Sport-scan daily brief

The Red Wings didn't convert in the season opener but opportunities were created because of Alfredsson's shot.

"He adds a dimension," Babcock said.

Olympic tryout

Babcock was up against three potential Team Canada players he could be coaching February in Russia, in Carolina goalie Cam Ward and forwards Eric and Jordan Staal.

Scouting Red Wings opponents or players on Team Canada, there isn't much difference in the two responsibilities.

"You just do your job," Babcock said. "I have to know who the other team's good players are, on any of the teams. They have a lot of good guy there (the Hurricanes). You'd have to know them whether coaching Team Canada or not."

Detroit News LOADED: 10.05.2013

719521 Detroit Red Wings

Stephen Weiss scores in overtime to lift Red Wings to 3-2 victory over Carolina Hurricanes

Ansar Khan

on October 04, 2013 at 9:35 PM, updated October 04, 2013 at 10:26 PM

RALEIGH, N.C. – Stephen Weiss picked a good time to score his first goal as a Detroit Red Wing.

Weiss scored with 1:47 to play in overtime Friday, lifting the Red Wings to a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena.

Weiss followed up on a play by driving to the net and burying a loose puck.

The Red Wings grabbed two points when it appeared they wouldn’t get any.

Henrik Zetterberg scored with 16.4 seconds to play in the third period to force overtime.

Zetterberg scored during a wild scramble in front of the net, after the Red Wings had pulled goaltender Jimmy Howard for the extra skater. Zetterberg spun around in the slot and fired a shot past Cam Ward.

Ward stopped 35 shots in his team’s season opener. Radek Dvorak and Nathan Gerbe scored for the Hurricanes. Justin Abdelkader also scored for Detroit.

The Red Wings (2-0) have scored five goals in two games. Offense is an area the club needed to improve upon after finishing 19th in the NHL in goals per game last season (2.54).

Abdelkader broke the ice for the Red Wings 42 seconds into the third period, whipping a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle past Ward. Zetterberg set him up with a nice cross-ice pass.

The goal sparked the Red Wings for a bit as they generated a few scoring chances afterward. Abdelkader came close to tying it on a couple of occasions.

Gerbe’s power-play goal gave Carolina a 2-0 lead at 18:11 of the second period.

Justin Faulk’s shot deflected off Danny DeKeyser and right to a wide-open Gerbe in front of the net. He fired it past Howard, as Kyle Quincey couldn’t recover in time.

The Hurricanes, despite being outshot 8-4, led 1-0 after one period on a strange goal by Dvorak.

Jeff Skinner skated up to the blue line and laid the puck into the zone for Dvorak. Quincey just missed poking it away before Dvorak stretched and, with one hand on his stick, poked it over Howard’s left shoulder at 13:30. Howard missed on his poke-check attempt.

Quincey made the wrong read on the play, straying away from Dvorak, to cover Drayson Bowman in the middle. It left Dvorak an open lane down the right wing.

Detroit hadn’t played Carolina since March 24, 2012 (5-4 win at Joe Louis Arena). The Red Wings’ last visit to Carolina resulted in a 3-0 loss to Ward on April 6, 2011.

The Red Wings wrap up the short road trip Saturday night in Boston against the defending Eastern Conference champion Bruins, who registered a season-opening victory over Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Michigan Live LOADED: 10.05.2013

719522 Detroit Red Wings

Steve Yzerman wants NHL to hand out game misconducts for fighting or ban it all together

Brendan Savage

on October 03, 2013 at 4:01 PM, updated October 03, 2013 at 4:05 PM

DETROIT – The way Steve Yzerman sees it, five minutes in the penalty box isn't a severe enough penalty for NHL players who fight.

The Tampa Bay general manager and Detroit Red Wings legend thinks players who fight should be given a game misconduct and he even went one step further and suggested that fighting be banned from the NHL all together.

This is coming from a guy who played directly alongside legendary NHL fighter – and Yzerman's personal bodyguard – Bob Probert during the early years of his career.

"Yes, I believe a player should get a game misconduct for fighting," Yzerman told TSN.ca's Darren Dreger. "We penalize and suspend players for making contact with the head while checking, in an effort to reduce head injuries, yet we still allow fighting.

"We're stuck in the middle and need to decide what kind of sport do we want to be. Either anything goes and we accept the consequences, or take the next step and eliminate fighting."

