Detroit Red Wings Clips November 22-24, 2014

Detroit Red Wings Clips November 22-24, 2014 Detroit Red Wings PAGE 3 At quarter of season, Red Wings in plus territory PAGE 4 Red Wings rookie Ouellet impressive in brief stint PAGE 6 Justin Abdelkader fulfilling potential, having big impact for Detroit Red Wings in several areas PAGE 8 Seven-year-old transplant recipient to attend Red Wings game courtesy of Daniel Cleary PAGE 10 Stephen Weiss ready to produce for Red Wings after successful twogame stint with Grand Rapids Griffins PAGE 12 Tatar producing like a top six forward PAGE 14 Griffins 5, Monsters 2: Stephen Weiss, Anthony Mantha spur victory PAGE 16 Red Wings' Riley Sheahan takes hot hands into Toronto PAGE 17 Why the Red Wings lost to the Maple Leafs on Saturday night PAGE 18 Maple Leafs ruin Red Wings' perfect road trip, 4-1 PAGE 20 Leafs turn on offense in third period, beat Red Wings PAGE 22 Instant analysis: Wings cough up puck too many times PAGE 23 Daniel Alfredsson's class, leadership, talent left a strong impression with Detroit Red Wings PAGE 25 Red Wings' Stephen Weiss takes positive step with Grand Rapids, will test groin again tonight PAGE 26 Detroit Red Wings seek third road win in a row, focused on fast start vs. Toronto Maple Leafs PAGE 28 Mistakes, failure to attack net in third period costs Red Wings a chance to earn third road win in a row PAGE 30 Maple Leafs 4, Red Wings 1: Toronto scores three unanswered goals in third period to snap a tie PAGE 32 Once Griffins' Mantha makes a few improvements, 'he'll be a star' PAGE 35 Leafs top Wings with three third-period goals PAGE 37 Is Daniel Alfredsson ready to hang up his skates? PAGE 38 Monsters 5, Griffins 4: Stephen Weiss scores early but lead doesn't hold up PAGE 40 Confident Justin Abdelkader figures it out PAGE 41 Ex-Wing Daniel Alfredsson retiring, but not on Monday PAGE 42 Daniel Alfredsson's career at an end, report says PAGE 44 Woman pleads guilty in Nyquist first-goal puck theft PAGE 45 Red Wings' Mike Babcock pushes Tomas Tatar to maximize his abilities, and team is seeing results PAGE 47 Red Wings enter circus atmosphere in Toronto still without Pavel Datsyuk; Jimmy Howard back in goal PAGE 49 Report: Daniel Alfredsson has decided not to play this season; Red Wings waiting for official word

PAGE 50 PAGE 52 PAGE 54 PAGE 55 PAGE 56 Poised, puck-moving defenseman Xavier Ouellet has chance to show Red Wings he belongs in NHL Alfredsson could retire as early as Monday ESPN / Daniel Alfredsson could be on the verge of retiring Coach Paul MacLean from the Ottawa Senators shares his thoughts on Daniel Alfredsson s possible retirement Duff: Alfredsson expected to retire 2

At quarter of season, Red Wings in plus territory By Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 8:09 p.m. EST November 23, 2014 The Red Wings have reached the quarter pole of their season and have several positives to take into a hectic schedule in which they play every other day for the next two weeks. They host the Ottawa Senators tonight with a 10-5-5 record, good for 25 points, the same amount as Stanley Cup favorite Chicago. All 10 victories have come in regulation or overtime (a positive come playoff time, as it's the first tiebreaker). A goal differential of plus-six is in the middle of the pack, close to that of defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles. One of the brightest spots is Jimmy Howard, who has responded to off-season pressure from management to rebound from last year's subpar performance. After 16 games he has a 2.03 goals-against average that ranks seventh in the NHL and a.922 save percentage that ranks 11th. The penalty kill 4-for-4 in Saturday's 4-1 loss at Toronto ranks first in the league at 90.1%. Much of the time, the skaters are so efficient the goaltender doesn't have to make a save. Production has come from many sources after Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk carried the Wings into November, the younger generation has delivered the past couple of weeks. Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist lead the team with nine goals each. Zetterberg has 17 points in 20 games. Johan Franzen is nearly a point-a-game player, with 13 points in 14 games. Riley Sheahan already has nine points. Defensively, the Wings are eighth in the league with 2.30 goals allowed per game, better than Montreal, Anaheim, Boston and Tampa Bay. Blue liners Brendan Smith (out until early December due to a hand infection) and Kyle Quincey have been much better than last season. Rookie Xavier Ouellet has used two games this past week to make a hard argument against being sent back to the minors. One noticeable stain has been the power play. It has been better the past eight games (10-for-70), but an absolutely dismal October means the Wings have managed only to climb from near bottom to 19th in the NHL. There's no question a right-handed shooter is needed, be it at forward or defense. All in all, there have been far more positives than negatives, and that's why the Wings get a solid B for their first-quarter performance. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.24.2014 3

Red Wings rookie Ouellet impressive in brief stint Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 11:22 p.m. EST November 23, 2014 Detroit It's a small sample, two games last week, on top of the five games Xavier Ouellet played in the NHL last season. But Ouellet, in this brief appearance, sure looks as if he's ready for the NHL. Ouellet, 21, was called up from Grand Rapids when Brendan Smith (infected hand) was placed on the seven-day injured reserve list. In two games, Ouellet looked every bit the prized prospect the Red Wings thought he was. "He's a good hockey player," coach Mike Babcock said. "He plays like a veteran." That was the thing scouts talked about regarding Ouellet (2011 second-round draft pick) coming out of juniors, and then last season in Grand Rapids. Ouellet is a young player, but he had the poise and look of a player who has been in the NHL for years. And there were glimpses of that in the two games last week. If he made a mistake, Ouellet quickly shook it off. He found a wide-open Tomas Tatar for a goal Saturday against Toronto. Ouellet is physical when needs to be. Defensively, he rarely is in the wrong place. Or, another popular scouting report on Ouellet: He doesn't do any one thing outstanding but he's very good in every aspect. "X looks great," defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "He makes the right plays, he's in the right position. He looks like a veteran out there." One of those five games Ouellet appeared in last season was Game 5 of the first-round playoff series against Boston, replacing Jakub Kindl in the lineup (which Ouellet has done similarly these past two games). Unless the Red Wings can trade a defenseman or someone else gets hurt, Ouellet will return to Grand Rapids. But you get the impression he isn't going to be a Grand Rapids Griffin for long. "He's a smart defenseman who sees the ice real well," Henrik Zetterberg said. "He's an NHL player." Alfredsson update The Ottawa Senators, the team with which Daniel Alfredsson starred for 17 seasons, will be at Joe Louis Arena Monday but it's unlikely Alfredsson will announce his retirement just yet. 4

More likely in December, with the announcement coming in Ottawa, where Alfredsson's popularity remains huge. The Red Wings have felt for a long time Alfredsson, who turns 42 on Dec. 11, will retire this season after stopping skating shortly after Labor Day because of back pain. But teammates and coaches appreciated the year they shared with Alfredsson last season. "Alfie's a great, great man," Babcock said. "We acquired him to help our team. He had an injury (most of the season) and didn't skate (as much in practice), but he was our leading scorer. "He's a good man in the room, knows how to play in key situations. He's been a great Ottawa Senator, he had a great NHL career. It's always disappointing to (a player) when it ends." Ice chips Stephen Weiss had a goal in each of the two games he played in Grand Rapids on a conditioning assignment. Weiss will return to the Red Wings and be eligible to play today. What aggravated the Wings most about Saturday's 4-1 loss in Toronto were two turnovers in the third period that led to Maple Leafs goals. The Red Wings felt they gave the game away after putting themselves in position to come away with a victory. "We played good for two periods, then we gave the game away with turnovers," Zetterberg said. "Both their late goals, we turned the puck over, and (there) were oddman rushes or breakaways (going the other way)." Pavel Datsyuk (groin) skated Saturday but he remains day-to-day. Datsyuk has missed the last three games. Detroit News LOADED: 11.24.2014 5

Justin Abdelkader fulfilling potential, having big impact for Detroit Red Wings in several areas Ansar Khan akhan1@mlive.com By Ansar Khan akhan1@mlive.com on November 23, 2014 at 6:04 PM, updated November 23, 2014 at 6:05 PM TORONTO - Justin Abdelkader has evolved from a role player, a complementary piece to the Detroit Red Wings' skilled players, to an impact player in his sixth season. Always relied on for forechecking, penalty killing, physical play and energy, Abdelkader now is scoring more. His performance is vital to the team's success. One quarter of the way into the season, Abdelkader has six goals and is second on the team with 14 points. He is averaging almost two minutes per game more than he did in 2013-14 and is rewarding coaches for their faith in him. This is the type of player Abdelkader thought he could be when the Red Wings selected the Muskegon native with their second pick in the 2005 entry draft out of Michigan State. "In this league it takes time to become the player you're capable of being," Abdelkader said. "I felt like I had more to bring. Over the past few seasons I think I've shown potential, but it's one thing to show and one thing to do it." This is the most confident he has felt on the ice. That has been apparent. "I'm learning from the veteran guys how to prepare night in and night out, learning what kind of role I need to bring every night," Abdelkader said. "It's not always going to be points. It's being physical, being around the net, being in the hard areas. That's important to me. I've been fortunate to put points up at the same time." Abdelkader spent much of the past couple of seasons doing the heavy lifting on Pavel Datsyuk's line - providing a net-front presence, retrieving pucks. He also picked up some pointers on becoming a better finisher. "Last year, getting a good opportunity to play with Pav and getting in more scoring situations, I kind of learned how to be more patient with pucks and around the front of the net and when you have the puck on your stick trying to make more plays," Abdelkader said. Coach Mike Babcock trusts Abdelkader to put him in any role - top line, checking line, penalty kill and net front on the power play. He is the only Red Wings forward averaging more than a minute of ice time on both the power play (2:16) and the penalty kill (1:39). "That's a big confidence boost, your coach putting you in all those situations," Abdelkader said. "I started on the penalty kill, got a little power play time, and as the years went by I got more of an opportunity. Justin Abdelkader The Red Wings' Justin Abdelkader on his strong start. 6

"You can come into the league and have a good year, but it's do it consecutively, year after year. For me it's just trying to improve every day on my game and just little things I can bring. It's not always going to be points but you want to have a positive effect on the game somehow. If it's not points, I want to lead the team in hits or blocked shots or do whatever I can to help the team win." Babcock called Abdelkader a work in progress. "Abby's got to be a physical forechecker who skates and who's at the net," Babcock said. "When he does those things scoring comes with it. When he focuses on scoring he won't be doing any of those other things. "The other thing about Abby is he comes to work every day. As long as he does that his career's going to get better and better." Abdelkader has played on a line with Tomas Tatar and Riley Sheahan the past three games. It has been the team's most dangerous unit by far. Abdelkader, at 27, is the most experienced of the trio. "He's a good guy to get energy from, how hard he plays," Sheahan said. "He does an unbelievable job of getting to those hard areas and he's tough and strong on the puck. "He brings some leadership to the team and it's definitely been pleasant playing with him. He's a good player to model your game after." Michigan Live LOADED: 11.24.2014 7

