Meier Return Will Be Horvat-like; GR Win Reads Like Red Wings Win
The Grand Rapids Griffins beat the Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 on Tuesday, but the box score looked more like a Detroit Red Wings victory.
Jakub Vrana scored his fourth goal of the season and Elmer Soderblom scored the winning goal. Alex Nedeljkovic (17 saves) was named the game’s first star. Vrana was also named one of the stars of the game. These three players started the season with the Red Wings.
Nedeljkovic edged out Milwaukee goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (Nashville Predators prospect) who is considered one of the best goaltending prospects outside of the NHL. Nedeljkovic is now 5-3-2 since joining the Griffins. He has a 2.40 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.
The Griffins beat an Admirals team that has a much better record than the Griffins. The Griffins are now 17-20-2-2 and the Admirals are 24-15-1-2
Red Wings in case you missed it
If the Red Wings decide to trade Tyler Bertuzzi before the March 3 NHL trade deadline, several teams will be interested.
General manager Steve Yzerman will have a lot of work to do after the Red Wings’ long NHL All-Star Game break.
Coach Derek Lalonde wants to make sure Ville Husso has the right number of starts this season in the Detroit net.
Next Red Wings game
The Red Wings (21-19-8) are on an extended break. They will not play again until February 7 when they are at home to face the Edmonton Oilers. With 34 games to play, the Red Wings are seven points from a playoff spot. The Pittsburgh Penguins (24-16-9) hold the last wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings have a game in hand over the Penguins.
Hockey Network Now
Boston: Vinni Lettieri was injured in Bruins practice and won’t join the team on his trip to Toronto next week. Boston Bruins.
Colorado: Evan Rawal delves into why the Nathan MacKinnon-Evan Rodrigues connection works. Colorado avalanche.
Florida: Sasha Barkov is happy to be a local star in Sunrise, Fla., of the Florida Panthers.
Montreal: MHN is looking closely at Sean Monahan’s business value to Canadians. Montreal Canadiens.
New York: Writer Stefen Rosner looks at what a new Bo Horvat contract with the Islanders could look like. New York Islanders.
Philadelphia: Sam Carchidi offers his list of the best, worst and biggest surprises for the Flyers ahead of the NHL All-Star break. Philadelphia Flyers.
Pittsburgh: Wondering if the Penguins are going to make a trade to shake up the team? In an interview with Dave Molinari, Brian Burke explains what worries him about the Penguins. Pittsburgh penguins.
San Jose: Sheng Peng explains why the Sharks will get a return for Timo Meier similar to the value the Vancouver Canucks received when they moved Bo Horvat. San Jose Sharks.
Washington: Coach Peter Laviolette juggles lines to keep the Capitals in playoff contention. Capitals of Washington.
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