from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, It wasn't a complete lost weekend for the Red Wings. They did earn one point in Friday's overtime loss to Dallas. But then again, it was only the one point they earned, out of a possible four, when you add Saturday's loss in Nashville. Red Wings center Robby Fabbri (14) slides against  Predators goaltender Juuse Saros during the third period Saturday night in Nashville. So, it wasn't great, by any standard. And, if anything, it was a frustrating one for the Wings, who felt they could have much more while playing two of the better teams in the Western Conference. "We should have won (Friday), and we were right there (Saturday)," defenseman Marc Staal said after Saturday's 4-1 loss in Nashville. "No, I don't think they're on a different level than us. We just have to figure out a way to make it go our way. "Right now, we just weren't able to do it." Coach Jeff Blashill never has been a big believer in "measuring sticks," or measuring his team against others in the NHL. In Blashill's mind, the NHL is a daily measuring stick. Every game is a measuring stick. But for the Wings in these two games, it was a frustrating to be in good position to win both, yet come away with so little. It was another, painful learning experience. continued

from Greg Wyshynski of ESPN. The ECHL has indefinitely suspended Jacksonville Icemen defenseman Jacob Panetta, pending a hearing for what South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Jordan Subban said was a racist taunt on Saturday night. "The South Carolina Stingrays are disgusted and appalled by last night's incident involving Jordan Subban," Stingrays team president Rob Concannon said in a statement. "Our organization stands in support of our friend and teammate, Jordan, as well as all other players who continue to deal with racism and discrimination. This behavior is unacceptable and has to stop." The Jacksonville Icemen said in a statement that the organization is cooperating with the ECHL's review of the incident. "As an organization, our fans, partners and sponsors know our core values and intend to make comments and decisions after completion of league review," the team said. continued Below a video of the incident tweeted out by PK Subban.

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, - The only way you can blame Dave Tippett for all that has gone wrong with the Oilers is if he happens to be playing goal most nights. Scotty Bowman couldn’t win with Mikko Koskinen in goal. - Mike Gillis’ name is being kicked around as the next leader of the NHL Players’ Association. The players have a terrible history of choosing leaders so Gillis would fit right in there. - The best defencemen I’ve ever seen are Orr and Nick Lidstrom. But after that, in whatever order you choose, I have to include Denis Potvin, Larry Robinson, Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Raymond Bourque and Chris Chelios. And just after that: Serge Savard, Paul Coffey, Brad Park and Borje Salming. - That Jim Matheson-Draisaitl brouhaha of insignificance in Edmonton is what happens when conversations stop happening in dressing rooms between players and reporters and personal relationships don’t develop. Some of the best relationships I’ve built over the years started with some kind of mishap that needed an explanation. Unfortunately, in COVID times, there is no avenue for those conversations anymore. more notes....

from Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Detroit won its last Stanley Cup in 2008, kept its core together too long and aged out. Los Angeles won its last Stanley Cup in 2014, kept its core together too long and aged out. Chicago won its last Stanley Cup in 2015, kept its core together too long and aged out. Detroit has missed the playoffs since 2016 and hasn’t won a playoff series since 2013. Los Angeles has missed the playoffs in five of the last seven seasons and hasn’t won a playoff series since 2014. Chicago has missed the playoffs in three of the last four seasons and has won one playoff series since 2015. Of those teams, only the Kings are currently in a playoff spot. (By a measly three points.) I keep waiting for the Pittsburgh Penguins to hit a wall, too. But they’re a lock to make the playoffs for an incredible 16th straight season. Full disclosure: The Penguins haven’t won a playoff series since 2018. But the Penguins won their division last season and would have won their first-round playoff series had goaltender Tristan Jarry not soiled the bed. The Penguins’ long-time core won the Stanley Cup in 2009, again in 2016 and ’17 and might be getting a third wind. What makes the Penguins different than Detroit, Los Angeles and Chicago? Why haven’t they aged out? That’s simple: The Penguins’ core is a lot better than the core for any of those teams and clearly has more staying power. continued

* A hat trick from Chris Kreider and a multi-goal outing to help Alex Ovechkin climb another NHL all-time list intensified the 2021-22 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race as Kreider moved into a tie with Ovechkin for the most goals by any player this season.    * The Central Division-leading Avalanche (28-8-3, 59 points) earned their 17th win at Ball Arena in 2021-22 and became the eighth team in NHL history to post a home win streak of 15 or more games.  * An 11-game slate Saturday featured five teams secure a multi-goal comeback to win – matching the most in a single day in NHL history – while three teams scored seven-plus goals en route to victory. * Ducks rookie Trevor Zegras announced Saturday that the League has invited him to be part of the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. Zegras will take part in the Breakaway Challenge on Friday, Feb. 4.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, If this weekend was any sort of measuring stick, playing against two tough, playoff-caliber teams, the Red Wings came up a little bit short. Saturday it was the Nashville Predators who withstood a good Wings road game, and defeated the Red Wings 4-1 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. "We fought hard, played a physical game, we matched their intensity and physicality," defenseman Marc Staal said. "It's just execution on some chances we had and some breakdowns in our end. That's the difference in the game. It's a good hockey team over there, they weren't giving us anything easy." The Wings (18-18-6) earned one out of four possible points, having lost Friday in overtime to Dallas. "We have to find ways to win," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "When we're in that position, we have to find ways against good teams on the road." The Wings struggled to generate offense. They were scoreless on four power-play attempts, and Adam Erne supplied the only goal. continued Below find Bob Duff with his view of the game, a video with Marc Staal and Jeff Blashill and the game highlights.

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet, Like the Grinch who stole Christmas, somewhere between the first and second periods on Saturday night, the Edmonton Oilers' hearts grew three times in size. A game that began like so many others of late, with the Calgary Flames holding a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes, did not end the way the past seven — or 13 of the previous 15 — had for the Oilers. Somewhere along the way the bad goalie, the horrible power play and the unproductive superstars wrote different endings to their stories, and the Oilers snapped a seven-game losing streak with a dramatic 5-3 win over the Flames. “When you are losing, you feel like you have that cloud or that pressure on your shoulders. You grip your stick a little bit too tight,” said Leon Draisaitl, whose four-point night included the game-winner with 5:31 to play and an empty netter just as the final horn sounded. “This was a big night for a lot of guys. You relieve a little bit of pressure and maybe don’t grip your stick as tight. That swagger is a huge part of confidence. Tonight was a big night for us.” Undoubtedly, the best story all evening was goaltender Mikko Koskinen, who has been bombarded with criticism more than any single figure in the NHL over the past couple of weeks. continued Catch the game highlights below.