Seven-year-old transplant recipient to attend Red Wings game courtesy of Daniel Cleary Brendan Savage bsavage@mlive.com By Brendan Savage bsavage@mlive.com on November 23, 2014 at 11:11 AM, updated November 23, 2014 at 10:00 PM DETROIT - Doug Warren was hoping to find a couple of Daniel Cleary jerseys for him and son Luke to wear at Monday's Detroit Red Wings game. The Warrens will be Cleary's guest at the game against the Ottawa Senators and they want everyone to know who was responsible for getting them to their first NHL game. Doug has attended a University of Michigan hockey game in the past but he wasn't able to take Luke, 7, because the youngster wasn't up to making the trip after undergoing a liver transplant when he was 10 months old. But thanks to Cleary, Luke will finally get to see his first hockey game tonight at Joe Louis Arena. Cleary, in his 10th season with the Red Wings, purchased a pair of season tickets and has been donating them to a child that has survived a transplant. The youngsters gets to bring a guardian, attend practice and meet the Red Wings' veteran forward in addition to getting a goodie bag and other baubles. Luke's dad says the youngster is looking forward to making the trip from their home in Jerome Township near Jackson to Joe Louis Arena. "We're pretty excited about it," Doug Warren said. "I don't think he's actually ever seen a hockey game because we don't have cable or anything and I don't think they have (Red Wings) game on regular TV. "He's never been to a game." Warren is grateful that Cleary is helping raise awareness for organ transplants. "I think it's a great thing to bring attention to The Gift of Life and to the awareness of how important it is for transplants, for people to sign up," he said. "My wife (Brenda) is an advocate for Gift of Life. She's a Gift of Life volunteer." In addition to the tickets, the Red Wings told the Warrens that they'll receive meal vouchers in addition to having a goody bag and other memorabilia delivered to their seats during the game. Cleary also hopes to meet the Warrens after the game. "I know people who've been waiting for organ transplants and kids, especially, just touches me a little bit," Cleary said. "So I decided to talk to the Wings and donated some season tickets to each game for someone to come down watch practice, meet me after the games." "It feels good for sure. I've got an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old at home. It's just rewarding. It feels good. Nice to see kids smile. It's not easy to go through." 8

Luke's first NHL game will hold a special significance because Nov. 24 marks the seven-year anniversary of his liver transplant. Doug Warren said his son spent about 25 days in critical care before going on a transplant list. Three days later, a liver became available and Luke underwent surgery after originally being given just 90 days to live. "He's doing really good," Doug Warren said. "He has to get his blood drawn every other month and every six months we go to (the University of Michigan hospital) and they do blood work and he has to see all the doctors there. "We still have to watch him because he takes anti-rejection drugs. His immune system is low most of the time. We have to kind of monitor when people are sick. He wears masks when he we go out in public, especially in the season when people get colds." But Luke attends school - he's in the second grade - and participated in the 2012 Transplant Games of America in Grand Rapids. He won gold medals in the softball throw, 25-meter dash and long jump - the only events participants in his age group were eligible to enter. "He's pretty much a normal kid," Doug Warren said. Luke and his dad have also become Daniel Cleary fans. "I've started to like hockey a lot more," Doug Warren said. "I like football. I've always been a big Michigan fan. I talked to other people who have been lifelong fans of the Red Wings. They said Dan Cleary is a stand-up guy. He's always been a real steady player. "That's probably why he's still around." Michigan Live LOADED: 11.24.2014 9

Stephen Weiss ready to produce for Red Wings after successful two-game stint with Grand Rapids Griffins Zach Kukkonen By Zach Kukkonen on November 23, 2014 at 8:00 AM, updated November 23, 2014 at 8:17 AM GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- In two games with Grand Rapids over the weekend, Stephen Weiss matched his two-goal output in 27 games with the Red Wings over a pair of campaigns. It certainly helps that he finally feels completely healthy for the first time since training camp with Detroit last season, and just in time for a call-up to the Red Wings on Sunday. "It's always nice to score, but it's just nice to play in the game and feel healthy," Weiss said. "Starting in training camp last year I was playing with one leg and pretty much no stomach, and it's a hard enough league to play at that level when you're healthy, let alone when struggling with injuries." After scoring at least 49 points from 2008-12 -- and playing at least 76 games every season -Weiss only participated in 44 games the past three seasons due to a myriad of injuries. While his physical health appears to have returned to form, the mental half of his recovery was part of the process of his conditioning stint with the Griffins. "Coming off a seven-hour travel day in Cleveland, it was a little worrisome, as I was worried that (the groin injury) would tense up," Weiss said. "I was a little tentative early tonight, but that stuff has got to get out of my mind. I just have to trust that everything's fine, and go play." This was Weiss' second stop with the Griffins this season, as his first attempt to rehab his groin injury in late October resulted in a setback. The second time appears to have been the charm, however, as Griffins coach Jeff Blashill saw an improvement in Weiss' performance just from Friday's game to Saturday's. "I was real happy with his play and even the progress from last night [Friday] to tonight," Blashill said. "He competed hard on pucks, he was good defensively and he obviously has the offensive ability." Weiss spent his time on the Griffins' first line with Mitch Callahan and Teemu Pulkkinen Saturday, and that line got Grand Rapids the momentum back after a first-period goal by Lake Erie started off the scoring. Off a nice pass from Callahan, Weiss fired a shot past Monsters goalie Sami Aittokallio and sparked a three-goal first-period burst for the Griffins. Scoring was Weiss' calling card when he excelled as a Florida Panther, and he's looking to get back to being that player when he returns to Detroit Sunday. "I'm looking forward to being healthy now, being able to play and play consistently," Weiss said. 10

Although Weiss was not in Grand Rapids for long, his veteran presence did have an effect on some of the Griffins' players, including first-round draft pick Anthony Mantha. "It feels good to have Stephen here," Mantha said. "He helped us a lot this weekend, and I hope for him that he goes back up and does a lot." That's the plan now for Weiss, who hopes this will have to be the last rehabilitation he will have to do for a while. "I've put in a lot of work," Weiss said. "I've changed up some things I've been doing off the ice as well, and that seems to be really helping." Weiss hopes to return to the lineup for the Red Wings' next game - Monday at home against Ottawa - but knows he can only control what he does. "I'll go back at it Monday, and if I'm not in (the lineup) Monday I'll keep grinding it out and get in sometime soon, and hopefully play well enough to keep going," Weiss said. Michigan Live LOADED: 11.24.2014 11

Tatar producing like a top six forward By Chuck Pleiness, The Macomb Daily Posted: 11/23/14, 4:31 PM EST DETROIT >> Nine games into the season and Tomas Tatar had just one goal. Since then, Tatar has eight goals in this last 12. I told you guys, I wasn t worried about it at all, Tatar said. You won t lose it if you can t find the net once. I m not afraid I m not going to score goals. It s all about confidence, keep shooting the puck. It eventually will find the net. He s got goals in three straight games and is tied with Gustav Nyquist for the team lead with nine on the season. Earlier in the season I still had chances I just couldn t for some reason find the net, Tatar said. Right now it gives you a boost of confidence after scoring a few goals. You feel good about yourself, but more importantly the team is winning and everybody is feeling really well right now and everybody is playing really good and we re feeling good. Tatar began his first full season in the league a year ago a healthy scratch in eight of the first nine games. He finished the year a goal shy of 20. Tats considers himself a scorer, Wings coach Mike Babcock said. When you think you re scorer and you don t score you probably press a little bit. Tats has just got to become a 200-footer. He s got to learn to play and play without the puck all the time and he s got to be competitive every night. If he does those things he s going to score more. So that s his biggest challenge, just to become a player. He wants to be a top-six forward, Babcock continued. If you want to be a top-six forward you got to play every night. Tatar admits he likes to slow the game down by holding onto the puck more and he gets to learn from one of the best in the business at every practice, Pavel Datsyuk. There aren t many players who can slow down the game, but I think one of the best is Pavel, Tatar said. He can make his space and look around. I think every player wishes he could be as good as him at that. That s a big benefit to have. I m not a big fan of the fast game either, Tatar continued. I like to take my time and think about what I m going to do, whether I want to shoot or pass. Pavel s a great example for me. Tatar has also been shooting the puck more this season, averaging 2.65 shots on goal. He averaged 2.16 on net a season ago. I m trying to create more chances and opportunities to score and so far it s working, Tatar said. Hopefully I ll keep shooting and finding the net. 12

Tatar proved he was a goal scorer during Grand Rapids run to the Calder Cup in 2013, totaling 16 goals and five assists. He was named the playoff MVP. Tats is a competitive kid, Babcock said. I might be harder on Tats than anybody on the team just because I think Tats has a chance to be a real player. We re going to hold him to that. We think he should be good every night because he s capable of being good every night and every shift. We expect a lot from Tats and he s capable of doing that. In four seasons with the Griffins he tallied 87 goals. He s one of those guys who loves to score, Johan Franzen said. He s a little hard on himself when he doesn t score but he s always a great player. He s strong on the puck and creates a lot of offense but it s great to see him score. It really makes him better. His confidence grows a lot, it s good to see. Stephen Weiss is heading back to Detroit has scoring a goal in each of his two-game conditioning stint with Grand Rapids. If Mike wants to put him in, Mike will put him in, Wings general manager Ken Holland said. Weiss has played in 47 out of a possible 150 regular season games for his teams since the start of 2013. We re trying to find ways to get him some games because you need to play games, Holland said. We re trying to win games to compete with teams in our division. We can t be holding tryouts during the season. Macomb Daily LOADED: 11.24.2014 13

