Red Wings host Blackhawks as trade rumors swirl
The Detroit Red Wings play three home games this week, but the most important upcoming date on the calendar is Monday. That's when the NHL's trade deadline arrives. The Wings are looking to make some deals and pick up future assets. The most prominent names mentioned in trade rumors are goaltender Jimmy Howard, winger Gustav Nyquist and defenseman Nick Jensen. They'll try to block those thoughts when they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday in the second game of a five-game homestand. "When you're a seller, it's a little unnerving at times," coach Jeff Blashill said "It requires some conversations to make sure the guys keep things in the right frame of mind." Detroit (23-29-8, 54 points) dropped back-to-back games to Philadelphia over the weekend. The Wings rallied from four goals down in the third period before succumbing in overtime at Philadelphia on Saturday, 6-5, then lost a 3-1 decision at home on Sunday. The Wings outshot the Flyers 38-23 in the rematch but were stymied by rookie goaltender Carter Hart. "We created a lot of O-zone grind, a lot of chances," right winger Anthony Mantha said. "We played a decent game and they weren't going in." Mantha had a game-high seven shots on goal but couldn't beat Hart. He scored twice on Saturday. "I thought he was the best player on the ice for most of the game," Blashill said of Mantha. "When he skates, he's really good. When he kind of drifts, he's still able to make a lot of stick-on-puck plays, but it's hard for his teammates to know what he's doing." Backup goaltender Jonathan Bernier exited Sunday's game after the first period due to a neck injury. Howard replaced him for the final two periods and will likely be tending the net on Wednesday. "We anticipate he'll be fine," Blashill said of Bernier. "We don't think it's a concussion." The Blackhawks (25-26-9, 59 points) pulled out a wild 8-7 home win over Ottawa on Monday. Alex DeBrincat led the way with three goals and two assists. "It was a pretty crazy game," DeBrincat told the team's website. "It felt more like a summer hockey game with that high scoring, but it's good we got the win. That's all that matters." Patrick Kane stretched his point streak to 18 games, an NHL high this season, with a goal and two assists. He has assists in 17 consecutive games, tying the third-longest streak in league history. Kane can catch Adam Oates (1992-93 season) for the second longest assist streak on Wednesday. Wayne Gretzky set the record of 23 during the 1990-91 campaign. The Blackhawks won for the ninth time in 11 games to stay within striking distance of a playoff spot. "I didn't particularly enjoy it back there. As a player, I probably would have," Chicago coach Jeremy Colliton said of the win over the Senators, which featured nine first-period goals. "It was important that we won the game. You don't want to look back at these games and wonder 'What if?' "It wasn't pretty defensively," Colliton added. "Some nice goals, some high-end skill on both sides, but we need points. The good news is we won when we maybe didn't have our best effort. Hopefully, we'll respond with a better one in the next one." --Field Level Media |