Topics discussed include- Canadian Olympic Team will be announced on Tuesday, expect Eric Staal to be named to the team.  Oilers goaltending search and what is Edmonton willing to give up. Still waiting on Evander Kane situation and the Capitals are now interested him along with the Oilers.  Jakob Chychrun talk and soon to be UFA Nazim Kandri has a new agent plus the Rangers have looked at acquiring Jake DeBrusk. via Sportsnet,  

The Wings were playing a perfect road game and outplaying the Predators the first 32 minutes of the game. Then Nashville scored twice in under two minutes but Detroit scored late to make it 2-1 after two periods. Nashville scored midway in the third to make it 3-1 and then went into shutdown mode. The Preds added an empty net goal to make it a 4-1 final. Below find the Bertuzzi fight and Detroit goal. Next game is Wednesday with the Wings hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. I'll catch up with the post game videos early in the morning.

Tonight's game isn't going to be easy by any means. The Preds really nailed the Wings pretty hard last meeting. They're a tough team, and, l really don't want to see the Preds wipe up the ice with the Wings tonight. Nobody does. It's a back to back, hope for the best, kind of night. It’s a Live Blog!

Hall of famer. Champion. Legend. Islander. Always in our hearts, Clark Gillies. pic.twitter.com/NLtjiQkiDV — New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 23, 2022

Matt Porter of the Boston Globe takes a look in the Atlantic Division... The Bruins are a solid team. Are they more? Adding a true No. 2 center would help Bergeron and Tuukka Rask get another shot. Getting something for Jake DeBrusk, whether it’s a package deal for Tomas Hertl in San Jose, or straight up for another player looking for a fresh start, is probably their best option. The Red Wings are in the best shape of any of the Atlantic rebuilders, with Calder Trophy candidates at three positions (winger Lucas Raymond, defenseman Moritz Seider, goalie Alex Nedeljkovic) and lots of cap space. Someone might want Vladislav Namestnikov, Danny DeKeyser, or Nick Leddy as a rental. They could be players by laundering someone else’s bad contract. Though Steve Yzerman probably wants to see what his group is made of, it could be wiser to stop chasing a wild-card spot. The best recent news for Buffalo is that Rasmus Dahlin seems to be putting it together. The Sabres have three first-round picks (their own, Florida’s, Vegas’s) and need to keep surrounding the 21-and-under group of Dahlin, Dylan Cozens, Payton Krebs, and Jack Quinn with talent. They’ve got enough cap space to make the market move at the deadline. As for Ottawa, we’re officially in the time of “unparalleled success” owner Eugene Melnyk promised. In 2019, Melnyk proclaimed that his team would spend close to the cap from 2021-25. Entering the weekend, they were T-31 in the league. more teams and more hockey topics...

from Luke Fox of Sportsnet, 1. We’ve seen what a key absence or two can do to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ blue line — expose its lack of depth. For a club with Stanley Cup aspirations, there should be no question that general manager Kyle Dubas will do his best to bolster his greatest weakness in advance of the March 21 deadline. Would Dallas trade bait John Klingberg make the Leafs better? Absolutely. But we're not certain Klingberg is the perfect solution for this roster’s needs — or that Dubas can put together the best package to land him. There are a handful of cheaper defenders on expiring contracts that check the proper boxes: experience playing against the opposition’s top six; kills penalties; capable of playing the right side; physical; and a cap hit that, with some massaging, could work. Let’s take an early peek at eight impending UFAs, in descending order, who could be on Dubas’s wish list.... 2. Ryan McDonagh was nervous; Victor Hedman was motivated. “I'm not going to lie. I had trouble napping today because I was pretty excited,” Hedman told reporters. Two-time defending champions rarely get dealt an extraordinary test in January, one that might hinder a Norris and Conn Smythe trophy winner’s ability to sleep. But the Tampa Bay Lightning walked into Staples Center Tuesday knowing they only had four defenceman available. “It’s something new. It’s clearly not ideal,” coach Jon Cooper said postgame. “He was excited for this challenge. There’s guys that rise to the challenge. There’s guys that don’t.” In case you didn’t already understand which category Hedman falls into, he went out and scored two pretty goals, set up a third with a primary assist and chugged an eye-popping 32:37 in ice time, propelling Tampa and its four defencemen to a 6-4 win in L.A.... more on each of the above topics plus more notes...

from Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now, Six-foot-eight Detroit Red Wings prospect Elmer Soderblom is getting people to notice him for more than his height. With 12 goals in 33 games for Frolunda, Soderblom is the highest-scoring player age 21-and-under in the Swedish Hockey League. “All of these things with coordination are coming together,” TSN draft analyst Craig Button said. “His skating is better. He’s a little bit quicker. He’s a little bit strong. So that makes him even more imposing.” The Red Wings drafted Elmer Soderblom in the sixth round, at No. 159, in 2019. But today he is considered one of their more intriguing forward prospects Button remembers watching Soderblom at age 15 and 16 and it was difficult to project what he would be like because his body and coordination were out of sync. “He was like Bambi out there,” Button. continued In case you missed this.. DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today assigned center Gemel Smith to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins for conditioning.

from Stan Fischler of The Hockey News, * JACK-JACK-JACK: I'm excited; are you? Jumpin' Jack Eichel's return is just around the calendar. If the Controversial One truly returns to form, Vegas will be a team you won't want to face in the playoffs. * THEN AGAIN: No matter how he shakes it, the Knights' Robin Lehner gives me the heebie-jeebies because he can't move laterally quickly enough. Best that g.m. Kelly McCrimmon acquire an experienced back-up. Perhaps Thomas Greiss will be available. * GOOD GRIT GUYS: Corey Perry and Joe Pavelski just won't go away. And why should they? This pair of Ancients has helped both the Lightning and Stars, respectively. Pav already has a four and five point game this term. * ESPN WINNER: Sean McDonough has impressed doing play-by-play. He's the pro's pro. Or, as one critic puts it, "He makes games feel big when it counts." more including a look at the Florida Panthers...