Griffins 5, Monsters 2: Stephen Weiss, Anthony Mantha spur victory By Zach Kukkonen GRAND RAPIDS, MI Five different players scored for the Griffins to help Grand Rapids avenge a Friday-night loss to Lake Erie with a 5-2 victory on Saturday. The second half of a home-and-home series saw goals from Stephen Weiss, Anthony Mantha, Mitch Callahan, Mark Zengerle and Louis-Marc Aubry, the latter two netting their first goals of the season. In total, 13 Griffins ended up with points on the night, with only Callahan garnering more than one. The game started off ominously for the Griffins, as they took two penalties in the first three minutes. Grand Rapids killed off both, but on its first power play, gave up a shorthanded goal on an odd-man rush the other way to make the game 1-0 Lake Erie. It remained that way for only 13 seconds, however, as Stephen Weiss scored for the second time in two nights off a pass from Mitch Callahan. The Griffins then struck again with 9:42 left in the first after Anthony Mantha found the back of the net for his second goal of the season. The Griffins weren't done in the first period, as Louis-Marc Aubry redirected a shot from Nick Jensen with 3:46 left to give Grand Rapids a 3-1 lead heading into the second stanza. Unlike Friday's game, the 3-1 lead held up, with the Griffins keeping the pressure on. Mark Zengerle tipped in a Landon Ferraro shot on the power play to extend the lead to 4-1 midway through the second. Lake Erie's Maxim Noreau wristed a shot past Tom McCollum only 17 seconds later to cut the deficit back to 4-2, but that was as close as the Monsters would get. Callahan added an empty-netter to finish the scoring. HIGHLIGHTS McCollum made a big save off a shorthanded breakaway with the score still 2-1 Griffins midway through the first period. He faced 14 shots in a frenetic first period and kept the momentum on the side of Grand Rapids. After a terrible first period worth of power plays, the Griffins adjusted in the second period and capitalized on a Paul Carey penalty with a power play marker from Zengerle. The penalty kill continues to be a source of strength for the Griffins, as they deflected pressure away from McCollum with a man down for much of the night. Grand Rapids came into the game second in the league with an 89.3 percent penalty kill rate. LOWLIGHTS The Griffins' power plays in the first period resulted in more scoring chances for the Monsters, including a shorthanded goal. The home team struggled to even put shots on goal with the man advantage Turnovers continue to plague Grand Rapids, as a handful of bad passes turned into odd-man rushes and scoring chances throughout Saturday's contest. 14

After seemingly putting the game out of reach at 4-1, the Griffins allowed a goal only 17 seconds later with an impending penalty giving the Monsters a sixth skater. NOTES This was already the sixth matchup between the two teams, with Lake Erie winning three of the first five.... With the victory, the Griffins draw back to.500 with a 7-7-1 record and take over sole possession of fourth place in the Midwest Division. Lake Erie, meanwhile, has dropped six of seven.... Teemu Pulkkinen and Callahan have enjoyed playing the Monsters this season, combining for 15 points in six games. Lake Erie Monsters 2 at Grand Rapids Griffins 5 - Status: Final Saturday, November 22, 2014 - Van Andel Arena Lake Erie 1 1 0-2 Grand Rapids 3 1 1-5 1st Period-1, Lake Erie, Carey 4 (Elliott, Schumacher), 6:19 (SH). 2, Grand Rapids, Weiss 2 (Callahan, Pulkkinen), 6:32 (PP). 3, Grand Rapids, Mantha 2 (Miele, Marchenko), 10:18. 4, Grand Rapids, Aubry 1 (Jensen), 16:14. Penalties-Backman Gr (tripping), 0:47; Carey Le (tripping), 1:02; Evans Gr (tripping), 2:25; Gervais Le (interference), 5:14; Carey Le (tripping), 17:47. 2nd Period-5, Grand Rapids, Zengerle 1 (Backman, Porter), 11:37 (PP). 6, Lake Erie, Noreau 3 (Hishon), 11:54 (PP). Penalties-Campbell Gr (hooking), 6:12; Hishon Le (holding the stick), 8:46; Carey Le (slashing), 10:40; Athanasiou Gr (high-sticking), 11:51; Marchenko Gr (interference), 13:06. 3rd Period-7, Grand Rapids, Callahan 6 (Athanasiou, Paetsch), 17:00 (EN). Penalties- Schumacher Le (elbowing), 5:06; Maggio Le (roughing), 10:55; Cheek Le (slashing), 15:36; Sproul Gr (interference), 15:57; Siemens Le (cross-checking), 17:49. Shots on Goal-Lake Erie 13-10-9-32. Grand Rapids 11-11-8-30. Power Play Opportunities-Lake Erie 1 / 6; Grand Rapids 2 / 8. Goalies-Lake Erie, Aittokallio 2-1-0 (29 shots-25 saves). Grand Rapids, McCollum 4-5-0 (32 shots-30 saves). A-8,067 Referees-Tim Mayer (19), Shaun Davis (31). Linesmen-Bob Marcis (65), Justin Petterle (54). 15

Red Wings' Riley Sheahan takes hot hands into Toronto Staff Writer 1:21 p.m. EST November 22, 2014 TORONTO -- When the Detroit Red Wings had a recent four-day spell between games, Riley Sheahan used the practices to work on his offense. The reward has poured in, as Sheahan takes a three-game point streak into Air Canada Centre, where the Wings take on the Maple Leafs tonight (7, CBC, FSD). With Pavel Datsyuk out nursing a sore groin, Sheahan has taken over as the team's second-line center, between Tomas Tatar and Justin Abdelkader. The whole line has been hot, which Sheahan credits as he's racked up four points the past week. "I think the biggest contributor is playing with some great players," he said. "We've been getting the puck to the net and are just trying to get bounces off the goalie, and that's been working. I'm trying to be a little more confident with the puck and use my body to my advantage.. That's been a focus point for me." The line has a bit of everything - Sheahan and Abdelkader are both big guys who like to work with their bodies and possess the puck down low, and Tatar has a scorer's instincts for making something out of nothing. Tatar called Sheahan, "a really heavy guy, and he's got a really heavy shot. He's really strong around the net, so he's making lots of space open for me." Jimmy Howard likened Sheahan to fellow big man Johan Franzen, saying "She's like Mule, when he uses his big body down low, good things happen." (Sheahan's name is pronounced "Shay-han" but he goes by "She" for a nickname). Sheahan, 23, was among the young players who carried the team through its plague of injuries last season, emerging as a dependable center who was so good defensively he could be trusted against anyone. The Wings have encouraged him to grow his offensive game, and continue to do so. "Sheahan is a guy who's got to get his feet going and get through the neutral zone," coach Mike Babcock said, "but he knows how to play with and without the puck." Notebook:Daniel Alfredsson has made no official announcement he's retiring, but that's the writing on the wall, and it prompted the Wings to reflect on the player they got to know last season. "Good man in the room," Babcock said. "Had a great career. It's always disappointing when it ends." Jimmy Howard remembers the young Senators forward he watched from across the border in upstate New York. "It was a pleasure to play with him and get to know him after watching him for so long," Howard said. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.23.2014 16

Why the Red Wings lost to the Maple Leafs on Saturday night Helene St. James, 12:03 a.m. EST November 23, 2014 Maple Leafs 4, Red Wings 1 At Air Canada Centre, Toronto In the first period: Johan Franzen went for hooking 36 seconds into the game. Jimmy Howard made a good save on Leo Kormarov after he had an open shot from the left circle. Luke Glendening went for high-sticking at 5:21. It got little hectic at the end of that penalty kill when the Maple Leafs cycled the puck aggressively, but Howard made backto-back saves. Komarov scored at 11:39, picking up the puck after Mike Santorelli lost in when he fell. Komarov took three steps to the net and fired the puck past Howard stick-side. The Wings got a power play at 13:38. Johan Franzen went to the penalty box again at 17:03. Shots were 12-8 to Detroit. In the second period: Henrik Zetterberg saw a shot sink into Berner's torso as the Wings sought an equalizer. Darren Helm just missed on a pass off a rush. Gustav Nyquist went for hooking at 8:03. Tomas Tatar scored at 10:28, snapping a perfect pass from rookie defenseman Xavier Ouellet. Brian Lashoff also assisted, giving him two assists the last two games. Justin Abdelkader had a good chance denied after driving the net. Tatar had a great chance off a pass from Abdelkader but lost the puck attempting a backhand move. The Leafs had a spurt near the end that forced Howard to twice cover up the puck. Shots were 21-17 to Detroit. In the third period: Tomas Jurco created a chance when he skated to the net, but Bernier denied the puck. The Wings got a power play at 3:34 when Stephane Robidas went for boarding Abdelkader. The Leafs scored at 3:44, when Tyler Bozak skated in and deked for a 2-1 lead. Tatar went to the high slot for another scoring attempt. The Wings got another power play at 10:09, again thanks to Robidas, but couldn't get any shots on net. Peter Holland used his speed to race into Detroit's zone and score at 15:38, and Robidas got his second goal on an empty netter at 18::13. Final shots were 28-27 to Toronto. Coach speak: Mike Babcock said, "I thought our PK was good early and that gave us a chance. They had some energy because we took three penalties, two for not moving our feet in the first. I thought our initial power plays were good, but then we wouldn't shoot the puck at all on the power play, we just passed it around on the outside. So we've got to get back to attacking and have more puck speed." Howard on Leafs: Jimmy Howard was asked about the Maple Leafs, who went through an intense week that included a 9-2 loss at home and controversy after they didn't salute their fans after winning the next game. "I couldn't care less what's going on with them and their fans." Up next: Monday hosting the Ottawa Senators. 17

Maple Leafs ruin Red Wings' perfect road trip, 4-1 Helene St. James 11:38 p.m. EST November 22, 2014 TORONTO The Detroit Red Wings came up short as they sought a perfect road trip. They fell, 4-1, to the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday at Air Canada Centre, undone by 10 disastrous seconds on a power play. "When you've won your first two games on the road trip, you like to be greedy, you want to win all three," coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought we were setup to do that; we didn't do it." The Wings' penalty killers put in a lot of hard work early to keep the Leafs at bay, and then Tomas Tatar continued his torrid scoring streak, burying the puck for the fourth time in his last three games. Rookie defenseman Xavier Ouellet picked up his first-ever NHL point with an assist. That was the highlight of the game. "We just weren't cautious with the puck," Jimmy Howard said. "Whenever we get a win, we're careful at both blue lines and we're not turning pucks over in our end. We did that a lot tonight." The Wings came into Saturday's affair soothed by highly productive games at Columbus and Winnipeg. The start against the Maple Leafs was roughened by two penalties within the first six minutes. Leo Komarov, who'd been dangerous on the first power play, scored at 11:39 when he picked up the puck after it'd come loose, strode in and whipped the puck around Jimmy Howard. The Wings managed to get a dozen shots on Jonathan Bernier in the first 20 minutes, a feat impressive considering they spent nearly a third of the time - six minutes - killing penalties, one of them to top PK man Luke Glendening. Even as the Wings slowed the Leafs' attack in the second period, their own was marred by yet another penalty, this time to Gustav Nyquist. That spelled eight minutes shorthanded by halfway through the game. Tatar leveled the score just past the midpoint when he one-timed a sharp pass from Ouellet, who played in just his second game of the season. Howard made several good saves to finish the second period as the Leafs buzzed for another lead. They got it, ignominiously enough for the Wings, 10 seconds into a Detroit power play when Tyler Bozak sped off on a breakaway and showed off a nifty deke move to put the Wings in another hole. "We were set up real good going into the third," Babcock said. "I thought we'd really played well in the second period, in my opinion we dominated the second period, and we were set up good. We were on the power play, turned it over, then we had an entry again where we turned the puck over. Any time you turn pucks over, they're going to 18

bite you. We should have attacked the net on those plays, and we didn't, and in the end, we dug it out of our net." Henrik Zetterberg said, "we played a decent game up to that. Unfortunately, we do those mistakes." Stephane Robidas took a second straight penalty to give the Wings' power play a chance at redemption, but the Leafs had other ideas, refusing to even let any pucks near Bernier. Peter Holland put to bed any shot at adding any more points during the trip with 4:22 to go in regulation when he zoomed up the left side, bore down and buried the Wings in a two-goal hole that grew to three when Bozak found Detroit's net empty. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.23.2014 19

