In what was one of the stranger games of the road trip, the Detroit Red Wings escaped with the win and left San Jose with some momentum heading into their Nov. 4 showdown with the Vegas Golden Knights.
If you want an accurate take on the Red Wings, look no further than Todd McLellan's postgame comments via Max Mller of NHL.com. When asked, McLellan said, "I thought we had a mixed bag to start. We weren't playing the type of game that we wanted to play. We're getting a little bit cute with stickhandling a lot in the offensive zone. Second period, started to throw stuff towards the net, and it opened up for us a little bit."
That has been a common theme for the Red Wings every time they skated into an opposing arena, sans their 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. McLellan isn't wrong, as the Wings landed just five shots on goal before they found their groove in the second frame and put up 14. If they want to get better on the road, then averaging at least 10 shots on goal per period is a great place to start.
During the big win, the Wings snapped Macklin Celebrini's seven-game point streak, but in the process, they allowed blueliner Sam Dickinson to put one past Cam Talbot for his first career goal.
Detroit Red Wings prospects keep impressing all across the NHL landscape
Eddie Genborg just won't stop scoring goals, and he put up another two on Nov. 1 as Timra shut out HV71. The performance puts Genborg at 13 points and seven goals across 18 contests. He's now on pace to snag 20 goals and 37 points across 52 games if he keeps going at the same pace, but maybe it's time to start wondering if he inches closer to that point-per-game mark.
Prospects like Max Plante have been playing lights out in the college ranks, while others like Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard will draw attention in the AHL. But don't forget about Eddie Genborg and the season he's currently having over in the SHL. Give him another year in Sweden before he ventures to North America, and he's going to be fun to watch in the AHL.
Speaking of AHL prospects, the Wings have a slew of them impressing in Grand Rapids. Danielson is red-hot, with five points and a goal in four games, while Amadeus Lombardi keeps showing that he deserves a chance with the big club, clocking in nine points (all assists) in eight contests.
Sebastian Cossa and Michal Postava may be the best young goaltending tandem in the AHL. Heading into Sunday, Cossa has enjoyed a 0.939 save percentage, a shutout, and a 1.75 GAA. As for Postava? He's looking like he played the North American game before, with a 2.22 GAA and a 0.934 save percentage. If they keep this up, the Wings' future in the net is going to be more than solid.