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, These are the types of games the Red Wings are still learning to finish, grab the victory, and move on to the next game. They proved Friday they're still grasping how to do those things, and it cost them a point in the standings. Dallas tied the game late in regulation, then won it overtime on Roope Hintz's power-play goal, giving the Stars a 5-4 overtime victory. "We played good at times, but just costly mistakes at costly times," forward Dylan Larkin said. Hintz was alone in front of goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic and tapped in Joe Pavelski's pass for his 17th goal. The Stars got on the power play when Robby Fabbri tripped Hintz, giving the Stars the four-on-three advantage in overtime. Stars forward Jason Robertson, who played his youth hockey in the Detroit area, tied it 4-4 at 18:57 of the third period, sending the game into overtime. It was a frustrating way to give away a point, given the Wings had played well enough to claim a victory. "We played a real good game, we have to find ways to win those kind of games," coach Jeff Blashill said. "It's part of the process we're going through here, learning how to win and we played way too good not to win." continued from Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now,

* Sidney Crosby recorded his 35th career game with at least four points and climbed past two Hockey Hall of Fame members on the NHL’s all-time points list. * Tony DeAngelo recorded a franchise-first as the Hurricanes scored at least six goals for the second time in as many games and reclaimed top spot in the Metropolitan Division. * Colton Parayko now stands alone in Blues history, becoming the first defenseman to score a penalty-shot goal.  

Dallas defeated Detroit 5-4 in OT in an enjoyable game to watch. It looked like Detroit would win 4-3 in regulation but Dallas scored late in the game to make it 4-4 and force overtime. In OT, Dallas scored on the power play to win 5-4. Below find the video tribute for Luke Glendening and the Detroit goals.

Dylan Larkin first, below fine Jeff Blashill, Mickey Redmond and the game highlights.   "A lot of mistakes tonight," says Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin after a disappointing OT loss to the Stars. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/wwJc4gJAn2 — Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) January 22, 2022

from the New York Islanders, The New York Islanders are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of legendary power-forward and Hockey Hall of Fame member Clark Gillies. "The entire Islanders community is devastated by the loss of Clark Gillies," Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello said. "He epitomized what it means to be a New York Islander. The pride he felt wearing the Islanders sweater on the ice was evident by his willingness to do anything to win. Off the ice, he was just as big of a presence, always taking the time to give back to the local community. The New York Islanders have four Stanley Cups because of the sacrifices he and the members of those dynasty teams made for the franchise. On behalf of the entire organization, we send our deepest condolences to the entire Gillies family." Gillies, 67, a native of Moose Jaw, SK, was a member of the Islanders from 1974-75 through 1985-86. He was selected by the Islanders in the first round (4th overall) of the 1974 NHL Entry Draft. As a member of the Islanders, Gillies played in 872 games (fifth all-time in franchise history), scoring 304 goals (fourth all-time in franchise history) and 359 assists (fifth all-time in franchise history) for 663 points (fourth all-time in franchise history). He played in 159 playoff games for the Islanders, scoring 47 goals and 46 assists for 93 points. Gillies was one of 17 Islanders players that won four straight Stanley Cups Championships from 1980-1983. He also was a member of the group that set the NHL record of 19 straight playoff series wins, a mark that still stands today. continued I am saddended by this news, he was a true power forward. added 11:24pm, How tough was Gilies?  Watch below.

The Wings have had a few days off, and, I hope they've been preparing for a tough Dallas team tonight. Yes, they did just win two in a row, but, truth be told, Buffalo is no Dallas. The Stars pretty much man handled, and out coached the Wings the last time these two teams met back in November. Let's just say, there are at least 19 Wings fans that are hoping for a better outcome this time around.  It's a Live Blog!

Or may be better to ask who isn't available?   Almost everyone is on the trading block for the Blackhawks.#NHLTradeDeadline | #NHLTonight | @FriedgeHNIC pic.twitter.com/GUjH0OXKa8 — NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) January 21, 2022

Plays and topics you may want to review from the past few days in the NHL.  

The only report this morning are Gemel and Givani Smith are skating. If more becomes available, I will post it here.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday signed left wing Justin Abdelkader to a professional tryout. The 14-year-pro competed with the Griffins for two seasons from 2008-10 before moving on to the Detroit Red Wings, where he ultimately played parts of 13 seasons. The Muskegon, Mich., native became the first West Michigan native to suit up for Grand Rapids when he made his AHL debut on Oct. 11, 2008. Abdelkader skated in 109 games for the Griffins and totaled 76 points (35-41—76) and 188 penalty minutes, earning AHL All-Rookie Team honors during the 2008-09 season when he logged 52 points (24-28—52) in 76 contests. Should Abdelkader play on Saturday when Grand Rapids hosts Milwaukee at 7 p.m., he would set the new standard for longest time span between Griffins appearances at 4,305 days, or 11 years, nine months and 12 days (April 10, 2010 to Jan. 22, 2022). The record is currently held by Jonathan Ericsson at 3,888 days, or 10 years, seven months and 22 days (March 1, 2009 to Oct. 23, 2019).

* Sergei Bobrovsky posted a 40-save shutout and the Panthers continued their high-scoring ways Thursday. * Roman Josi had two assists to claim sole possession of the most in Predators franchise history. * Friday’s eight-game slate opens with the Rangers visiting the Hurricanes with first place in the Metropolitan Division on the line.  

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet, It’s broken in Edmonton. Smashed into a million pieces. On Thursday night, the Oilers outplayed Florida for the entire opening period, but couldn’t buy a goal despite outshooting the Panthers 17-7. A couple of hours later, that “success” was but a distant memory, buried in a landslide of Florida goals. Losers by a 6-0 score, the Oilers have now lost seven straight games and 13 of their past 15. This was yet another embarrassment, and truth be told, the group as it exists has not found a solution in weeks, putting up the worst record in the National Hockey League standings for a month and a half now. This is not the worst team in the NHL. But it’s been playing like it for too long now. So something has to change. Because as it exists today, this collection of players and coaches can not effect change by themselves. They no longer have an answer. Fire head coach Dave Tippett? It wouldn’t surprise us one bit if, for the first time in his career as a general manager, Ken Holland pulled the trigger on Friday. The season is swirling down the drain, and the team isn’t getting any better. He can’t find a goalie, let alone one who can score on a nightly basis. continued Game highlights are below.

UPDATE: Brad Marchand (upper body) will not return to tonight’s game. — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 21, 2022  

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post, It’s been a minute since the Rangers and Tony DeAngelo shared a sheet of ice, but when the Blueshirts take on the ’Canes here Friday night in their next challenge, No. 77 will be on the other side. He will be the one thriving after a year of enforced idleness that followed, well, come on, you know the story by now. Outburst(s). A post-game encounter with a teammate following a final warning. Waivers. Exile. Buyout. And a new start away from the bright lights of Broadway. “It’s going really well for me here,” DeAngelo, who signed a one-year free-agent deal for $1 million with Carolina following the buyout, told The Post this week. “I was a little rusty in training camp, though, I came back and it was, ‘Holy blank, I didn’t know I was out this long.’ So it took me a little bit to get going. “But there are so many good players here and the pace has been so high from the start that I was able to get comfortable pretty early. It’s been real smooth. We started off 9-0 and it doesn’t get better than that.” continued

Are there any goalie options available for the Oilers on the trade market? How will the Sens and Leafs handle the capacity restriction changes implemented by the Ontario government? Will the CHL prospects game be re-instated? TSN Hockey Insiders Pierre LeBrun, Chris Johnston and Darren Dreger discuss this and more. Watch at TSN

13 1/2 minutes of coach Blashill.  