Leafs turn on offense in third period, beat Red Wings Ted Kulfan 11 p.m. EST November 22, 2014 Toronto A good trip, but not a perfect one for the Red Wings. They lost 4-1 Saturday to the Toronto Maple Leafs after winning the first two games of this three-game trip, but were in position to complete the sweep. Third-period goals by Tyler Bozak (shorthanded and empty net) and Peter Holland broke a 1-1 tie. Bozak's shorthanded goal broke a 1-1 tie at 3:44 and Holland made it a two-game lead at 15:38, frustrating the the Red Wings. "We were set up real good going into the third," coach Mike Babcock said. "We had played real well in the second period. When you turn pucks over, it's going to bite you. We should attack the net on those plays and we didn't and we dug it out of our net." Bozak's shorthanded goal broke a 1-1 tie, and it was set up when Gustav Nyquist's short pass to Niklas Kronwall tied up Kronwall, and Bozak quickly took the puck the other way. Bozak drove to the net and flippd a backhand past Jimmy Howard for his seventh goal. "You think you have a chance to win the game right there and it goes the other way," Kronwall said. "It's a little frustrating, no doubt." Holland's goal was the clincher, putting the Leafs up 3-1. Holland blocked Nyquist's shot, and outraced the Red Wings up ice, then snapped a shot that beat Howard short side for his fifth goal. "We just weren't cautious with the puck," Howard said. "It's been key. Whenever we get a win we're careful, we're not turning pucks over." The Red Wings are 10-5-5 (25 points), while the Maple Leafs snuck to within one point (11-8-2, 24 points). Toronto is a perfect 8-0-0 when scoring first, which they did in this game, Leo Komarov scoring in the first period. Tomas Tatar and Toronto's Komarov traded earlier goals. Tatar scored his ninth at 10:28 of second period, tying the game and tying Nyquist for the team lead. Tatar collided with Leafs defenseman Roman Polak in the corner, Polak getting injured on the play and forced out for the remainder of the night with a lower body injury. 20

With Polak down, Tatar broke free skating to the side of the net. Xavier Ouellet found Tatar open, and Tatar's one-timer beat goalie Jonathan Bernier for Tatar's eighth goal in 11 games (and third straight game with a goal). The line of Justin Abdelkader, Riley Sheahan, and Tatar accounted for eight shots on net and dominated the Maple Leafs at times. "I really liked their effort," said Babcock, who also credited the Daniel Cleary, Darren Helm, Tomas Jurco line. "Helm's line and Sheahan's line were our best lines on the trip. They've been good." Not as good was the line of Johan Franzen, Henrik Zetterberg and Nyquist, all of whom were minus-3. "Their line wasn't as good the last couple of games," Babcock said. "You play 82 games and you go through a lot of ups and downs. They usually don't give up any goals but tonight they did." Komarov opened the scoring for the Leafs. Komarov scooped a loose puck in the corner and drove to the net. He flipped a shot which deflected off Jonathan Ericsson and bounced past Howard for his second goal at 11:39 of first period. The Red Wings penalty kill was crucial in the opening 20 minutes, killing three Maple Leafs power plays. Toronto's James van Riemsdyk had a great opportunity on a first-period power play, but slid the puck to the post off a feed from Phil Kessel. Detroit News LOADED: 11.23.2014 21

Instant analysis: Wings cough up puck too many times Staff Writer 10:52 p.m. EST November 22, 2014 Gregg Krupa Two Red Wings turnovers and mixed-up coverage by the defense yields three Maple Leafs' goals. Red Wings' inability to convert a host of scoring chances results in lone loss on three-game road trip. Ted Kulfan A team gets greedy after two road victories, and they'd like to sweep. But the Red Wings weren't going to do that after turning the puck over at crucial times against Toronto. Not a good night for the line of Johan Franzen, Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist, all of whom went minus-3. Overall, an entertaining "Hockey Night in Canada" game. Detroit News LOADED: 11.23.2014 22

Daniel Alfredsson's class, leadership, talent left a strong impression with Detroit Red Wings Ansar Khan November 22, 2014 at 4:31 PM TORONTO - Daniel Alfredsson spent only a small fraction of his career as a Detroit Red Wing, but he left a strong impression with coaches and players as a leader on and off the ice. "Alfie's a great, great man," coach Mike Babcock said on Saturday. "We acquired him to really help our team. He had an injury the whole year and didn't skate (as often in practice), he still was our leading scorer (tied with Niklas Kronwall). "A good man in the room, knows how to play in key situations. Has had a great career, been a great Ottawa Senator. It's always disappointing to a guy when it ends." The Red Wings have long suspected that Alfredsson will retire due to back issues that prevented him from coming to training camp or even skating on his own much for the past two months. It was apparent a month ago he wasn't coming back and easy to speculate, as some have done without a source, that he will retire. But TSN's Darren Dreger on Friday cited a source saying Alfredsson, who turns 42 on Dec. 11, will not play this season. The Red Wings have not heard it officially from Alfredsson but his agent, J.P. Barry, told them earlier this week that it wasn't looking good for a comeback. Alfredsson spent 17 seasons with the Senators, 13 as captain, but after a contract dispute in 2013 he signed a one-year deal with the Red Wings. He desperately wanted to win his first Stanley Cup. "Daniel is such a class act, he's a top-notch guy and a true professional," Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard said. "That (Cup) is the one thing he wanted. It's sad we weren't able to deliver that for him." Alfredsson did his part, with 18 goals and 49 points in 68 games. He provided a muchneeded right-handed shot, particularly on the power play. He made a smooth transition onto a team full of Swedes and was an important voice in the room. "He just led by example," Howard said. "He only spoke when he needed to, but first and foremost he was a great guy, a great dad, great husband. "It was a pleasure to play with him and get to know him after watching him for so long; when I was a kid (in Ogdensburg, N.Y.) and he was playing in Ottawa I saw a lot of games. To be able to get to know him and say he was my teammate was pretty special." Jonathan Ericsson said he grew up watching Alfredsson, one of the biggest stars Sweden has produced (along with Peter Forsberg, Mats Sundin and the Red Wings' Niklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg). 23

"He was a player that I was looking up to, and he established himself as a hard-working guy right from the beginning," Ericsson said. "To have him in the locker room last year was great. We have a lot of good leaders on this team but his words carried a lot of weight. "It would have been great to have him this year as well. He was great on the power play, especially. We've been missing him for sure." Alfredsson had a positive impact with young players. "He had a calm, soothing attitude, so when things weren't going your way he was there to pick you up with just little things in the game and show ways to play," Riley Sheahan said. "His on-ice skill is amazing but he's a great guy off the ice, too. "Obviously there were so many other guys already here that you could learn from with (Henrik) Zetterberg, (Pavel) Datsyuk, (Niklas) Kronwall. Then you add (Alfredsson) on top -- I don't want to say it's easy to learn how to be an NHL player, but he definitely helped." Michigan Live LOADED: 11.23.2014 24

Red Wings' Stephen Weiss takes positive step with Grand Rapids, will test groin again tonight Ansar Khan November 22, 2014 at 1:46 PM TORONTO - Stephen Weiss made it through the entire game Friday with the Grand Rapids Griffins and experience no issues with his troublesome groin. It might not seem significant, but it is a step in the right direction for the snake-bitten Detroit Red Wings forward. General manager Ken Holland said Weiss will wrap up his brief conditioning stint tonight in Grand Rapids against Lake Erie and then return to Detroit. "He scored a goal 19 seconds into the game (5-4 loss at Lake Erie), so it's a positive step," Holland said. "Their trainer talked to our trainer. He feels good, he's playing tonight." If all goes well, Weiss will be available for the Red Wings Monday at home against the Ottawa Senators. "Lets' see what happens tonight," Holland said. "I know when we win games coaches are reluctant to make changes. If Mike wants to put him in, Mike will put him in." Playing on back-to-back nights is a big test for Weiss, who has appeared in only 47 of 150 games for his teams (Florida, Detroit) since the start of the 2013 season due to injuries. His latest injury happened midway through a game for the Griffins on Oct. 29, during his first conditioning stint. "Given what's gone on over last 16 months, it's baby steps," Holland said. "I think when he was down there two weeks ago it wasn't significant (injury), but it was significant enough that he hurt himself and couldn't play the next game. So we're back starting all over again. "The other thing that we're working on is he hasn't played a lot of hockey the last 2½ years. December is on the horizon. That's part of the reason we want him to go back and test his groin. We're trying to find ways to get him some games because you need to play games. We're trying to win games to compete with teams in our division. We can't be holding tryouts during the season." It's important for the Red Wings to see what a healthy Weiss can do. After this season he still has three years remaining on his contract at $4.9 million per season. If they don't think he can be effective they likely will buy out the final three years in June. Michigan Live LOADED: 11.23.2014 25

Detroit Red Wings seek third road win in a row, focused on fast start vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Ansar Khan November 22, 2014 at 1:32 PM TORONTO - The Detroit Red Wings have outscored opponents 13-8 in the first period this season. That might come as a surprise to some, considering their difficulty starting on time the past couple of weeks. But coach Mike Babcock once again stressed the need to for him team to play well from the opening faceoff tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. "Catch-up hockey is losing hockey; you got to start on time," Babcock said after the morning skate. "Eighty percent of the time the team that scores first wins. You got to get started. "We didn't do that in Winnipeg (Thursday in a 4-3 win). We didn't like our game, in particular in the second period, but we dug in as a group and were mentally strong and found a way to stick with it and stay with our structure. The biggest thing is you can't shoot yourself in the foot in those games and get impatient and we found a way to stay patient." The Maple Leafs have been outscored 24-14 in the first period, but Babcock pointed out that they're 7-3-1 in their past 11 games. "They got a good team, they score goals and they're dangerous," Babcock said. "Both specialty teams are good. They've been good at home for the most part." The Red Wings (10-4-5) have won four in a row against Toronto (10-8-2), including a home-and-home sweep on Oct. 17-18, and are 5-0-1 in their past six vs. the Maple Leafs. "Our focus is we're playing an opponent that's right there with us and so it's a big game for us and a big game for them," Babcock said. Here are the Red Wings' lines and defense pairs: Gustav Nyquist-Henrik Zetterberg-Johan Franzen Justin Abdelkader-Riley Sheahan-Tomas Tatar Daniel Cleary-Darren Helm-Tomas Jurco Drew Miller-Luke Glendening-Joakim Andersson Pavel Datsyuk (groin, out) On defense: Jonathan Ericsson-Niklas Kronwall 26