General mangagers Ray Shero of Philadelphia and Jim Rutherford of Carolina agreed with Yzerman's view while Scotty Bowman – who coached Yzerman in Detroit – supported it to a degree.

Bowman told the Chicago Tribune that the NHL needs to do more than the recent rule it enacted penalizing players who take off their helmets before a fight. Bowman is also against staged fights.

That said, Bowman thinks fighting still has a place in hockey and agrees with those who say it's a necessity in order to protect stars who might otherwise be in danger of getting abused physically by less-skilled players.

"It's such a complex issue that I couldn't categorically say (fighting) should be removed completely," Bowman told The Tribune's Chris Kuc. "I don't think that's the issue. The issue to me is the safety of the players. They don't want to be falling backward to the hard ice surface with no protection. At the same time, you don't want skill players being run at continuously without retribution

"In some cases, (a fight) has a big effect because you're playing against some teams that have different makeups than others. When you want to build a championship team, you want to have a team for all seasons. You want to be able to play a skilled game and you want to be able not to back up when you're being taken advantage of."

Yzerman's comments were a result of an incident Tuesday night, when Montreal's George Parros was wheeled off the ice on a stretcher after slamming face-first into the ice during a fight with Toronto's Coltin Orr.

Parros suffered a concussion.

Michigan Live LOADED: 10.05.2013

719523 Detroit Red Wings

Stephen Weiss witnesses firsthand Red Wings' character and resiliency in comeback victory (with video)

Ansar Khan

on October 04, 2013 at 10:42 PM, updated October 05, 2013 at 12:14 AM

RALEIGH, N.C. – Stephen Weiss was well aware of the Red Wings’ resiliency, the character and confidence they often display in clutch situations, before he arrived in Detroit.

He saw it firsthand on Friday. In fact, he played a starring role.

Weiss’ first goal as a Red Wing was a big one. He scored at 3:13 of overtime in a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena.

The Red Wings battled back from a two-goal deficit, getting a goal from Henrik Zetterberg with 16.4 seconds remaining in the third period, to improve to 2-0.

“First one’s always big, especially being in overtime is extra special,’’ Weiss said. “I’ll remember that for a long time.’’

The Red Wings signed Weiss to a five-year, $24.5 million contract in the off-season, expecting him to provide an offensive boost as the second-line center. His fellow free agent and linemate Daniel Alfredsson, who had a couple of chances to score in overtime, assisted on Zetterberg’s goal for his first point as a Red Wing.

“Ton of character,’’ Weiss said. “We were down 2-0 (after two periods), there was no panic in the dressing room. We got some guys who have been there before, guys who trust the system and trust the process it’s going to take to come back in a game like that.’’

Weiss came off the bench to score against Cam Ward, spoiling the Hurricanes’ season opener.

“I don’t know how it got wide to (Niklas Kronwall), and Mule (Johan Franzen) went to the net, great job by him,’’ Weiss said. “Kronner threw it in there, (Franzen) banged away at it, I followed up and it squirted out to me and I was able to get a stick on it.’’

Coach Mike Babcock said his team found a way to dig in and get it done.

"We got guys who have been there before, trust the system and process it's going to take to come back in a game like that.’’ -- Stephen Weiss

“It’s good for Weiss to get a big goal,’’ Babcock said. “Anytime you come to a new place you like to get the monkey off your back.’’

Zetterberg, who assisted on Justin Abdelkader’s goal 42 seconds into third period, made Weiss’ goal possible by spinning in the slot and firing the puck past Ward during a scramble in the waning seconds after his club pulled goaltender Jimmy Howard for the extra skater.

“I had at least two or three whacks at it before it went through,’’ Zetterberg said. “I just wanted to take a little extra time to make sure I got a good shot away. I tried to aim for the corner, but it just went through.’’

Weiss said they had been working on six-on-five drills in practice.

“A lot of determination on his part,’’ Weiss said. “It was all around the net, he had a few whacks in the slot, it just kept coming back to him. Good job by all the boys, just hacking away at the net, keeping pucks alive.’’

Getting Abdelkader’s goal early in the period was huge.

“I wanted to make sure I got it on net; it was bouncing a little,’’ Abdelkader said. “We wanted to get that first one to get things going.’’

The Red Wings fell behind on goals by Radek Dvorak at 13:30 of the first period – he drove to the net and, with one hand on his stick, chipped the puck over Howard – and Nathan Gerbe at 18:11 of the second, on the power play.