Raymond is mic'd up for the 4-0 win over Buffalo.  

from Bob McKenzie of TSN, It is still the Shane Wright Draft. For now, anyway. To be clear, though, the Kingston Frontenac centre’s top-prospect status is by no means a sure thing – even if nine of 10 scouts ranked the Burlington, Ont., native first on TSN’s 2022 Mid-Season NHL Draft Rankings. “I think [Wright’s] first half-performance has left the door open for someone to unseat him,” said one of the 10 scouts surveyed by TSN to determine consensus rankings aimed at projecting where in the draft players are likely to be chosen. “[No. 1] is absolutely still up for grabs,” said another scout. Bear in mind that these two scouts, while voicing some concerns, still currently have Wright atop their lists. But they would like to see more from him. And from the other contenders for No. 1, for that matter. Two forces appear to be at work here — Wright’s so-so performance thus far this season combined with the other top prospects, who could conceivably challenge him for No. 1, not fully seizing the opportunity. Wright’s game has been, to varying degrees, viewed as underwhelming, especially when weighed against the high expectations coming into the 2021-22 season. continued for much more and a prospect list too...

via Ansar Khan tweet, practice lines before tomorrow’s game vs. Dallas Namestnikov-Larkin-Raymond Bertuzzi-Suter-Fabbri Erne-Rasmussen-Zadina Smith-Veleno-Gagner DeKeyser-Seider Staal-Hronek Leddy-Lindstom Oesterle Nedeljkovic Pickard

Max Bultman and Ian Mendes of The Athletic discuss a Filip Zadina trade to Ottawa for Erik Brannstrom. Bultman: I don’t think it works for Detroit. Change of scenery trades do happen in the NHL, and Brannstrom is certainly young enough that he could very well pop in new surroundings (or, of course, with more time in Ottawa). But I’m not sure Brannstrom really checks many boxes for the Red Wings right now. For starters, he’s not the profile of defenseman they’ve targeted so far under Yzerman — over the last three years, Detroit has gravitated toward defenseman with long, rangy builds, whereas Brannstrom stands 5-foot-10. Add in that the offense hasn’t actually materialized yet for Brannstrom, and the fit looks tenuous. But beyond that, Detroit’s left-side defense pipeline is one of the areas the franchise has invested the most draft capital in recent years — using a first-rounder, three second-rounders, and two third-round picks on left shot ‘D’ in the last three years alone. So trading a young player at one of their positions of relative weakness (scoring wing) for a left-shot ‘D’ who is outside their typical profile at the position is just tough for me to see. The Red Wings will likely need short-term left-side ‘D’ help next year, with some key contracts expiring. But I think it’s more likely they’ll look to add veteran stability to insulate young prospects like Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson when they arrive, rather than another relatively unproven blueliner — even knowing Brannstrom’s pedigree. much more (paid subscription)

via the YouTube page of the NHL, The Panthers go on an offensive barrage, Hagelin nets the dreaded own-goal on the delayed penalty and a lucky helmet exchange for the Ottawa Senators!  

from Luke Fox of Sportsnet, The Toronto Maple Leafs have gained and then squandered a 3-1 lead in four of their past five games — but this one hits different. This one was devoid of a positive post-game spin or excuses about travel or fans or missing bodies. This one was about a good team losing its structure and its determination, its guts and its goaltending. “This one should bother us greatly. Because how we played wasn’t nearly good enough,” said coach Sheldon Keefe, after watching a 3-1 lead disintegrate into a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday. “I just thought we got exposed today for being a team that was just soft. Soft and purposeless and just kind of playing the game and just hoping it was gonna work out.” Mitch Marner admitted that Toronto took its foot off the gas after flying through the first 20 minutes. After two practice days devoted to protecting their net-front and managing leads by establishing a forecheck, the Leafs deviated from the game plan and tried to make the pretty play. “It’s like we get these leads, and then go into the second thinking it’s going to be just an easy rest of 40 minutes,” Marner said. “And everything’s coming to bite us in the butt.” continued Game highlights are below.

from Michael Traikos of the National Post, Rebuild, retool or reset? “The choice of words is not important,” said Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes during his introductory news conference on Wednesday. “I want to establish a plan that will allow us to compete every year.” It was a very diplomatic — if not vague — answer. But it was also the correct answer. Whatever you want to call it, the Montreal Canadiens are headed for a transformation. How big of a transformation will depend on whether Carey Price agrees to be traded, whether the lottery balls fall in their favour at the next two NHL Entry Drafts, and whether a young core that includes Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Alexander Romanov can take a huge step forward after taking a step backwards. As we saw last year, when the Habs went on an incredible run to the Stanley Cup final, there’s a lot that can go right and help speed things up. But, as evidenced by the team’s plummet to the bottom of the overall standings, there’s even more that can possibly go wrong and slow it down. “I think there are some really interesting pieces here in Montreal that can be built around,” said Hughes. “There’s a different set of players. We have young, exciting players, whether it be a Suzuki or a Caufield. And we have more established, older veteran players. continued

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, The Red Wings aren’t likely to contend for the postseason, trailing the Boston Bruins, who have four games in hand, by five points for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They are still in the rebuild phase, but they have taken another step. Here are their midseason grades, based on performance vs. expectations: Forwards Tyler Bertuzzi: A GP: 32 G: 18 A: 14 PT: 32 He hasn’t missed a beat after missing all but nine games the previous season due to a back injury that required surgery. He’s playing with the same energy and tenacity he has throughout his career and is on pace for his most productive season while posting a team-best plus-14 rating. Adam Erne: C GP: 39 G: 3 A: 6 PT: 9 He has taken a step back offensively after tying for the team lead with a career-high 11 goals. Part of the problem is he has no points on the power play, where he isn’t a regular but has logged 44 minutes. He leads the team in hits on a third line that has provided energy at times. Robby Fabbri: B- read on

* The Rangers scored five unanswered goals – bookended by tallies from Adam Fox and Ryan Reaves – to rally past the Maple Leafs. Reaves, who scored earlier in the game, recorded his first two goals since being traded to New York on July 29, 2021.  * Nazem Kadri also collected multiple points to eclipse 50 on the season and help the Avalanche blank the Ducks.  * The NHL announced a comprehensive update to the 2021-22 regular-season schedule, including new dates for 98 games that had been postponed over the two-month period from Nov. 18, 2021 through Jan. 18, 2022, that will see all teams complete the full season by the original April 29 closing date.  

