TRAVERSE CITY – The Detroit Red Wings are taking advantage of the opportunity to judge themselves in different situations as they wrap up preparations for the exhibition season.
Their match on Sunday at the Center Ice Arena, celebrated by the red squad after defeating the white squad, 6-4, was the highlight of the five-day training camp.
“I thought it was productive,” said coach Derek Lalonde. “We’ve been working on a lot of things. I’ve seen some great things. I like the flow.”
Ville Husso and Michael Hutchinson split the duties for the white squad, and Alex Lyon and James Reimer for the red side. The shots after three periods favored the reds, 30-15.
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Minor leaguer Matt Luff left the first inning with what Lalonde called an upper-body injury (apparently right arm/shoulder), emphasizing that it was not a head injury. There is no timetable for Luff’s return.
Dynamic addition
Even in a scrimmage, newcomer Alex DeBrincat stands for what a whirling dervish he can be down low, hovering over the net. Lalonde joins David Perron on a line with DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin, after Lucas Raymond got a look at the two earlier in camp. DeBrincat and Larkin play with a lot of speed and they seem to be a pair that can be a headache for opponents, whether it’s Perron or Raymond. Lalonde said he’s not sure yet if the Wings will stick with DeBrincat and Larkin as linemates, but they looked good during camp, and project to get more looks together during the exhibition season.
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Opportunistic form
Lalonde’s scrimmage format is different, using the first period for five-on-five play, the second period for special teams, and the third for situational play (three-on-three, four-on-four). Team Red dominated the first period, bringing play on their offensive end and banking goals from newcomer Daniel Sprong (from Joe Veleno and Elmer Söderblom) and minor leaguer Tim Gettinger ( from tryout candidate Artem Anisimov).
The second period is divided into four, one-minute power plays per team, which are played twice. Moritz Seider runs a unit with Larkin, DeBrincat, Perron and Shayne Gostisbehere, while the other red unit has Jake Walman with Sprong, Jonatan Berggren, Veleno and Söderblom. The power plays of team white have Jeff Petry with Andrew Copp, JT Compher, Robby Fabbri and Sprong; and Simon Edvinsson with Michael Rasmussen, Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper and Austin Czarnik. The units will, of course, change during the exhibition.
“There were a lot of moments, which I liked,” Lalonde said. “The power play went 0-for, maybe a little credit to some penalty killing, credit to some good goaltending. But all the power plays had a ton of looks and chances. , we’re going to be happy knowing as long as you get those looks on the power play, it’s going in. Guys are comfortable in their spots.”
Simon said
Edvinsson scored a great shootout goal. He spent five-on-five playing time with Petry, who has served as a mentor of sorts to the 20-year-old. Edvinsson will get more looks during the exhibition season (Ben Chiarot, ruled out for personal reasons, is expected to return during the exhibition season, which begins Tuesday and runs through Oct. 7.)
“Last year I think we played him six times,” Lalonde said. “We want to see him, same as last year.” Edvinsson underwent surgery on his left shoulder in May, severely limiting the amount of training he could do in the summer. Edvinsson had two goals in nine games with the Wings last season, at times showing how much he has to learn about positional play.
“I feel like last year was a good year for me, I learned a lot,” Edvinsson said. “Things that I brought with me in this year’s competition for a place. It will be a fun time now, a lot of fun exhibition games. I want to enter the lineup and compete with them,” he said. . “I want to be a player that’s not just in the NHL, I want to be someone who can help the team win and put in the work every time.”
Edvinsson said hanging out with players like Larkin, Raymond and Seider was a welcome awakening.
“They’re on me,” Edvinsson said. “I think from last year, I came with a bad attitude. I didn’t compete. I heard that and this year, I want to compete with them. I see what they do and I try to learn from that.”
Contact Helene St. James onhstjames@freepress.com. Follow him@helenestjames.
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His latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available at Amazon,Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personal copies available through his e-mail.