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You can take a look at the Wings vs. Lightning pregame write up https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Jeremy--Laura/Wings-vs-Lightning---preview-in-blue-Emin/275/124093 .
Of course this prompted a dive into some numbers. You can see the league standings and the Griffins are 12th in goals against, but 24th in goals scored (32 teams). The Power play is 4th at around 21% but the PK is 28th at %78.1.
The team stats stuck out as I noticed that players were scoring just their 5th or 6th goal in over 30 games played. The team points leader is Berggren with 26 points in 27 games (9g 17a). The goal scoring leader is Joel L’esperance with 11 goals in 32 games. Edvinsson is 3rd on the team in points with 6 goals and 15 assists (21p) in 34 games. It appears that Grand Rapids shares in the defensive woes of Detroit without the goal scoring to balance it out. Cossa had allowed 4 goals on 13 shots in the first game. Hutchinson allowed 3 goals on 16 shots in the second game. Rough starts to be sure.
The excitement of the weekend shouldn’t be ignored by any stretch. Unfortunately, the 100 ft view isn’t fantastic at this point. The stretch of I-96 hasn’t been quite as busy between the clubs, fewer transactions have been needed between the clubs. There is a new coaching staff/system, but is that the crux of the issue? This is one for the comments.
Is there a systematic issue at play or a (good grief this is kicking the hornet’s nest) talent issue at the core? Kasper was able to get the puck off of his stick nicely in last night’s win where he grabbed goals 5 and 6 (and assist 13). Is this the transition into the smaller ice, etc kicking in? Danielson will likely start the year in Grand Rapids and that could be a boost next year. Let me know your thoughts on if the clubs are heading in the right direction or if the defensive structure (and/or personnel) needs rethinking. For the Griffins, congrats and a big weekend and here’s hoping for a strong finish to the season.