NEW YORK (Jan. 19, 2022) – Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov has been suspended for two games, without pay, for kneeing Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers during NHL Game No. 695 in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Jan. 18, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today. The incident occurred at 13:17 of the third period. Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Orlov will forfeit $51,000.00. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. Watch the explanation below.

Four minutes long.  

NEW YORK (Jan. 19, 2022) – The National Hockey League today announced a comprehensive update to the 2021-22 regular-season schedule, one that will enable all 32 teams to complete their respective 82-game slates by the regular season's original closing date of Friday, April 29. The revised schedule includes:

DETROIT – The National Hockey League today announced a comprehensive update to the 2021-22 regular-season schedule, one that will enable all 32 teams to complete their respective 82-game slates by the regular season's original closing date of Friday, April 29.   The Red Wings updated schedule includes the below changes:

DET claims Gemel Smith. Lagesson clears — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 19, 2022 Brother of Givani.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, Take a look at the standings as the Red Wings reach the halfway mark in the schedule. It's all right to do so. Unlike the last several seasons, you'll be pleasantly surprised. You won't have a look of horror and pain. Very likely, you'll smile. Gasp, even. The Red Wings are 18-17-5 through 40 games and can do no worse than being a .500 team at the exact halfway marker. Really. Now, most everyone expected some semblance of improvement this season. The mix of all that young talent arriving, and maturing, was expected to produce benefits at some point of the rebuild. But to do it to this extent the first half of a busy, COVID-filled, wacky schedule has been impressive. In fact, it's entirely admissible to talk playoffs. continued and in the slideshow, the lowest grade went to... Filip Zadina — 38 games, four goals, seven assists. Analysis: It's as if Zadina has regressed in certain areas. There's been more defensive lapses, and the goal-scoring ability has yet to surface on a consistent basis. Too many invisible evenings, and now he's fallen out of the top six forwards and needs to show he deserves the move back up. Grade: D

The overhead view near the end of the video has the best view.  

from Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now, Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman says prospects must earn their way to the show. He specifically says he would like to see them “dominate” at the American Hockey League level before being called up. Jonatan Berggren may have done just that Tuesday night. The 2018 second-round pick produced four assists in the Grand Rapids Griffins’ 5-3 win against the Cleveland Monsters. Berggren had three primary assists among the four. He has 11 points in his past eight games. Berggren, 21, now has eight goals and 19 assists for 27 points in 30 games for the Griffins. Last season, Berggren was a Top 10 scorer in Sweden’s top league with 45 points in 49 games for Skelleftea. The Red Wings would like to see Jonatan Berggren add some weight to his frame. But the Red Wings rank 24th in NHL scoring with an average of 2.68 goals per game. If Berggren continues to produce at the AHL level, the Red Wings will have to consider bringing him up. continue for more NHL topics... Note, Saturday's game in Nashville for the Wings now has an 8:30pm ET start.  It was pushed back a half hour due to the NFL playoffs.

Four minutes of your time.  

“At some point, COVID just has to be a flu. We can’t just keep going through all the new variants and shutdowns. At some point, it’s just got to go away. We’ve got to live through it, deal with it and just understand if you’ve got symptoms, go test. If you’ve got it, stay home for a couple days. I think we’ve learned, especially this year, guys have been getting it, don’t even know they’ve had it most of the time. For me, I had it and it was two days and I felt completely fine. I had to test out, wait the five days, I missed two games when I felt I could have played. I hope we stop testing. I hope the world, in general, gets back. Because I’m sick of this, to be honest with you.” -Ryan Reaves of the New York Rangers.  Sean Shapiro of The Athletic has more (paid) reaction from the players.

from Scott Burnside of the Daily Faceoff, There was a time when a veteran reporter like Jim Matheson in Edmonton, a member of the media arm of the Hockey Hall of Fame I might add, would have walked into the Edmonton Oilers locker room on an off day and maybe waited until the television cameras moved on, and sat down next to Leon Draisaitl and asked him about the many problems afflicting the slumping Edmonton Oilers. Maybe Matheson, whom I have known and respected as a true pro since I got in this business almost 25 years ago, would have asked the same questions he asked Tuesday. Questions that were recorded in our new Zoom life and immediately digested, debated and digested and debated some more by folks on social media, the vast majority of whom have never had occasion to speak to a pro athlete, let alone ask one of the best players in the world why his team sucks. That’s not an indictment of the commentary necessarily. Hey, it’s social media. Have at it, although it always infuriates me when other ‘journalists’ weigh in on these kinds of situations in what I can only assume is an effort to curry favor with their social media tribe. Don’t you have anything better to do? But I digress. More than highlight the manner in which the Edmonton Oilers’ season has gone down the rabbit hole, Tuesday’s awkward interchange reinforces the great disconnect that has been created and exacerbated in these pandemic times between the player, coaches and executives of NHL teams and the reporters whose job it is to try and share the stories, good and bad, with the fans who are the lifeblood of the game. continued

Washington’s Dmitry Orlov will have a hearing today for Kneeing Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers. — NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 19, 2022 Watch below.

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, - Elsewhere, I think Edmonton’s looking harder at acquiring a goalie. Remember: Jaroslav Halak has control in Vancouver and doesn’t seem inclined to move. The Oilers are changing course on this issue because missing the playoffs is not an option and the frustration is boiling over. Scouting meetings are in California this week, so owner Daryl Katz can be heard first-hand. I don’t get too riled up about the Jim Matheson-Leon Draisaitl skirmish. It happens, particularly when teams are losing. I’ve been on the receiving end; try to roll my eyes and move on. The added challenge now is, with restricted access due to Covid, there’s no opportunity for a media member and a player to privately sort things out. Only adds to the disconnect. What I would be concerned about from an Oilers point-of-view is the open frustration from Connor McDavid, Draisaitl, Zack Kassian and others. It’s multiple people over multiple days. That’s really bad; only wins stop an avalanche of negativity. - Last week, mentioned that Carolina and Colorado will be in every trade rumour. I’d like to add Florida — for a defenceman. (There are teams who suspect they are in on Jakob Chychrun). It’s an all-in year for the Panthers. They’re really good and one more defender would be perfect for them. - Purely my opinion, but I’m wondering about Patrik Laine. He needs a new contract next season before unrestricted free agency beckons. He’s shown he’s not afraid to play for his qualifying offer (did that this year). It comes down to Columbus. Do the Blue Jackets feel it is the best use of their resources — not only now, but down the road — to extend him at a big number and term? - The lack of cap space will be the biggest impediment to making trades. So many teams are so tight, or in long-term injury. Arizona is using two of three retained-salary slots (Darcy Kuemper and Oliver Ekman-Larsson), so the Coyotes can only do one more. Other teams with space (Buffalo, Columbus, Detroit, Ottawa) could be kingmakers here. more Thoughts