Kyle Quincey-Danny DeKeyser Brian Lashoff-Xavier Ouellet Jakub Kindl (scratched) In goal: Jimmy Howard (starting) Petr Mrazek Michigan Live LOADED: 11.23.2014 27

Mistakes, failure to attack net in third period costs Red Wings a chance to earn third road win in a row Ansar Khan November 23, 2014 at 2:01 AM TORONTO - The Detroit Red Wings were well-positioned after two periods Saturday to cap an impressive week featuring three consecutive road victories. Then they made a couple of costly mistakes and stopped attacking the net in the third period, resulting in a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. "When you win the first two games of a road trip you like to be greedy, you want to win all three," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought we were set up to do that and we didn't do that." The momentum shifted for good when Tyler Bozak scored a shorthanded goal at 3:44 of the third period to snap a 1-1 tie. Toronto scored three unanswered goals in the period and snapped a four-game losing streak against Detroit that dated back to last season. "I thought we dominated the second period and we were set up good going into the third," Babcock said. "We were on the power play, turned it over and had an entry again where we turned the puck over. Anytime you turn pucks over they're going to bite you. We should attack the net on those plays and we didn't and in the end we dug it out of our net." Niklas Kronwall didn't handle an awkward pass from Gustav Nyquist following a faceoff, enabling Bozak to steal the puck, race down the ice and roof a backhand shot past Jimmy Howard. "We did a lot of good things, but in the end we made so many individual mistakes it cost us the game," Kronwall said. "I made a huge mistake on their second goal and then we're forcing it and pressing to try to get another one and it went the other way." Kronwall added, "I have to find a way to get the puck deep. It's a little bit of a broken play right off the faceoff. The puck was on my stick at one point. I got to make sure it goes deep there." Said Howard: "It's tough whenever you give up a shorthanded goal, especially when you're supposed to have the momentum on the power play. It's not fun for anyone. I got to find a way to come up with the save for the guys there." Peter Holland gave the Maple Leafs a 3-1 lead with another unassisted goal off a turnover at 15:38. He blocked a pass attempt by Nyquist and was off the races, beating Howard with a shot from a sharp angle. Bozak capped the scoring with empty-net goal at 18:13. The Maple Leafs outshot the Red Wings 10-5 in the third. "We played good for two periods and then we gave the game away, too many turnovers," Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "Both their late goals there we 28

turned the puck over and odd-man rushes or breakaways and they're skilled when they get their chances." Said Howard: "We just weren't cautious with the puck. Whenever we get a win we're careful at both blue lines and we're not turning the puck over in our end, and we did that a lot in our end tonight." Tomas Tatar scored the Red Wings' lone goal to tie it 1-1 at 10:28 of the second period. It was his ninth of the season and eighth in the past 11 games. Leo Komarov opened the scoring at 11:39 of the first. "I thought our PK was good early and that gave us a chance," Babcock said. "They had some energy because we took three penalties for not moving our feet in the first. "I thought our initial power plays were good but then we wouldn't shoot the puck at all on the power play, just pass it around on the outside. So we got to get back to attacking and a little more puck speed. "I thought we were going to come out and dominate them in the third," Babcock said. "We should have, they were down to five D (Roman Polak was injured trying to hit Tatar just before his goal); all you had to do was attack their net and you would have been off to the races." Michigan Live LOADED: 11.23.2014 29

Maple Leafs 4, Red Wings 1: Toronto scores three unanswered goals in third period to snap a tie Ansar Khan November 23, 2014 at 2:22 AM TORONTO -The Detroit Red Wings' strong penalty killing gave them a chance to win Saturday. Their power play cost them - not so much with its failure to score, but with its inability to defend. Tyler Bozak snapped a tie with a shorthanded goal early in the third period and the Toronto Maple Leafs went on to defeat the Red Wings 4-1 at Air Canada Centre. The Red Wings (10-5-5) were attempting to win three games in a row for the first time this season. Their four-game winning streak against the Maple Leafs, dating back to last season, was snapped. Bozak scored at 3:44 of the third period, just 10 seconds into a Red Wings power play. He roofed a backhand shot over Jimmy Howard's glove during a breakaway after Niklas Kronwall got turned around at the point in the offensive zone and lost his balance. The Red Wings' penalty killing has been strong all season and stepped up again, killing all four Toronto power plays, including three in the first period. Detroit's power play, which had improved considerably in recent weeks (10 for 31 in its previous seven games) went 0 for 3. Peter Holland gave the Maple Leafs some insurance by scoring with 4:22 remaining. Holland blocked a shot by Gustav Nyquist, corralled the puck and burst down the left side. He beat Howard from a sharp angle, firing the puck over his right shoulder. Tomas Tatar scored the Red Wings' lone goal, continuing his scoring binge. Tatar one-timed a pass from Xavier Ouellet past Jonathan Bernier at 10:28 of the second period to tie it 1-1. Tatar tied Nyquist for the team lead with nine goals - he's scored eight goals in his past 11 games. Toronto defenseman Roman Polak appeared to injure his ankle on the play while trying to check Tatar in the corner. Polak did not return to the game. Ouellet's assist was his first career point in six NHL games. The young defenseman was playing in his second game this season after being recalled from the Grand Rapids Griffins to replace an injured Brendan Smith (hand infection). Red Wings coach Mike Babcock always stresses getting off to a good start. That was a particular point of emphasis following a poor first period Thursday in Winnipeg. The Maple Leafs have been awful in the first period this season, getting outscored 24-14 in their first 20 games. 30

But they led 1-0 after 20 minutes this time. It could have been worse for the Red Wings, who needed to kill three penalties. Leo Komarov scored at 11:39, the end result of a rush started when Nazem Kadri checked Kronwall into the boards in the neutral zone, taking him out of the play. Komaraov eventually picked up the puck in the corner and had a clear path to the front of the net, flipping it past Howard, who made several good saves in the period. The Red Wings outshot Toronto 12-8 in the period. Michigan Live LOADED: 11.23.2014 31

Once Griffins' Mantha makes a few improvements, 'he'll be a star' DANA WAKIJI NOV 23, 2014 12:06a ET GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- It's just a matter of time before Anthony Mantha is a Detroit Red Wing. But he's got a few things to learn first. Mantha, who just turned 20 on Sept. 16, played in his fourth American Hockey League game Saturday night in Grand Rapids. The Wings selected Mantha in the first round, 20th overall, in the 2013 NHL draft. A prolific scorer with Val d'or of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League the last three seasons, Mantha was considered a longshot to make the Wings out of training camp. Then Mantha suffered a fractured right tibia during the prospects tournament in Traverse City Sept. 12, ending that idea. It was the first serious injury Mantha had ever had. "It was hard at first," he said. "When I started putting a little bit more weight, taking the crutches out, it felt good. Obviously the first skate I had, it was just a relief. There was a lot of second, third training in the week. "I'm really not far. I've worked so hard in the gym and having four weeks of practice and four games in, my body I think is getting better. I hope for next weekend probably I can be in top shape." Mantha returned to the ice and made his professional debut Nov. 14 against the Texas Stars. He scored his first professional goal the following night. In the first period of a 1-1 game against the Lake Erie Monsters Saturday at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mantha went to the net and spun quickly, putting Andy Miele's pass past Monsters goaltender Sami Aittokallio inside the left post. "It feels good," Mantha said after the game. "The leg's 100 percent right now. I think I'm working harder every day and I think it's paying off every game." The Monsters tried to physically punish Mantha after he scored, but the 6-foot-4, 214- pound forward wasn't having any of that. "There was a small scrum but it's part of hockey," Mantha said matter-of-factly. Mantha said everything in the game felt better overall -- timing, skating, passing. "He's real close in a lot of areas offensively," Griffins coach Jeff Blashill said. "It's just going to be a matter of how quickly that all clicks and how quickly that transition happens. You just can't predict that. His impact on the game right now is good. 32

"I think eventually it's gonna be great at this level and when it's great, that's when he'll probably be NHL-ready. But I don't know how quickly that'll happen." Veteran NHL center Stephen Weiss, who joined the Griffins Friday and Saturday for a brief conditioning stint, played on a line with Mantha Friday and was impressed. "He's obviously got really good size and he uses it well down low, protects the puck really well," Weiss said. "He's smart, he sees the ice well, he moves the puck well. He's a fun guy to play with. For a young guy, the sky's the limit for him. He's going to score a lot of goals in the NHL." Wings fans are impatient for that day when Mantha is racking up those numbers in the NHL. After all, Mantha earned CHL player of the year honors after scoring 57 goals and 63 assists in 57 regular-season games, then followed that up with 24 goals and 14 assists in 24 playoff games. "I think Anthony's learning the little differences between pro and junior and how he can be as effective at this level as he was in junior and I think he's going to learn it, it's just a matter of how quickly," Blashill said. "He's somebody that definitely has a knack around the net, obviously can do lots of things in those areas. "I'm going to judge him a lot more in the other parts of the game, make sure he does the rest of the parts of the game to get to that net area where I already know he's real good." One thing that's different for Mantha is the pace of the game at the AHL level. "It's great hockey," Mantha said. "I was looking at it from the stands and I didn't think it was that fast. Being in the game and being in the play, it just feels like you always have someone in your face and every team is good and every player is good up here." Blashill said Mantha will have to adjust to not being the biggest player on the ice, which he often was in junior hockey. "When you're playing against guys your same age, you can get away with some stuff at the end of your stick," Blashill said. "Now you really gotta learn how to leverage your body to win all those little puck battles, learn how to make the same plays in a little bit less time and space, making sure we're moving our feet and getting up the ice with lots of speed. "He's a real smart offensive player but again, it's just a matter of those little transitions that are more difficult. It's like a player going from college football to the NFL. Everything's faster, everything's tighter. You just have to learn to make the same plays with less time." When you are bigger and can score virtually at will, there's not as much need to learn to play well defensively, but Mantha will have to in order to reach the NHL. Mantha admitted that his defensive play is an area that still needs work. "It got better in the past few years," Mantha said. "The last two years I worked a lot on it and I'm just getting better and better." 33

Weiss believes Mantha will make those improvements. "Like anything for young players, it's the speed, adjusting to the speed of the game at both ends of the ice," Weiss said. "I think that'll be a big thing for him. Not saying he's not good defensively, but you can always get better defensively. That's so huge in the NHL is being able to play without the puck. He's got the offensive part down, there's no question about that. "If he just continues to get better at the little things and defensively, he'll be a star." foxsports.com LOADED: 11.23.2014 34

