#PREDATORS VS RED WINGS HIGHLIGHTS SERIES#

Sharangovich historically plays his best hockey alongside Hughes, and it could be argued he is primed for his own breakout season now that Sergei Brylin is part of Ruff’s coaching staff. The coaching staff will put him into a position to build off of last season’s success most likely alongside Hischier. 3, the organization avoided salary arbitration with Bratt by signing him to a one-year “show me” contract worth $5,450,000. The top six are almost a lock as Ondrej Palat, Jesper Bratt, and Yegor Sharangovich should be seeing plenty of minutes alongside the team’s top two centers and former first-overall picks. Players Who Are Expected to Play Top-Six Minutes The good news is he and his staff will have plenty of options this season as there is a good mix of veterans and rookies who are ready to compete for roster spots. We will first look at the wingers, and if there is one thing we learned about head coach Lindy Ruff last season is that he does not want to depend on his top-six players to get the job done, he is looking to roll four balanced lines. There is always competition at training camp, but this season is setting up for something a bit more intense as the team has a mix of veterans and hungry prospects who got a taste of life in the NHL last season.Īhead of training camp, I will be publishing a mini-series that will focus on wingers, centers and defensemen and what the battle will look like at each position.

#PREDATORS VS RED WINGS HIGHLIGHTS SERIES#

If Hudler can continue to put up goals, and possibly shoot a little bit more often, he can be a game and series changer for Detroit.In less than a week, Prudential Center will be buzzing with rookies who will be looking to fight for a spot on the New Jersey Devils’ opening night roster. That shot percentage is also tied for second (with Steven Stamkos) in the league amongst shooters 100-plus shots on goal.

Hudler put up career highs in goals, points and shooting percentage, with 25 goals, 50 points, and 19.7 shot percentage. Well I'm not sure you can call him a surprise anymore, but Jiri Hudler is finally living up to his highly touted potential. What's worse is, Howard's record has suffered enormously since his return, going 3-6-3 with a no-decision in 13 games played. But after getting his finger broken in a bizarre manner against Vancouver in Feburary, Howard missed almost three weeks, and the Red Wings went from first in the league to their final-season standing of fifth in the West. Howard started the season on fire, earning himself an All-Star nomination. Louis a few nights ago when Franzen potted two goals in the third period.įranzen, however, needs to step up on a more regular basis and get his hitting game going when he can't find his scoring touch. When Franzen comes to play, he lights it up. Franzen had 55 points, but just nine points in his last 18 games to close out the 2011-2012 season. This is a concern as far as Red Wings fans are concerned.

Johan Franzen seems to come and go as far as scoring is concerned. But they won just one of the three games at Bridgestone Arena.Īs far as Detroit is concerned, there are two main players that need to step up, but have underachieved thus far. The Red Wings had a 3-3-0 record against Nashville this season, with all games being decided in regulation. In a previous article I emphasized the importance of home ice, especially in the first round, but Detroit will have to put their road demons behind them to have any hope against Nashville. The only playoff team that owns a worse road record than the Red Wings is the Washington Capitals. This home-ice advantage could be huge for Nashville, as Nashville has never defeated Detroit in a playoff series.ĭetroit finished with a losing record on the road this season (17-21-3). The Red Wings have given the Predators home-ice advantage by virtue of failing to pass them with a win in Detroit's final regular-season game versus Chicago.

Predators vs red wings highlights