But the Red Wings were resilient, skating away with two points when it appeared they wouldn’t get any. They outshot Carolina 38-25.

“I thought it was a real good morale win because you understand if you do good things good things happen, just keep on playing,’’ Babcock said.

They face a huge test Saturday night in Boston against the defending Eastern Conference champion Bruins. Babcock said Howard will start in goal and there might be a couple of lineup changes with games on back-to-back nights.

Mikael Samuelsson likely will sit after possibly pulling his groin. He logged only two shifts in the third period and did not play in the final 17 minutes of regulation or in overtime. Tomas Tatar probably will make his season debut.

"We did a lot of good things It was good to grind out a win,’’ Abdelkader said. “Now we got to get ready for Boston on back-to-back nights.’’

Michigan Live LOADED: 10.05.2013

719524 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings' Mikael Samuelsson determined to show he can be productive following injury-plagued year

Ansar Khan

on October 04, 2013 at 5:55 PM, updated October 04, 2013 at 7:20 PM

RALEIGH, N.C. – Mikael Samuelsson stepped onto the ice Friday morning at PNC Arena and immediately took a tumble.

Teammates tapped their sticks and roared in laughter.

The 36-year-old veteran of 12 seasons forgot to remove the blade covers from his skates.

Perhaps that’s not surprising, considering Samuelsson hasn’t played much hockey in the past 18 months, appearing in only four regular season and five playoff games coming into this season due to a variety of injuries (pulled groin, broken finger, strained pectoral muscle).

But he’s healthy now and determined to be a productive player.

“Last year was last year; I have a mindset that it's a new year,’’ Samuelsson said. “I have to start off fresh, back to square one and I have to work for my spot.

“I don't have any doubts I can still play and have a pretty good year. It's easy standing here and talking. Hopefully, I'll show it on the ice.’’

He got off a good start by scoring the team’s first goal of the season Wednesday, driving the middle of the ice and redirecting a pass from Cory Emmerton in the 2-1 win over Buffalo.

“It was nice to get that goal after last year,’’ Samuelsson said. “It could go both ways; you could struggle in the start and then who knows. You look around the room and there are a lot of good forwards here. You have to earn your ice time.’’

Samuelsson is a regular for now, playing on the fourth line with Emmerton and Drew Miller. The Red Wings value Samuelsson’s right-handed shot on the second power play unit as well.

But he is not assured of a spot. He must continue to show he belongs in the lineup.

Young Tomas Tatar is battling for a spot and did everything he could in the preseason to earn a job, but his age and lack of experience worked against him on a team that favors veterans.

Right wing Jordin Tootoo (bruised shoulder) is close to returning. The club hopes right wing Patrick Eaves (sprained MCL, ankle) and center Darren Helm (back) will be back next month.

Coach Mike Babcock envisions a season-long competition for the final few forward spots in the lineup.

“I haven’t seen (Samuelsson) in a long time; reality is he didn’t play for us last year and he’s been away for a couple of years prior to that,’’ Babcock said. “So we need him to be an impact.

“He’s like anybody else, they’re battling for jobs. We got two guys on LTI that plan on playing on our team (Eaves and Helm). So getting off to a good start is important for those guys.’’

Defenseman Niklas Kronwall said a healthy Samuelsson can make a difference.

“He brings leadership, works really hard, good attitude,’’ Kronwall said. “He’s really good on the power play, has a really good shot. We know that the more he’s going to play the more he’s going to mean to our team.’’

Samuelsson said he is “more hungry than ever’’ to play some good hockey.

“I have to fight for a spot and contribute,’’ Samuelsson said. “In my mind, I know that I can still play good hockey.

“That’s what comes with injuries; you realize how much fun it is when you’re out there. I haven’t been out there that much lately, so that’s what I’m looking forward to. You definitely miss it.”

Michigan Live LOADED: 10.05.2013

719525 Detroit Red Wings

Blog recap: Detroit Red Wings score three unanswered goals to win in overtime

Brendan Savage on October 04, 2013 at 6:00 PM, updated October 04, 2013 at 9:35 PM

(If you're viewing this on MLive's mobile app, click here for the full version, where you can get regular updates and comment.)

