The Detroit Red Wings are coming into their own. How do we know this? They skated out and made quick work of a much weaker opponent on Thursday night. When you know you're the better team, take a 3-1 lead by the end of the second period, and leave no chance for a comeback, you've moved up a rung.
While the Wings still had trouble getting shots off, landing just 25 of them, they nonetheless ended up with five goals. That's 10 goals over the past two games, despite logging just 46 shots on net. It at least means they're taking the right shots, even if they aren't taking enough of them.
Of those 25 shots in Thursday's win over the Vancouver Canucks, Dylan Larkin took seven of them. That means 18 were spread out among the other 17 skaters. So, the Wings still have a good bit of work to do.
Patrick Kane took two of those 25 shots, and both went in. If you've been following Kane lately, you'll know that the empty-netter he scored was a special one, since it marked his 500th goal. Big congratulations to Kane for becoming just the fifth American-born player to hit the mark.
Yzerplan optimism
With the Red Wings taking a big step this season into the Atlantic Division's top three, there is officially optimism in place for the Yzerplan. It's been polarizing for a while now, considering the Wings' inability to get to the postseason under general manager Steve Yzerman, but there have been tremors under the surface for a couple of seasons now.
This season, barring another infamous collapse in March, things are looking up for the Wings. So much, that Tyler Yaremchuk of Daily Faceoff Live said, "Lots of Red Wings fans, and even fans outside of Detroit, we’re starting to raise an eyebrow a bit at Steve Yzerman and his Yzerplan a little bit, and I think it’s fair to say that they’ve got things on track here."
Some rebuilding strategies just take a while before they come into fruition. That has been the case with the Yzerplan since Yzerman took over in 2019. Now that the players he has drafted are producing at a high level while youngsters are still coming up through the ranks, it seems like just about everyone in the NHL universe has something optimistic to say about the Red Wings.
John Leonard taking full advantage of opportunity with Red Wings
John Leonard briefly returned to the AHL before the Red Wings called him back up and sent Nate Danielson back to Grand Rapids. For Leonard, the struggle has been real, as he toiled in the AHL for years following a 44-game stint with the San Jose Sharks in 2020-21.
Leonard's not taking this opportunity for granted either, saying in an article posted by Michael Whitaker of The Hockey News that, "It's an honor, I want to be a guy that they can go to for different situations and whatever the case may be. Just trying to make a positive impact on the game in any way I can, whether it's a good defensive play or blocking a shot, or trying to chip in offensively where I can. Obviously, you're in different situations in each game, but I just try and come in with that mindset every day."
So far, Leonard has made that impact. He's also versatile enough to move up and down the lineup as needed. He's been an under-the-radar but key asset for the Red Wings so far during his limited appearances. And that trend should continue as the Wings look to stay consistent as they try to break their playoff drought.