Leafs top Wings with three third-period goals Staff Writer NOV 22, 2014 11:04p ET TORONTO (AP) -- The Toronto Maple Leafs put the distractions of the past few days behind them and used their focus to beat the Detroit Red Wings. And when the game was over, the Maple Leafs raised their sticks to acknowledge their fans. Tyler Bozak scored a pair of third-period goals in the Maple Leafs' 4-1 win on Saturday night. "I thought we did a really good job of focusing on the process and preparation. That was a big thing for us," Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf said. Following backlash from Thursday night's win over Tampa Bay -- in which the Maple Leafs left the ice without saluting the crowd -- the players elected for a modified tribute Saturday, raising their sticks in front of their net instead of at center ice. "That was something we talked about in our room, and we did not want to disrespect our fans at all," Phaneuf said. "We know how much support that we have. That's our new thing now. We wanted to change it up." Leo Komarov and Peter Holland had the other goals for Toronto. Jonathan Bernier made 26 saves to improve to 7-5-2. "There was nothing about disrespecting our fans, it was just switching it up," Bernier said. "I thought tonight the crowd was great." Tomas Tatar had the lone goal for Detroit, and Jimmy Howard made 24 saves. "We just weren't cautious with the puck," said Howard, who dropped to 8-4-4. "I think it's been key whenever we're careful at both blue lines and don't turn over in our end, and we did that a lot." Toronto topped Detroit for the first time in three games this season, and the Maple Leafs have won back-to-back contests after a three-game skid in which they were outscored 17-5. The Maple Leafs are 8-4-1 in their last 13. Bozak gave Toronto its second lead of the night with a short-handed goal early in the third period. The game was tied 1-1 after two periods before Toronto responded with three unanswered goals in the third. "I think we got back on track, playing the way we need to play," Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said. "I thought the game got away from us in the second period. We turned the puck over far too many times and we were receiving the game." Bozak stripped defenseman Niklas Kronwall of the puck at the blue line, went in alone, and beat Howard with a backhand shot for his seventh of the season at 3:44. It was Bozak's fourth career short-handed goal. 35

Peter Holland added the insurance goal on a partial breakaway, beating Howard for his fifth goal with 4:21 remaining. Holland matched his goal total from last season in which he scored five in 39 games. He also snapped a four-game goal drought. Bozak added an empty-net goal with 1:47 remaining for his eighth of the season. Toronto led 1-0 after 20 minutes on Komarov's second of the season. Komarov put a shot in off defenseman Jonathan Ericsson at 11:39. Komarov had just four goals in 42 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season -- his last in the NHL. Tatar tied it 1-1 at 10:28 of the second. He brushed off a hit from defenseman Roman Polak and one-timed a feed from Xavier Oullet for his ninth of the season. Tatar has five goals and two assists in five games. "I thought we really played real well in the second period. In my opinion (we) dominated the second period," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "Good win for their team, and when you won the first two games on your road trip you like to be greedy. "You want to win all three, and I thought we were set up to do that and we didn't do it." Polak got his left leg caught under his body while falling awkwardly on the hit and left the game. "Polak will have an MRI (Sunday) on the lower-body injury, and we'll have an update on Monday," Carlyle said. "(It's) serious enough that he'll be out for a while." NOTES: Maple Leafs D Cody Franson's nine-game point streak ended. It was the longest of Franson's career and was one game shy of matching the team record for longest streak by a defenseman held by Tom Kurvers from Jan. 15-Feb. 7, 1990. Franson played in his 200th game with Toronto. foxsports.com LOADED: 11.23.2014 36

Is Daniel Alfredsson ready to hang up his skates? DANA WAKIJI NOV 22, 2014 8:08a ET The Red Wings welcome the Ottawa Senators Monday night, but an upcoming announcement might overshadow the game. TSN's Darren Dreger is reporting that Daniel Alfredsson, who spent the first 17 years of his NHL career with the Senators, plans to retire. The Wings had left the door open for Alfredsson to return if he could overcome the back injury that cost him time last season and continued to hinder him when he tried to skate before training camp this year. Alfredsson, who turns 42 Dec. 11, has an injured disc in his back that's aggravated by playing. During his 18-year career, Alfredsson scored 444 goals and 713 assists in 1,246 games. Alfredsson won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the rookie of the year for the 1995-96 season, the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and humanitarian contribution for the 2011-12 season and appeared in six All-Star games (1996-98, 2004, 2008, 2012). He also played on five Olympic teams for Sweden, winning gold in 2006, but Alfredsson never won the Stanley Cup. foxsports.com LOADED: 11.23.2014 37

Monsters 5, Griffins 4: Stephen Weiss scores early but lead doesn't hold up By MLive.com CLEVELAND- A goaltending change at the end of the first period provided the spark the Lake Erie Monsters needed as they climbed back from a 3-1 deficit to top the Grand Rapids Griffins 5-4 Friday at Quicken Loans Arena. The penalty kill was one of the strengths of the Griffins this season as they entered tonight s contest with the best penalty kill percentage in the league. The Griffins surrendered four goals on 51 penalty kill opportunities entering Friday s contest and Lake Erie scored twice on five chances. It was the Griffins who got out front early as Stephen Weiss, on a conditioning stint from the Detroit Red Wings, fired a wrist shot near the top of the circle his first of the season 19 seconds after the opening puck drop. Lake Erie evened the contest at 4:03 on the power play when Borna Rendulic took the puck from Michael Schumacher in the right corner and put it past Griffins goalie Tom McCollum after skating tough Grand Rapids defenders for his third goal of the season. Grand Rapids would retake the lead at 11:16 when Teemu Pulkkinen blocked a pass at the Lake Erie blue line and a few strides later scored his first of the night past Lake Erie starter Roman Will. The Griffins increased their lead to two when Nick Jensen lit the lamp for the first time this season after sending a 1-timer from Nathan Paetsch through traffic past Will at 15:14. After the first period, Will was pulled in favor of Sami Aittokallio. Will finished the game with three goals allowed on 10 shots. The second period remained scoreless until Markus Lauridsen scored his second of the season with less than a second left in the middle frame. The Monsters took advantage of an Andy Miele cross-checking penalty while in front of Aittokallio with 17 seconds left in the period. Lake Erie won the draw inside the Grand Rapids zone with 5 seconds left and Stefan Elliott fed Lauridsen the pass that left the home team trailing by one heading back to the locker room. The Griffins (6-7-1-0) would go ahead by two goals for the second time when Pulkkinen scored his second of the night and eighth of the season on his Finnish countryman. Aittokallo had stoned Pulkkinen twice at close range on the previous rush but it was Pulkkinen who got the goal at 6:59 on a breakaway with an assist from McCollum. The Monsters countered the Griffins goal 34 seconds later when Kenny Ryan deflected a shot from defenseman Karl Stollery past McCollum for his first of the night at 7:33. Rendulic equaled the game at 4-4 at 17:02 when he outskated a Griffins defender and netted a shot inside the top corner over the blocker of McCollum. Lake Erie went on to score the game winner 57 seconds later when Duncan Siemens fired a shot from the right point that went through traffic and off the stick of Ryan into the net to complete the comeback. 38

Lake Erie (5-7-1-2) snapped a five-game losing streak with the win. Aittokallo earned the win with 14 saves on 15 shots. McCollum turned away 28 of 33 shots in the loss and dropped his season record to 5-4-1 in the process. The two teams will meet at Van Andel Arena for a rematch Saturday night at 7 p.m. Notes: Following the game, the Griffins released goaltender Jeff Lerg from his professional tryout Tonight was the first regulation loss for Grand Rapids when leading after the first and second periods They were previously 3-0-1-0 when leading after the first period and were 4-0-0-0 when leading after 40 minutes. Grand Rapids Griffins 4 at Lake Erie Monsters 5 - Status: Final Friday, November 21, 2014 - Quicken Loans Arena Grand Rapids 3 0 1-4 Lake Erie 1 1 3-5 1st Period-1, Grand Rapids, Weiss 1 (Porter, Marchenko), 0:19. 2, Lake Erie, Rendulic 3 (Schumacher), 4:03 (PP). 3, Grand Rapids, Pulkkinen 7 11:16. 4, Grand Rapids, Jensen 1 (Paetsch, Miele), 15:14. Penalties-Athanasiou Gr (tripping), 2:07; Elliott Le (slashing), 5:17. 2nd Period-5, Lake Erie, Lauridsen 2 (Elliott, Sgarbossa), 19:59 (PP). Penalties-Bruton Gr (hooking), 2:56; Campbell Gr (fighting), 6:45; Siemens Le (fighting), 6:45; Miele Gr (cross-checking), 19:43. 3rd Period-6, Grand Rapids, Pulkkinen 8 (McCollum), 6:59. 7, Lake Erie, Ryan 4 (Stollery, Noreau), 7:33. 8, Lake Erie, Rendulic 4 (Noreau), 17:02. 9, Lake Erie, Ryan 5 (Siemens, Hishon), 17:59. Penalties-Mantha Gr (interference), 4:23; Siemens Le (tripping), 8:09; Pulkkinen Gr (unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:50; Hishon Le (crosschecking), 13:35. Shots on Goal-Grand Rapids 10-4-11-25. Lake Erie 10-12-11-33. Power Play Opportunities-Grand Rapids 0 / 3; Lake Erie 2 / 5. Goalies-Grand Rapids, McCollum 3-5-0 (33 shots-28 saves). Lake Erie, Will 0-3-0 (10 shots-7 saves); Aittokallio 2-0-0 (15 shots-14 saves). A-7,384 Referees-Kendrick Nicholson (44). Linesmen-Ryan Daisy (90), Brian Wisner (35). 39

Confident Justin Abdelkader figures it out Helene St. James 1:13 a.m. EST November 22, 2014 TORONTO Justin Abdelkader credits a good summer for his good autumn. Abdelkader is second in scoring for the Red Wings, who visit the Maple Leafs tonight. Abdelkader contributed two points to make sure the Wings entered Air Canada Centre on a two-game winning streak. His goal and assist in Winnipeg pumped his season numbers to 14 points, trailing only Henrik Zetterberg s 17. Abdelkader s success has come on the strength of good health all summer, which allowed for better training, as well as playing in the World Championship last spring and because Abdelkader, 27, has figured out what it takes to play at the NHL level. It takes time to become the player you re capable of being, he said. I know before I could bank off the success I had in college and the American League, but I knew I had more to bring over the past few seasons. I think I ve shown potential, but it s one thing to show and one thing to do it. I just feel the most confident I ve been on the ice. I ve learned from the veteran guys how to prepare night in and night out, and what role I need to bring each night. It s being physical and being around the hard areas. The Wings opted for an off-ice workout Friday rather than practice, which erased the tiny chance Datsyuk might play this weekend. The Wings have done all right without him the past two games, scoring nine goals. Abdelkader s line with Riley Sheahan and Tomas Tatar surged Thursday, combining for five points. Coach Mike Babcock emphasized how important it is for Abdelkader to be a physical forechecker who skates and goes to the net, because if he does those things, then scoring comes with it. The other thing about Abby is, Abby is a working guy. He comes to work every day. Abdelkader s utilitarianism makes him a fit on lines one through four, and on both special teams. Babcock preaches that players earn the right to feel good about themselves, and Abdelkader is proof. That s a big confidence boost right there, when your coach puts you in all those situations, Abdelkader said. I feel more comfortable on the ice, more confident. I m starting to make more plays. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.22.2014 40

