playoff action with Skelleftea in the SHL. They currently hold a lead in their series.
Let’s give some love to Trey Augustine — MSU Hockey says that Augustine has led the Spartans to back-to-back regular-season and tournament titles — something no other Big Ten Hockey team has accomplished. It’s no wonder why Augustine is up for so many awards (he is a finalist for the Richter and Sullivan awards).
Tough time to be a Red Wings fan, but the future is bright. Keep your chins up, friends. Still more hockey to be played before the white flag is flown.