FINAL

Red Wings, 2 Hurricanes 2 (19:59 remaining): Carolina wins the draw and OT is underway at PNC Arena. Zetterberg with nine shots on goal in regulation as Red Wings post 34-24 edge in first three periods.

THIRD PERIOD

Red Wings 2, Hurricanes 2 (0:00 remaining): Headed to overtime.

Red Wings 2, Hurricanes 2 (0:16.4 remaining): Red Wings have several chances as they swarm the net before Zetterberg buries it from the slot between about five players while Ward is without his stick. Alfredsson and Datsyuk with the assists.

Hurricanes 2, Red Wings 1 (1:17 remaining): Detroit uses its timeout.

Hurricanes 2, Red Wings 1 (1:20 remaining): Howard heads to the Red Wings bench for an extra attacker.

Hurricanes 2, Red Wings 1 (3:42 remaining): Both teams with 11 shots in the third, more than they ahd in either of the first two periods.

Hurricanes 2, Red Wings 1 (9:44 remaining): Aldfredsson goes off for hooking Semin.

Hurricanes 2, Red Wings 1 (12:00 remaining): Red Wings look a little more energized offensively. Have 6-5 edge in shots this period.

Hurricanes 2, Red Wings 1 (15:00 remaining): Carolina kills the penalty.

Hurricanes 2, Red Wings 1 (17:00 remaining): Good chance for the Red Wings, who go back on the power play when Faulk gets called for holding Zetterberg.

Hurricanes 2, Red Wings 1 (19:18 remaining): Abdelkader scores on Red Wings' second shot of the period.

Hurricanes 2, Red Wings 0 (19:59 remaining): Carolina wins the draw and the third period is underway at PNC Arena. Red Wings have eight scoring chances to Carolina's seven.

SECOND PERIOD

Hurricanes 2, Red Wings 0 (0:00 remaining): End of two.

Hurricanes 2, Red Wings 1 (1:49 remaining): Gerbe scores with 17 seconds left on the power play. Goals late in the period are usually killers.

Hurricanes 1, Red Wings 0 (2:43 remaining): Datsyuk on a short-handed breakaway but Ward makes the save.

Hurricanes 1, Red Wings 0 (3:32 remaining): Carolina back on the power play when Smith goes off for holding Skinner.

Hurricanes 1, Red Wings 0 (5:18 remaining): Only one of the Carolina players (Gerbe) has more than one shot on goal yet the Hurricanes lead.

Hurricanes 1, Red Wings 0 (10:25 remaining): Carolina gets first power play when Ericsson goes off for boarding Eric Staal.

Hurricanes 1, Red Wings 0 (11:30 remaining): Red Wings have had nine shots blocked.

Hurricanes 1, Red Wings 0 (13:14 remaining): Red Wings get their second power play when Eric Staal goes off for tripping Abdelkader.

Hurricanes 1, Red Wings 0 (19:59 remaining): Carolina wins the draw and the Red Wings-Hurricanes are underway again at PNC Arena. Detroit had four scoring chances in the first period to Carolina's two.

FIRST PERIOD

Hurricanes 1, Red Wings 0 (0:00 remaining): Red Wings outshoot Carolina 9-4.

Hurricanes 1, Red Wings 0 (4:00 remaining): Red Wings have five of the last six shots but Carolina made its count. SOG: Detroit 7-2.

Hurricanes 1, Red Wings 0 (6:30 remaining): Radek Dvorak tips it up and past Howard, who found the puck just out of his reach.

Red Wings 0, Hurricanes 0 (9:47 remaining): Not many scoring chances as both teams only have two shots. Carolina outhitting the Wings 6-2.

Red Wings 0, Hurricanes 0 (11:50 remaining): Zetterberg hits the post after zig-zagging through three Carolina defenders.

Red Wings 0, Hurricanes 0 (17:39 remaining): Red Wings get the first power play when Skinner goes off for hooking Smith.

Red Wings 0, Hurricanes 0 (19:59 remaining): Datsyuk wins the draw and they're underway at PNC Arena.

PREGAME

It worked in Wednesday's opener so why change anything for the first road game of the year?

Jimmy Howard will once again start in goal.

The game marks the first time the teams have met since March 24, 2012, when the Red Wings posted a 5-4 victory at Joe Louis Arena in a game that marked Nicklas Lidstrom's return to the lineup after missing four weeks with a deep ankle bruise.