Ex-Wing Daniel Alfredsson retiring, but not on Monday Helene St. James 5:48 p.m. EST November 21, 2014 TORONTO -- As the Free Press has reported since October, all signs indicate former Detroit Red Wings forward Daniel Alfredsson is done playing hockey because of lingering back pain. Alfredsson turns 42 next month, hasn't skated regularly since October and, at the quarter-pole of the season, has given no indication he will return to the NHL. The Wings, for whom he played last season, have operated since last month with the belief Alfredsson is done, and that he will tell them if he wants to have his retirement news conference at Joe Louis Arena. As of this evening, he had not informed them of any such pending event. Speculation out of Canada today instigated rumors he'd announce his decision Monday when the Wings host Ottawa, because Alfredsson spent 17 seasons with the Senators before seeing a better chance for an elusive Stanley Cup in Detroit. Alfredsson did not part with kind feelings for Ottawa's ownership, and vice versa, but he remains beloved by Ottawa fans, and may well want to make his announcement there if something can be worked out with the Senators. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.22.2014 41

Daniel Alfredsson's career at an end, report says Ted Kulfan 7:04 p.m. EST November 21, 2014 Toronto Daniel Alfredsson's illustrious career appears to be coming to an end. Canadian national analysts Darren Dreger and Elliotte Friedman both reported Friday Alfredsson is likely to retire, wants to announce it soon, and could do it as early as Monday when the Senators visit Joe Louis Arena. It was with Ottawa where Alfredsson starred, the captain of the Senators for 13 of his 17 seasons there. Alfredsson, who'll turn 42 on Dec. 11, joined the Red Wings last season and was tied for the team lead with 49 points (18 goals). An unrestricted free agent Alfredsson told the Red Wings he would only play for them but only if his troublesome back would cooperate. But a lingering disc injury hasn't gone away sufficiently for Alfredsson to skate for days, or weeks, at a time. The Red Wings have yet to officially hear from Alfredsson, although the signs have been pointing in the direction of retirement for some time. Dreger, TSN's hockey analyst, said while the Red Wings "have been informed he is likely done, they have not heard directly from Alfredsson." The hope for Alfredsson was to play one more season and contend for the Stanley Cup. He skated the first few days of conditioning skates at Joe Louis Arena but the back problems quickly flared up again and Alfredsson was forced to miss training camp. Alfredsson returned to the ice on his own several weeks later, but again couldn't string together several days of skating without feeling pain. Alfredsson played in 68 games with the Red Wings last season. In 1,246 NHL games, Alfredsson had 444 goals and 713 assists (for 1,157 points), while winning one gold medal with Sweden in the Olympics. Media circus It's never dull in Toronto, and the latest controversy surrounding the Maple Leafs was their perceived snub of fans after Thursday's victory over Tampa Bay. Maple Leafs players declined to salute their fans with raised sticks after the victory, igniting a firestorm on websites and sports radio. This two days after the Maple Leafs were blown out, losing 9-3 on home ice against Nashville. Are the Maple Leafs are a dangerous and unpredictable team right now? 42

"The team you play is the most dangerous one each and every night," coach Mike Babcock said. "As for what is swirling around them, it has nothing to do with me. "I know they're a team right there in the standings with us. There's hardly anything to pick between us and them, so it's going to be an important game for us and them." Schedule change The Red Wings were originally scheduled to skate at the Maple Leafs practice facility Thursday afternoon after landing and arriving from Winnipeg. But Babcock decided to change things a bit, deciding an off-ice workout was more beneficial, and scrapping the ice time. "We play every second day for forever," said Babcock, noting the Red Wings have had games every other day from Nov. 14 until Dec. 7 (with consecutive games on Dec. 6-7). "You have to decide. We had a good spot, Hockey Canada had a good meeting for us and we had a good workout facility, so it all worked out good." Ice chips Babcock said Jimmy Howard will return to start in net, after getting the night off in Thursday's victory over Winnipeg (Petr Mrazek earning the victory in his regular season debut). Mrazek stopped 28 Jets shotsand again showed the confidence and coolness in net that gives the Red Wings confidence for the future. "We trust him," Tomas Tatar said. "He showed us many times he can play in the NHL. He has lots of confidence." Detroit News LOADED: 11.22.2014 43

Woman pleads guilty in Nyquist first-goal puck theft Staff Writer 12:30 p.m. EST November 21, 2014 A Muskegon woman, 32, pleaded guilty to theft charges in caper involving the swiping the puck from Red Wings' forward Gustav Nyquist's first NHL goal. Amy Lynn Jones entered the plea as part of deal on larceny by conversion and concealing stolen property as a fourth felony offender in Kent County Circuit Court, according to Mlive.com. The memorabilia theft occurred at a Comstock Park storage facility in August 2012 and the stolen property turned up at an unauthorized auction two months later, authorties said. The puck is framed with a photo of the Red Wings forward. Nyquist, who has nine goals and three assists for 12 points in 19 games this season, split the 2012-13 campaign between the American Hockey League Grand Rapids Griffins and the Red Wings. Jones faces at least five years in prison as part of the plea deal. Detroit News LOADED: 11.22.2014 44

Red Wings' Mike Babcock pushes Tomas Tatar to maximize his abilities, and team is seeing results Ansar Khan November 21, 2014 at 7:04 PM TORONTO - Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock demands more from Tomas Tatar than any other player, wanting to maximize the talented young forward's potential. Lately, the Red Wings are seeing the best of Tatar. He scored two goals in Thursday's 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets and has seven goals in his past 10 games, after scoring just once in his first nine games. With eight goals, Tatar is just one behind team leader Gustav Nyquist. "I told you guys, I wasn't worried about it at all," Tatar said. "You won't lose it if you can't find the net once. I'm not afraid I'm not going to score goals. It's all about confidence -- keep shooting the puck; it eventually will find the net." After Tatar scored 19 goals in his first full NHL season, Babcock was determined to make sure he continued to grow, not regress. "Tats is a competitive kid," Babcock said. "I might be harder on Tats than anybody on the team just because I think Tats has a chance to be a real player. We're going to hold him to that. "We think he should be good every night because he's capable of being good every night and every shift. So we expect a lot from Tats and he's capable of doing that." Part of being a "real player" is not taking too many nights off. Some might have been concerned about Tatar's start, but he wasn't. "Earlier in the season I still had chances, I just couldn't for some reason find the net," Tatar said. "Right now it gives you a boost of confidence after scoring a few goals. You feel good about yourself, but more importantly the team is winning and everybody is feeling really well right now and everybody is playing really good." The Red Wings (10-4-5) will try to win their third game in a row Saturday at Toronto, a team they swept in a home-and-home series on Oct. 17-18. Everyone wants to score, but teammate Johan Franzen described Tatar as "one of those guys who loves to score." "He's a little hard on himself when he doesn't score, but he's always a great player," Franzen said. "He's strong on the puck and creates a lot of offense, but it's great to see him score. His confidence grows a lot, it's good to see." Tomas Tatar Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar is on a roll after a slow start. Tatar has come a long way from the player who was a healthy scratch in eight of the first nine games a year ago. 45

"When I got here, I was a little shaky as to what was going to happen," Tatar said. "I had to battle to be in the lineup day by day and the way I'm playing the game and how more calm I am right now in certain times. When we're leading I feel way more confident to hold the puck and make some plays, play more simple in certain spots." Nobody is better at hanging onto the puck than Pavel Datsyuk. Tatar has learned a lot from watching him. "There's not many players who can slow down the game. I think one of the best is Pavel," Tatar said. "He can make his space, look around. I think every player wishes he could be as good as him at that. "That's a big benefit to have. I'm not a big fan of the fast game as well. I like to take my time and think about what I'm going to do, whether I want to shoot or pass. Pavel's a great example for me." Tatar is shooting more than he did last season (2.63 shots per game vs. 2.16). "I'm trying to create more chances and opportunities to score and so far it's working," Tatar said. "Hopefully I'll keep shooting and finding the net." Babcock also wants him to be better without the puck. "Tats has just got to become a 200-footer," Babcock said. "He's got to learn to play without the puck all the time and he's got to be competitive every night. If he does those things he's going to score more. "So that's his biggest challenge, just to become a player. He wants to be a top-six forward. If you want to be a top-six forward you got to play every night." Michigan Live LOADED: 11.22.2014 46

Red Wings enter circus atmosphere in Toronto still without Pavel Datsyuk; Jimmy Howard back in goal Ansar Khan November 21, 2014 at 4:28 PM TORONTO - Pavel Datsyuk will miss his third game in a row, sitting out for the fifth time in the past seven games due to a pulled groin, when the Detroit Red Wings visit the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday at Air Canada Centre (7 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit). Datsyuk skated after practice Thursday in Winnipeg but the entire team did not skate Friday after arriving in Toronto, opting for an off-ice workout. Coach Mike Babcock said even if Datsyuk has skated Friday he wouldn't have been ready to play. "Once he gets feeling right, starts skating right we'll get him going," Babcock said. "We don't want this going on so we want to get it fixed right this time." Jimmy Howard, coming off a 5-0 victory at Columbus on Tuesday, will start in goal after getting the night off Thursday, when Petr Mrazek started in a 4-3 win at Winnipeg. That is the only change, Babcock said. So rookie Xavier Ouellet will remain in the lineup in place of Jakub Kindl, who'll be scratched for the fourth game in a row for reasons Babcock will not specify. He said of canceling practice Friday, "I'm just trying to do the right thing. A big part of it's physical, but much more part of it is mental. We helped ourselves physically today, did we hurt ourselves mentally? I hope not. We'll find out." They'll find out against a Maple Leafs club surrounded in controversy. Their 9-2 loss at home Tuesday against Nashville called into question the future of embattled coach Randy Carlyle. Then players, following their 5-2 win over Tampa Bay Thursday, created a stir by not raising their sticks to salute fans at the ACC. None of this means anything to the Red Wings (10-4-5), who are just trying to win their third game in a row. "It's something that we really don't need to be worried about," Detroit forward Justin Abdelkader said. "For them maybe, I don't know, if it's a distraction. But for us it's just go about our daily routine, business as usual." They hope it's business as usual. The Red Wings have won four in a row against Toronto, including a home-and-home sweep on Oct. 17-18, and are 5-0-1 in their past six games vs. the Maple Leafs, who are 10-8-2. "They're a team that is right there with us in the standings," Babcock said. "There's nothing to pick between us and them. It's going to be an important game for them and an important game for us." 47

