Red Wings-Rangers Game Day Notebook 11.7.23 & Where to Watch
The Red Wings' simple formula, the Rangers' evolution under Laviolette, an injury update, a goaltending re-evaluation, and everything else you need to know before Detroit-New York tonight at MSG
Tonight, the Detroit Red Wings will look to build on the momentum gleaned from a fiery Saturday night win over Boston against the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Fourth line winger and penalty kill specialist Christian Fischer missed Saturday's game against the Bruins but was impressed by what he saw from his teammates in returning to the formula with which they'd found success at the start of the season.
"I think we just had to get back to the way we were playing the first two weeks," said Fischer. "More simple plays and more just going north.
"I know it's kind of cliché to say, but I think we're a really good forechecking team, all four lines. I think when we're just keeping it simple and limiting our turnovers, we're a pretty damn good team. So I think that's exactly what we we did against the Bruins there. I think we played very simple, limited their top guys, and played a more simple forechecking game, which I think is our team identity."
To Fischer, "simple hockey is just eliminating turnovers and/or just puck management."
"The first five, 10 minutes of the period or the last minute or two, I think puck management is probably the biggest thing," he explains. "We have a lot of guys that can make a lot of very high end plays, but I think if you were to re-watch the game, our first shift, our captain has like a little two-on-two with Ray and instead of forcing it to the middle, he just chips it in, and they start the forecheck, they turn it over, and they get a chance."
The Red Wings will look to return to that formula this evening from the world's most famous arena.
Scouting Peter Laviolette's Rangers
After a disappointing first-round exit in the postseason last Spring, falling in seven games at the hands of the upstart New Jersey Devils, the New York Rangers made a coaching change over the summer.
Gerard Gallant—who went 99-46-19 in two seasons behind the bench and guided the team to the Eastern Conference Final two years ago—was out. Peter Laviolette—who had just been fired himself after three disappointing seasons in Washington, but who is one of just four coaches to ever take three different teams to a Stanley Cup Final (including winning the Cup in '06 with the Carolina Hurricanes)—was in.
Through 11 games, that change has born positive results for the Blueshirts.
When asked for his impressions of the Rangers' early results, Derek Lalonde said yesterday, he sees a "deep team, Cup contender, a top four or five team in the league player for player, and they're playing like it."
Lalonde went on to explain that he sees a lot of continuity from Gallant's Rangers to Laviolette's with one notable exception.
"The neutral zone is the one big difference," the second-year coach said. "Pete's been renowned for that very passive 1-3-1 and really good at it. It's one thing, and we talk about structure all the time. Obviously, we're a 1-1-3 team. Some nights—like the other night—the 1-1-3 looked world beater. There's other nights where it's porous. So I just think it's the one unique [feature of] their defending."
"It's a good team," Lalonde continued. "It's a team that's been...two games from the Stanley Cup Finals two years ago, so I don't think there's a whole lot of difference. Probably the biggest difference is that neutral zone."
Norris-winning defenseman Adam Fox will not suit up tonight, having been injured last Thursday in a collision with Sebastian Aho during a 2-1 Rangers win over the Hurricanes. Though Fox is of course a central figure, especially to the vaunted New York power play, the Rangers are not exactly starved for attacking threat without him.
"I know they don't have Fox, but even without him, their first two lines, the first power play unit is elite," Fischer said. "They keep having success for a reason...That's a big name team, big market team, Original Six. I think we're on TNT tomorrow too. If you can't get up for that game, you've got serious problems."
The creative fulcrums of the team are forwards Artemi Panarin and Mike Zibanejad, whom Fischer describes as "so deceptive," before explaining that trying to defend that duo can often feel like a lose-lose proposition:
"If you go full speed at them, they're gonna make you look pretty stupid. If you give them too much time , then they're gonna attack you and make you look stupid that way. You almost gotta contain them, but not really. You got to take away their space, but those guys are so good at just reading the play. I think that's probably what separates them from most is they know that next play before they ever get the puck, which is quite a talent to have and very high hockey IQ. So, obviously, if you could limit those guys' touches and time with the puck obviously helps us and if you keep them off the score sheet, I know that definitely helps us."
Then there is Chris Kreider, a skating embodiment of the ultimate hockey cliché that if you want to score goals, go to the net. "He scored 50 goals last year, or the year previous," observes Fischer. "You don't score 50 unless you're a superstar. You don't score 50 by by just staying on the outside. I think you'll look at him. I would argue that 80% of his goals are probably at the net or within five feet. I think that's a perfect example for just modern day NHL, the puck goes to the net. So if you go to the net, the puck's gonna end up there at some point."
Per THN's Jonny Lazerus, Jonathan Quick will get the start in net for New York, rather than regular starter Igor Shesterkin.
Fox or no Fox, Quick or Shesterkin, the Rangers should provide Detroit with another stiff test in the gauntlet that is the Eastern Conference.
Injuries/Availability
Dylan Larkin is battling upper body "bumps and bruises" that caused him to miss yesterday's practice. He remains a game-time decision for tonight's tilt, but he did participate in this morning's skate, a positive sign for Detroit.
Meanwhile, Robby Fabbri is expected to return to the line-up having been out since the season opener with a lower body injury, and Fischer is also expected to be back after missing the Boston game.
Goaltending Uncertainty
Ville Husso will start for the Red Wings tonight at MSG, though his performance against the Bruins did not exactly inspire confidence.
Lalonde referred to the Bruins' opener as "really, really bad goal," adding "You give up a freebie like that, it hurts. We only gave up five scoring chances five-on-five in the entire game to Boston. Unfortunately, two of those were in the back of our net."
The win over Boston did come on the heels of what might have been Husso's best performance of the year in the OT win against the Islanders.
When asked to evaluate Husso's recent form, Lalonde said "Ville is giving us a chance. He's at 5-2-1. Obviously, we'll take that win percentage...He's probably in that bottom 40/50th in the league with his some of his numbers. Obviously, not good enough. But we feel very confident when he's net, and I think he's working on complete games over good games."
Lalonde went on to say that the Red Wings staff "evaluated" the plan in goal ahead of the team's fast approaching trip to Sweden, concluding that "we'll probably expect to see Ville in two of [Detroit's three games before traveling to Europe] and James in one."
Entering the year, Lalonde stated that the plan in net was for Husso to play somewhere in the vicinity of 55 games, as the team's clear number one option in the crease. His recent struggles seem to have cast doubt on that approach, with Lalonde preferring to discuss his goaltending options on a short-term basis rather than affirm that Husso remains the clear-cut starter.
The direct alternative is James Reimer. Lalonde referred to Reimer's numbers as "ungodly" through four games but also noted that the veteran conceded an "awful, awful goal" against the Panthers in Detroit's 2-0 defeat last week.
By the numbers, Reimer is off to a better start to Husso in a smaller sample. Reimer owns a .944 SV %, 1.52 GAA, as well as a Goals Saved Above Expected/60 of 0.507 per MoneyPuck. Husso has a .896, 3.37, and -0.037 by the same metrics.
Goaltending began the year as a question mark for Detroit, and despite the early season success, it remains one through 12 games. For now, Husso remains the number one option and with a good start or three, he could put those questions to rest for a little while. However, if Saturday's struggles recur, the doubts will grow harder to ignore.
Where to Watch
Tonight's game (a 7:30 PM start) will be a national broadcast on TNT. For cord-cutters, the game will also be available to stream on the MAX app.
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