Copyright yardbarker
Now that he finally got the monkey off his back with his first of the year against St. Louis, how long will it take for his shooting percentage to regress back to average? He took another six shots (not including two early crossbars) in Saturday’s game, putting him at 34 shots and one goal for roughly three percent shooting. His career average is 14%, and that means he is owed roughly 3-4 goals more than he has scored during his snakebitten start. The question is, are the goals going to start flooding in, normalizing his shooting numbers, or is he going to continue to struggle if Kane stays out of the lineup much longer? How Good is This Team? Okay, so we’ve seen two very different versions of this team already, with their five-game winning streak contrasting clearly with how they’ve looked in their three losses. One team has defensive contributions from throughout their three pairs, an explosive power play that can turn the tide of a game, and goalies who keep the team competitive in tough games. The other team looks lethargic, turns over pucks constantly, and hangs their goalies out to dry with odd-man rushes and breakaways. So what is this team going to be this year? It’s probably fair to say this won’t be a feast or famine season where they alternate between lengthy winning and losing streaks, but Detroit’s true talent level is bound to be somewhere in the middle here. They’re going to need more depth production from guys like Berggren, Copp, and Compher to crack the playoffs this year, and they will need their young defensemen to continue to polish their puck play under pressure. When everything is clicking, this roster is capable of making some real noise in the Atlantic division, but as soon as that balance shifted with a couple of injuries up front, the team has faltered. Detroit is going to need to develop some resilience if these players are going to lead them to success in the long-term. 3 Stars of the Week Emmitt Finnie 4G, 2A Dylan Larkin – 3G, 3A Jonatan Berggren – 2G, 2A Wild Stat of the Week Despite losing their game against the Islanders 7-2, there was a bright spot for Detroit. Their third line of Berggren, Compher, and MBN was dominant in roughly seven minutes of ice time at even strength. Their expected goals for percentage (xGF%) was 88.68%, meaning they produced roughly eight times as many expected goals as their competition (via. Natural Stat Trick). They also put 11 shots on net in just seven minutes, with only one shot against. While Detroit’s top-six is in chaos, it would be wonderful if their third line can build on this success. Prospect to Watch Nate Danielson – 2 primary assists in return to AHL Nate Danielson has returned from an injury he sustained in the preseason, and Detroit elected to send him to Grand Rapids to work back up to speed before considering calling him up. In his first game back he earned two primary assists and had a third on a disallowed goal. Sebastian Cossa also pitched a 30-save shutout with Steve Yzerman in the building so both young players made a great impression with the GM in for a visit. If Danielson looks consistently impactful on both ends in the AHL like he did throughout camp and the preseason, I don’t think the Red Wings will wait long before calling him up for his NHL debut.