Toronto has been up and down. It won three a row recently, before losing its next three, and then pounding the Lightning. "They can flat-out score," Babcock said. "They have good players. We've got to play. They just beat Tampa. They just beat Boston (6-1 on Nov. 12). They've lost two games badly like lots of us do. All depends on life what you focus on. They're a good team." Michigan Live LOADED: 11.22.2014 48

Report: Daniel Alfredsson has decided not to play this season; Red Wings waiting for official word Ansar Khan November 21, 2014 at 1:52 PM TORONTO - Daniel Alfredsson's illustrious career appears to be coming to an official end soon. The Detroit Red Wings have long suspected that the 41-year-old forward who's been experiencing back issues for years is finished, but they haven't heard it officially from Alfredsson or his representative. Darren Dreger of TSN.ca is reporting that Alfredsson has decided not to play this season due to a lingering disc issue that has been continually aggravated by the wear and tear of game action. Since the Ottawa Senators visit Joe Louis Arena on Monday, there is speculation that an official announcement could come then. Alfredsson spent his first 17 seasons with the Senators, including 13 as captain, before an acrimonious split in 2013 prompted him to sign a one-year deal with the Red Wings. Alfredsson played well in 2013-14, scoring 18 goals and tying for the team lead with 49 points. He informed the Red Wings in June that he wanted to play another season but needed to make sure his back could hold up before making a commitment. He skated for a few days before training camp before being forced to shut it down due to pain. A few weeks later, he skated for a couple of days but his condition apparently did not improve. Alfredsson's agent, J.P. Barry, told the Red Wings earlier this week that it wasn't looking good for a comeback attempt. Barry couldn't be reached for comment. Alfredsson has 444 goals and 713 assists for a 1,157 points in 1,246 NHL games. He represented Sweden in five Olympics, winning the gold medal in 2006, but he never won the Stanley Cup. Michigan Live LOADED: 11.22.2014 49

Poised, puck-moving defenseman Xavier Ouellet has chance to show Red Wings he belongs in NHL Ansar Khan November 21, 2014 at 6:09 AM WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Xavier Ouellet was disappointed to be sent back to the Grand Rapids Griffins at the start of the season, believing he deserved a spot on the Detroit Red Wings. Now he has a chance to prove it - at least until Brendan Smith returns. Coach Mike Babcock wasted no time getting Ouellet in the lineup Thursday in Winnipeg, a day after the puck-moving defenseman was recalled from Grand Rapids due to Smith's injury (infected hand, out at least a week). "I just want him to compete, move the puck, go back and play like he can," Babcock said. "He played real well for us in training camp. We didn't really have any room for him. "We just decided that he's played well (in Grand Rapids), he played well for us, and he's competitive, he moves the puck, moves the puck good on the penalty kill, good on the power play." Ouellet didn't figure in the scoring in the 4-3 victory over the Jets at the MTS Centre but posted a plus-1 rating and registered three shots in 15:24. Ouellet has a goal and four assists in 13 games with the Griffins. "I've been doing really good down there and was just waiting for an opportunity," Ouellet said. "My overall game I think has been solid. Defensively I've been getting good pucks, I'm find a way to get some points and lately we've been winning." Ouellet added, "My goal is to make as less mistakes as possible. I want to be reliable and I want them to trust me. I just try to make the right play all the time and not try to do too much." Jakub Kindl was a healthy scratch for the third game in a row. Ouellet also replaced Kindl in Game 5 of the first-round playoff series against Boston last fall. Ouellet had appeared in only four regular season NHL games. "(Babcock) gave me his trust for that game, so that meant a lot for me," Ouellet said. "It was really exciting and a great experience. It helped me a lot to realize at the end of the day it's the same hockey game. Whatever pressure is there it stays the same game and you got to focus on the same things." Ouellet's strength is his mobility. "He's amazing and so easy to play with as a centerman," said forward Riley Sheahan, who played with Ouellet in Grand Rapids for part of last season. "You spend some time in the D-zone and he's a great player to be around. 50

"It's pretty amazing how quick he can get back to pucks and how he can evade defenders, and his first passes are always good ones. As a defenseman with those skills I think he'll find success at this level and we're happy to have him in our lineup." Babcock likes Ouellet's poise and maturity. "He's got good hockey sense, he seems to play like a veteran guy, he's under control," Babcock said. Even early when he made big mistakes he'd settle right down and play." Ouellet noted how much more structured the game is at the NHL level. "Guys are really smart. They really know how to play the game," Ouellet said. "The little battles, the one-on-ones in the corners are a big step, too. So for me, it's to play strong, as hard as I can. Same game I play every game." Michigan Live LOADED: 11.22.2014 51

Alfredsson could retire as early as Monday Chuck Pleiness 11/21/14, 4:44 PM DETROIT >> The Detroit Red Wings are still awaiting official word on what Daniel Alfredsson plans to do this season. But all signs point to him not playing and most likely deciding to retire. Darren Dreger of TSN.ca reported that Alfredsson has decided not to play this season due to a lingering disc issue in his back that has been continually aggravated by the wear and tear of game action. An announcement could come as early as Monday, which would be fitting since the Wings host the Ottawa Senators, a team he spent his first 17 seasons with and 13 of those he was their captain. Alfredsson s agent, J.P. Barry, told the Wings earlier this week that it wasn t looking good for a comeback attempt. Alfredsson, who ll turn 42 on Dec. 11, had this same back issue towards the end of last season, which also sidelined him. Despite playing in just 68 games in his first season in Detroit, Alfredsson finished tied for the team lead in points (49) and had 18 goals. He did tell the Wings in June that he wanted to play another season, but he needed to make sure his back could hold up before finally deciding on his future. Alfredsson did skate with teammates a few days leading up to training camp in September, but then shut things down when his back started acting up again. He did not attend training camp. He tried again to skate a few consecutive days after camp, but once again had to shut things down. The team would have liked to have Alfredsson back, if he was healthy, to play 60-to-65 games since he provided a right-handed shot at the point on the power play. They weren t going to sign him to a one-year deal until they saw he could practice a couple weeks to make sure he suffered no other setbacks. He understands we re running a hockey team and what goes on with our team affects our day-to-day decisions, Wings general manager Ken Holland said a month ago. That doesn t have anything to do with Alfredsson until he calls and says he wants to discuss his next move. Alfredsson has 444 goals and 713 assists in 1,246 NHL games. He represented Sweden in five Olympics, winning the gold medal in 2006, but has never won the Stanley Cup. 52

Pavel Datsyuk won t play Saturday in Toronto. It s more about him feeling right, Wings coach Mike Babcock said. Once he gets feeling right, starts skating right we ll get him going. We don t want this going on so we want to get it fixed right this time. Jimmy Howard will start against the Maple Leafs. Tomas Tatar has points in four straight games (four goals, three assists. Tats is a competitive kid, Babcock said. I might be harder on Tats than anybody on the team just because I think Tats has a chance to be a real player. We re going to hold him to that. We think he should be good every night because he s capable of being good every night and every shift. So we expect a lot from Tats and he s capable of doing that. The Wings will look to win three games in a row on the road Saturday for the first time since almost a year ago. Detroit strung together three straight road wins from Nov. 24-Dec. 1, 2013. Macomb Daily LOADED: 11.22.2014 53

ESPN / Daniel Alfredsson could be on the verge of retiring Pierre LeBrun Daniel Alfredsson's career appears likely over. Colleague Darren Dreger from TSN broke the story Friday that the former Ottawa Senators captain and current Detroit Red Wing has decided not to play this season. Alfredsson's agent, J.P. Barry, declined comment when reached by ESPN.com. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland also declined comment when reached by ESPN.com. If Alfdredsson, who turns 42 on Dec. 11, isn't playing this season, one has to assume he has played his last NHL game. A recurring back injury was a major issue for him last season, and it continued to be one this fall, as he attempted to skate in the hopes of re-signing with the Red Wings. ESPN LOADED: 11.22.2014 54

Coach Paul MacLean from the Ottawa Senators shares his thoughts on Daniel Alfredsson s possible retirement. LUKE FOX NOVEMBER 21, 2014, 4:12 PM Daniel Alfredsson appears to have made his decision. Or, rather, his back has made it for him. Sportsnet s Elliotte Friedman reports that the star forward would like to announce his retirement as soon as Monday, as aggravation with an injured disc in his back persist. The Detroit Red Wings host the Ottawa Senators Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET at Joe Louis Arena, so the timing would be fitting. Alfredsson, who turns 42 on Dec. 11, is an unrestricted free agent who was only interested in re-signing with the Red Wings. The veteran, who led Detroit in scoring last year, was skating with the club in September, but his training was derailed by his back problems. The Wings had left the door open for Alfredsson to return, and the Swede still wants to win a Stanley Cup, but it s been several weeks since he has laced up his skates. Sportsnet s Elliotte Friedman reported last month that Alfredsson would need to skate pain-free for two weeks straight in order to feel comfortable with a return. And TVA s Louis Jean reported that a decision would come in November. I haven t talked to him since the season started, general manager Ken Holland told the Detroit Free Press on Nov. 4. In 18 NHL seasons, Alfredsson has played 1,246 games, registering 444 goals and 1,157 points. He won Olympic gold with Sweden in 2006 and silver in 2014. In 2013, his final season with the Ottawa Senators, Alfredsson earned the Mark Messier Leadership Award. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.22.2014 55

Duff: Alfredsson expected to retire By Bob Duff / Windsor Star While they ve received no official word, the Detroit Red Wings suspect that reports of Daniel Alfredsson s impending retirement are true. Darren Dreger of TSN reported that Alfredsson has decided not to play this season due to the ongoing back issues he s incurred due to a disk problem. Speculation is that with the Wings slated to play host Monday to the Ottawa Senators, Alfredsson s team for the first 17 seasons of his NHL career, the last 13 as team captain, that some sort of formal announcement could be made then. Alfredsson s agent J.P. Barry indicated to the Red Wings late last week that it was unlikely that his client would be returning to action this season. In his lone season as a Red Wing, Alfredsson, who will turn 42 on Dec. 11, scored 18 goals and shared the team scoring lead with 49 points despite missing 14 games, mainly due to his back ailment. In 1,246 NHL games Alfredsson registered 444-713-1,157 totals. He played for Sweden in five Olympic Games, winning a gold medal in 2006. 56