from Mari Faiello of the Tampa Bay Times, The self-proclaimed Tampa Bay “Find-A-Ways” found a way, once again, when the odds were stacked against them. Tuesday against the Kings, injuries to three of their defensemen — Jan Rutta, Erik Cernak and Zach Bogosian — forced the Lightning to start their three-game west coast swing with just 16 skaters. But the team’s tenacity and heavy puck possession made the difference in a 6-4 win in Los Angeles. “(We’ve faced) adversity with guys getting hurt, adversity within the game,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “You can look at some of the bounces that went against us, and guys just kept fighting, battling, showed a lot of emotion. ... (We) just executed and closed them out.” To remain salary-cap compliant — the team is maxed out at $81.5 million with 22 players — the Lightning were forced to play without a full active roster since none of the missing players (Rutta, Cernak, Bogosian and forward Ondrej Palat) will go on long-term injured reserve, which requires players to miss 10 games and 24 days.... “You can look at it two ways,” Hedman said. “You can look at it and feel sorry for yourself or you can look at it as an opportunity, and that’s how we approached it (Tuesday).” Hedman contributed three points, including the opening goal in the first period, the primary assist on Nikita Kucherov’s second-period goal and the go-ahead goal in the third. His 32:37 of ice time led the team, 3:19 more than McDonagh. read on Watch the game highlights below.

from Eric Francis of Sportsnet, Four points for Johnny Gaudreau, three for Matthew Tkachuk, two for the Calgary Flames and one hell of a way to snap a four-game losing skid. Forget about measuring-stick games, this was simply a measured approach to the type of game the Flames needed to get back to. Few could have predicted they’d do it against Sam Bennett and the white-hot Florida Panthers, who’ve spent the last month averaging six goals a game. Yet, there they were, returning to the recipe that had the Flames atop the NHL standings six weeks earlier, winning 5-1 over a team that stood at the top entering play on Tuesday night. Showing no signs of the play that landed them losses in eight of their previous 10, the Flames got back to the complete team effort that has eluded them the last month. Everything wrong with the club of late went right Tuesday. Consider: • The power play, which has limped into 2022, scored twice early, including the game-opener less than five minutes in when Rasmus Andersson scored his first of the season. • Sean Monahan, who has been struggling all season , scored twice, and made several big plays to remind people of the finish he used to exhibit far more than the six times he’s done so this year. continued Below are the game highights

* The Bruins retired the No. 22 of hockey pioneer Willie O’Ree Tuesday, which marked the 64th anniversary of O’Ree’s League debut when he became the first Black player to appear in an NHL game. * The Hurricanes reclaimed first place in the Metropolitan Division, thanks in part to a five-goal opening period. * Auston Matthews can match an NHL record as the Maple Leafs visit the Rangers at Madison Square Garden Wednesday.

NEW YORK/TORONTO (Jan. 18, 2022) – Following a meeting of their respective medical groups last week, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) announced today the following updates to their COVID Protocol: Five-Day Isolation Period: The isolation period Protocol update issued Dec. 29 appears to be functioning well in its current form. A significant portion of Players appear to be exiting isolation after five days, with a lab-based PCR test that has a CT value >30. Testing Protocol: The plan is to continue the current testing Protocol through Feb. 3. Provided positive test results continue to decline within the NHL, and pending review and agreement by Jan. 31 by the NHL’s and NHLPA’s medical experts, the Protocol will be updated as follows:

update 4:31pm, Fake account, my mistake.   I’d like to thank my fellow scribes for having my back. It’s not easy out here trying to get a quote or two from players who seem to have no respect for some of the games toughest questions. — Jim Matheson (@jimmathesonnhI) January 18, 2022 Want to know what happened?  Watch below.

Do you see shades of Steve Yzerman, aka “The Captain”, in Dylan Larkin’s game?@DarrenMcCarty4 sees the growth in Larkin’s maturity and approves!#LGRW | @BigDWSN pic.twitter.com/zyhzJfsnV7 — Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) January 18, 2022

NEW YORK (Jan. 18, 2022) – The National Hockey League announced today that Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (Atlantic), Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri (Central), New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (Metropolitan) and Anaheim Ducks right wing Troy Terry (Pacific) have won the final roster spots for the 2022 Honda NHL® All-Star Weekend as a result of voting in the 2022 NHL All-Star Last Men In. However, Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel – who finished second in the Metropolitan Division voting – will replace Zibanejad, who cannot attend due to personal reasons. Fans worldwide were able to cast their votes at NHL.com/lastmenin and via the NHL App from a group of 32 All-Star caliber players – one from each NHL team (determined by the League’s Hockey Operations Department). Fans were permitted to select as few as one player and a maximum of four players per ballot. The maximum number of ballots cast per 24-hour period for each fan was 10. See below for the full rosters for the 2022 Honda NHL® All-Star Weekend, which will be held Feb. 4-5 in Las Vegas.

First up is Vladislav Namestnikov, below is Jeff Blashill.  

via Ansar Khan tweets, practice lines: Namestnikov-Oesterle (for Larkin)-Raymond Bertuzzi-Suter-Fabbri Erne-Rasmussen-Zadina Smith-Veleno-Gagner DeKeyser-Seider Staal-Hronek Leddy-Lindstrom Nedeljkovic Pickard RedWings on ice for practice. Everyone who played yesterday in Buffalo skating except for Larkin. Greiss placed in COVID protocol on Monday.