The Red Wings and Hurricanes didn't play last year because of the NHL lockout. Detroit's entire 48-game schedule was played against Western Conference opponents.

But now that the Red Wings are back in the Eastern Conference, they'll be playing Carolina four times this season.

After tonight, they'll meet again Nov. 21 in Detroit and April 11 at Joe Louis Arena.

Michigan Live LOADED: 10.05.2013

719526 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings Gameday: Has rivalry with Carolina Hurricanes been underrated?

Brendan Savage

on October 04, 2013 at 3:00 PM, updated October 04, 2013 at 3:11 PM

GAME INFORMATION

• Who: Detroit Red Wings (1-0) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (0-0)

• Faceoff: 7 p.m. at PNC Arena

• Live coverage: Join the MLive conversation at 6 p.m. ET and follow Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) and Brendan Savage (@BrendanSavage) on Twitter.

• TV: Fox Sports Detroit

• WXYT-FM (97.1), WXYT-AM (1270) and the Red Wings Radio Network

• Latest line: Red Wings -1.5 (5.5)

THE STORYLINE

Carolina might not rank up there with the Maple Leafs, Avalanche and Blackhawks when it comes to some of the Red Wings top rivals, but there is a bit of a history.

Who doesn't remember the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals, when the Red Wings beat the Hurricanes in five games to win their third championship in six years?

And the head-to-head series over the years has been surprisingly competitive. (But more about that later).

Tonight marks the first road game of 2013-14 for the Red Wings, who opened the season Wednesday with a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Carolina is one of four teams that have yet to play a game this season.

Tomas Tatar and Brian Lashoff are healthy scratches from the Red Wings' lineup tonight. Jimmy Howard will start in goal.

After tonight's game, the Red Wings will visit Boston Saturday before heading home for back-to-back games Thursday against Phoenix and Saturday against Philadelphia.

HISTORY

The last time the teams met was March 24, 2012. The Red Wings won 5-4 at Joe Louis Arena, when Henrik Zetterberg scored twice and Nicklas Lidstrom returned to the lineup after a four-week absence because of a deep bone bruise in his ankle.

Michigan Live LOADED: 10.05.2013

719527 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings expecting Hurricanes to storm out of the gate tonight in their season opener

Ansar Khan

on October 04, 2013 at 12:54 PM, updated October 04, 2013 at 1:11 PM

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes are another Eastern Conference club the Detroit Red Wings aren’t too familiar with, so they can turn to Daniel Alfredsson and Stephen Weiss for a breakdown.

The Red Wings (1-0) play Carolina tonight at PNC Arena in the Hurricanes’ season opener.

“They play an aggressive style, especially at home,’’ Alfredsson said. “Being their home opener, I expect them to come out hard, be aggressive on their forecheck and pinching their (defense), so we’re going to have to be moving the puck well early on. If we can be good at executing in our own end we’ll be able to take advantage.’’

Said Weiss: “They’re a fast club, they have some forwards who can move. The key against them is usually the first 5-10 minutes of the game. They come out really hard and try to get on top of you early. So if we’re good in the first 5-10 minutes it’ll bode well for us the rest of the night.’’

The Red Wings will use the same line combinations and defense pairings as they did in their season-opening 2-1 win vs. Buffalo.

Detroit hasn’t played Carolina since March 24, 2012 (5-4 win at Joe Louis Arena). The Red Wings’ last visit to Carolina resulted in a 3-0 loss to Cam Ward on April 6, 2011. Ward starts tonight.

This will be the Red Wings’ first game against Carolina since it acquired center Jordan Staal from Pittsburgh and signed free-agent right wing Alexander Semin, formerly of Washington, last season.

Jordan joins his brother Eric, giving the Hurricanes a strong 1-2 punch at center.

“Jordan is very smart player overall, good in the faceoff circle, kills penalties, plays on the power play, big body,’’ Alfredsson said. “Eric is more dynamic with his speed and offensive abilities. He creates a lot of chances for himself and his linemates. They’re two guys that carry one line each. Turn the puck over and they’re going to create a lot of chances.’’

Added Weiss, “They’re both big and strong and have a lot of skill. They’re good at both ends of the ice. You got to work and earn your ice against them and be aware of them defensively. Try to make them play in their zone as much as possible.’’

Eric Staal centers a line with Jiri Tlusty and Semin. Jordan Staal centers Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Dwyer.