January 18, 1980 #LetsGoOilers #LetsGoPens This video has it all, an on ice brawl, Slats trying to get into the crowd, people crying in the stands. pic.twitter.com/8ReVbrYloq — Vintage Oilers (@VintageOilers) January 18, 2022

Hearing NHL/NHLPA agreeing on no longer testing asymptomatic players and staff after All-Star. At that point, testing only required for cross-border travel and if a person develops symptoms. — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 18, 2022

from Matt Calkins of the Seattle Times, They announced a sellout, but there were so many gaps in the seating it looked like a hockey player’s smile. Maybe it was the 2 p.m. start time on a holiday that people wanted to spend elsewhere. More likely, it was because the Kraken hadn’t won a game in over a month — or a home game since Dec. 3. No one here is pretending the buzz surrounding this team has completely vanished. But the flame this city saw when the Kraken opened their inaugural season in October is whittling toward a flicker. Had Seattle lost its 10th straight game vs. the Blackhawks on Monday, the Climate Pledge Arena crowd might have stormed the ice in protest. This season has been a combination of disappointment, dysfunction and disaster. Fortunately for those home fans, the Kraken did deliver a victory worth those hefty ticket prices. They rallied from a goal down in the third period, tied the game at 2-2, and outscored Chicago 2-0 in the shootout.  Maybe that win is like a band-aid on a gunshot wound given the Kraken’s last-place standing in the Pacific Division, where they trail the seventh-place Canucks by 11 points. But Monday afternoon was at least something — even if those triumphant feelings will turn out to be fleeting. continued

from Max Bultman of The Athletic, Here are 10 thoughts on Nedeljkovic, where Detroit sits at the season’s midpoint, and some potential big decisions on the horizon. - Nedeljkovic has been the Red Wings’ No. 1 for a while now, but Jeff Blashill made clear just how highly he thinks of Nedeljkovic on Sunday. “Through the course of this season, he’s had a number of moments where I think he’s looked like a guy who can really be an elite goaltender in this league,” Blashill said. He immediately followed that statement by talking about how hard that status is to prove, and about the ebb-and-flow nature of the position. By definition, it’s really hard to be elite, and it’s even harder to be at that level consistently. Blashill is smart to include that caveat when he uses that word for that reason. But it’s notable enough that he used it at all, even if speaking primarily about potential. - So far, though, Nedeljkovic’s numbers do indeed put him on the doorstep of that level.... - So, here’s a reality check. Despite being the Eastern Conference’s ninth-place team, the Red Wings’ mathematical path to the postseason is already virtually non-existent. In the NHL’s last five full (82-game) seasons, the final wild-card team in the East finished with somewhere between 95 and 98 points. If that 98 number held up this year, Detroit would need to amass 57 points over their final 42 games — a number that, by points percentage, is better than the first halves (so far) of Washington, Boston and Pittsburgh. more ($$$)

NEW YORK (Jan. 18, 2022) – Tonight, the Boston Bruins will retire Willie O’Ree’s No. 22 in a special ceremony at TD Garden. The on-ice ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. ET prior to puck drop and will be available live on New England Sports Network (NESN), NHL Network, and streamed on NHL.com. For subscribers of ESPN+, the ceremony will be available the following day. 

MONTREAL -- Geoff Molson, owner, president and CEO of Groupe CH, announced on Tuesday the appointment of Kent Hughes as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens. Hughes signed a five-year contract with the team.

from David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, The Golden Knights were worried about how they would start Monday against the Penguins in their first game in six days. The beginning wasn’t the problem for the slumping Knights, who jumped out to a three-goal advantage. It was their inability to sustain that level of play over the final 40 minutes that proved costly. Wobbled by a haymaker from Pittsburgh in the second period, the Knights buckled in the third and lost 5-3 to the red-hot Penguins in front of an announced crowd of 18,213 at T-Mobile Arena. “You never want to get waxed in your own building like that,” Knights captain Mark Stone said. “Three-nothing after the first period, you can’t walk away from the game with nothing. We have another two days off between here. A little soul-searching to do.”... “Every team in the league is going to blow a 3-0 lead at some point during the season. The key is, what do you learn from it?” coach Pete DeBoer said. “That’s a very good team over there. Very resilient team with a lot of veteran, great players. It comes down to little details at key moments in the game, and they were better than us at some of those.” more Game highlights are below.

* The Bruins will raise the No. 22 of Willie O’Ree to the rafters Tuesday, the 64th anniversary of when he became the first Black player in the NHL. The ceremony will be streamed live on NHL.com at this link.  * Timo Meier made Sharks history Monday, becoming the first player to score five goals in a game with the franchise and the NHL’s fifth in the past 25 years.  * Nathan MacKinnon reached the 600-point milestone as the Avalanche became just the fourth team in the past 35 years to win at least 14 consecutive home games.    BRUINS SET TO HONOR WILLIE O’REE ON 64TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEBUT An Original Six franchise will add to its legendary list of retired numbers when the Bruins raise the No. 22 worn by hockey pioneer and Hockey Hall of Fame member Willie O’Ree to the rafters Tuesday. O’Ree, who will virtually attend the ceremony, made history on Jan. 18, 1958, when he suited up for Boston at the Montreal Forum to become the first Black player in the NHL. * The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a bill this week to award O’Ree the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest civilian honor bestowed in the United States. House passage of the Willie O'Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act is the final legislative step; once the bill passes, it will go to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign.

from Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News, Timo Meier set multiple team records with his five-goal outburst Monday afternoon in the Sharks’ 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center. Meier became the first Sharks player to score five goals in a single game and his three first period goals, coming in 19:09, set another team record for the fastest hat trick from the start of a game. He then scored his fourth and fifth goals in the second period to stake the Sharks to a 6-1 lead. Meier’s first four goals came in 18:22 of actual game time, setting another Sharks individual record. The former record of four goals in 22:46 was set by Tomas Hertl on Oct. 8, 2013 against the New York Rangers in what was his third NHL game. “That’s now a long time ago,” Hertl said Monday. “Today was Timo’s night.” continued Meier's five goals are below in one video.

from Scott Powers of The Athletic, There’s an assumption by many around the league that the Blackhawks will move Fleury this season. They’ll have to get his blessing and abide by his 10-team no-trade clause, but many believe Fleury will finish the season elsewhere. If that’s true, the question becomes what could the Blackhawks get for Fleury. The common thought is probably a second-rounder because Fleury may be an insurance rental for someone down the stretch. But with the way Fleury has been playing lately, two league sources said Monday that they think the Blackhawks could get a first-round pick for him. It would have to be the right situation, but Fleury might just be an option for a team that believes it can make the playoffs and could use an upgrade in net. Fleury would have to be seen as the No. 1 coming in to warrant a first-round pick. In that scenario, it would also make sense for the Blackhawks to explore the market well before the trade deadline. The Blackhawks may also have to eat some of Fleury’s $7 million cap hit. But if a team is willing to exchange a first-round pick, something the Blackhawks probably will be without because of the Seth Jones trade, Blackhawks interim general manager Kyle Davidson would probably be fine with doing that. more ($$$)

from Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette, If there was any doubt the Canadiens are the worst team in the NHL, it was erased Monday when the Arizona Coyotes, the second-worst in the NHL, defeated the Canadiens 5-2 in a Martin Luther King Day matinée at Gila River Arena. The Coyotes scored the first two goals of the game and the Canadiens never came closer than a single goal as their winless streak extended to six games (0-4-2). The loss dropped Montreal’s record to 7-25-5 with a 2-15-4 record on the road. They are last in the Atlantic Division and last overall. Arizona is only a shade better with a 9-24-4 record, last in the Pacific DivisIon.... hortly before the puck drop, TSN reported that Price met with his doctors and he’s back to square one in his recovery from knee surgery. Price had surgery to repair a torn meniscus during the off-season. It’s a relatively minor procedure and there were hopes that he would be ready for the start of training camp. He was not only not ready but his rehab was set back when he entered the NHL players assistance program prior to the start of the season. He spent 30 days in the program to deal with substance use. He has made an occasional appearances on the ice over the past two months but he has been spotted in full goalie gear only twice. more

from Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now, Here are five takeaways from the game: Larkin’s Career Season With 18 goals in 35 games, he’s on a pace to better his 2018-19 season when he tallied 32 goals in 76 games. Coming off last season’s neck injury, Larkin is playing with much more authority. He is using his speed more effectively. Larkin has continued to improve in the faceoff circle. In Monday’s afternoon game, Larkin won 78% of his draws against the Sabres. Larkin was a big reason why the Red Wings controlled the puck in overtime. “I’ve talked about it a lot this year, the ups and downs,” Larkin said. “I’ve really tried to focus on just staying in the middle and being there for the guys and winning hockey games. When you do that, you put the team first and have that mentality, it’s amazing what it does for you personally. I just try to show up every night and play hard. It’s going well right now.” Namestnikov Spark With the Red Wings trailing 2-0, Vladislav Namestnikov scored a shorthanded goal at 10:21 of third period to create the turning point of the game. read on from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now, Over nearly a century of play, the accomplishments and achievements of this franchise have been many. But until Monday afternoon, the Red Wings had never beaten a team three times in overtime during the same NHL regular season. Detroit’s come-from-behind 3-2 victory at Buffalo was the fourth this season by the Red Wings over the Sabres. It was also the third that they’d worked extra time to earn. read on Below, watch extended highlights from today's game.

via the St. Louis Blues, Chris Pronger's No. 44 became the eighth number retired to the rafters at Enterprise Center.  

Dylan Larkin first, below are the highlights and coach Blashill.   We hear from Dylan Larkin after he scores twice Monday afternoon, including the winner in OT. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/n5OlEGm9ns — Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) January 17, 2022

Let's fast forward 50 minutes into the game. With the Wings down 2-0, the get a shorty then three minutes later, Detroit tied the score 2-2. No more scoring in the third when means the teams went to overtime. Wings win it in OT, it was all Detroit in OT and the sealed the deal. Next game Friday with Dallas in town.

It's an unusual Monday matinee game. Also, it's MLK Day, a Holiday, so hopefully a few of you will have the day off, and be able to join in. After the win on Saturday the Wings seem to be feeling pretty good about themselves, but, should never get over confident. Anything can happen, and usually does.    It's a Live Blog!

NEW YORK (Jan. 17, 2022) – Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand, Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Jan. 16.

Less than two minutes to watch.  

from Travis Yost of TSN, Everyone in Edmonton wants answers. Such is life when you have the best player in the world, perhaps two of the five best players in the world, and just two wins since Dec. 1. The problems with the Oilers are multi-faceted. There is the now decade-long issue of the team’s depth players failing the top half of the roster. The goaltending, with all due respect from the yeoman work put in by 23-year-old Stuart Skinner, has been ineffective. The blueline the team spent crucial cap space on in the off-season isn’t any better. Connor McDavid is doing deer-in-headlights post-game interviews. It’s going badly. We knew the Oilers were top-heavy this season, and that their path to the playoffs could be boiled down to the star players going supernova while the rest of the roster managed to not get crushed in limited minutes. The team could ill afford new cracks to form. But a new crack has formed, this one on the penalty kill. continued

from Nicholos J. Cotsonika of NHL.com, Connor's journey hasn't been a straight line, but it all goes back to that garage mentality: Work hard to make the most of your talent. Love it so much it doesn't feel like work. "He's always one of the hardest workers on the ice," said Detroit Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, who played with and against Connor growing up and trains with him in the offseason. "He's always giving it 100 percent, and it's no surprise. I wasn't really surprised when I [saw] him putting up 25, 30 goals a year. I think he's honestly pretty underrated throughout the League as a goal-scorer." When Connor was little, his family lived in New Baltimore, Michigan. He'd Rollerblade in the cul-de-sac and play hockey in the unfinished basement. Later, his family moved to a house on Blue Cloud Drive in Shelby Township, Michigan, perfect for a kid with his head in the clouds and a drive to play in the NHL. The lot was big enough for his father, Joe, to build a backyard rink, so he could come home from practice, turn on the lights and skate for hours outdoors. Sometimes he'd shoot on a cousin who played goalie. "He was always busy doing stuff," said his mother, Kathy. "He was not a kid that would sit around on a Saturday afternoon." His mother said he would shoot 100 pucks a day when he started working in the garage, breaking a window once, leaving marks on the concrete and cinderblocks. Joe Smaza, his coach then, said it was probably more like 500 pucks a day -- the first 100 as hard as possible to build strong hands, the next 100 to pick one upper corner, the next 100 to pick the other upper corner and so on, each shot with a purpose. "I honestly felt that helped a lot with just having a quick release and just muscle memory and being able to shoot the puck like that," Connor said. "It's something where it's fun as well." much more

from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, The Sabres are 0-1-2 this year against Detroit, and a loss Monday would leave them winless against the Red Wings for the first time since the 2013-14 season. Buffalo had been 11-2-2 against Detroit the last four seasons. "I think that's the best possibility we could have, getting back at them right away," center Tage Thompson said. "We have a little unfinished business with them after the way we played the other night. Now's the perfect time to respond." "We need to be able to measure ourselves. We play a really good game in Nashville and we don't know how to replicate that," Granato said. "And that's the first thing you think of in your head, is that experience or not? When you have a chance to play the same opponent, you have the same gauge. They're not playing anybody in between. And so you know it's a true read." more on the Sabres...

* Monday features five matinees as Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed across the United States. Chris Pronger, a Hockey Hall of Fame member and one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players, will also have his No. 44 raised to the rafters at Enterprise Center. * Quinn Hughes collected his 30th point in his 37th contest of 2021-22 and required the fourth-fewest games by a Canucks defenseman to reach the mark in a season – the list is paced by Paul Reinhart. * Alex Ovechkin tied Leon Draisaitl for the most goals and points in the NHL this season.   FIVE NHL MATINEES FEATURED ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY A total of 16 teams are in action as Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed in the United States, with the eight-game slate opening at 1 p.m. ET when the Sabres welcome the Red Wings to KeyBank Center.