Detroit, MI

Red Wings thoughts: Detroit’s post-holiday return features big highs and lows

Published

2 years ago

December 30, 2022

Red Wings thoughts: Detroit’s post-holiday return features big highs and lows

If you happen to’re nonetheless deciding what to make of the 2022-23 Pink Wings, Detroit’s return from the vacation break most likely didn’t make it any simpler.

It did, nevertheless, supply a window into the highs and lows the workforce is able to — even on consecutive nights.

Wednesday, the Pink Wings went down 4-0 to a motivated Penguins workforce however then methodically clawed again to tie — and win — the sport. It was a portrait of not simply the workforce’s will and resilience (each actually a part of the story of their season) however the improved offensive depth they now have to truly pull off such a comeback.

However when the chance to construct on that comeback introduced itself Thursday, Detroit as an alternative received a letdown — digging itself a 5-0 gap after two intervals in Buffalo. The Pink Wings did threaten one other comeback, chopping the deficit to 5-3 by the midpoint of the third, however ultimately, recognizing opponents four-plus targets isn’t any method to stay within the NHL. There’s a cause Detroit’s four-goal comeback win was its first since 1984.

In reality, whereas the erratic outcomes don’t all the time make for probably the most coherent narrative, the two-game set truly did a fairly good job of capturing the Pink Wings’ actuality to this point: some actual enhancements and moments of hope (and even pleasure) … however nonetheless loads of nights that simply aren’t adequate.

Some ideas on the video games, and Detroit’s huge image:

1. I don’t need to gloss over the importance of the Pink Wings’ comeback Wednesday evening — there’s a cause it hadn’t occurred in virtually 40 years. With the ability to make that form of comeback is extraordinarily spectacular.

There was loads of time left, clearly, however prior to now we’ve seen Detroit groups demoralized by that form of deficit, even early in a sport. Not this one.

And for as a lot consideration as Jake Walman’s “Griddy” celebration acquired, the additional time aim itself was a becoming reward for a participant who has performed fairly effectively to earn top-four minutes of late. Normally, you image a Walman aim coming through his laborious shot from the purpose, however the additional time winner flexed his different high-end trait: His excellent skating saved him onside, then allowed him to get in previous the protection for the winner. He’s been a breakout participant of the younger season.

2. Whereas each comebacks featured loads of contributions from the Pink Wings’ veteran prime three scorers — Dylan Larkin, David Perron and Dominik Kubalik — the very best information of the week for Detroit might need been the trio of younger gamers who left their mark on each video games. Joe Veleno, Elmer Söderblom and Jonatan Berggren all had factors in each video games, and it wasn’t only one aim that each one three linemates factored in on.

Söderblom’s highlight-reel help to Kubalik was the show-stealer, however I might need been most struck by Berggren’s hustle to go win a board battle in opposition to veteran Sabres captain Kyle Okposo to finally create Jordan Oesterle’s aim.

Joesty has us inside 2… pic.twitter.com/HSh2QVTTM7
— Detroit Pink Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 30, 2022

The Pink Wings have some tough roster and lineup choices on the horizon, with Robby Fabbri and Jakub Vrana nearing a return, probably as quickly as Wednesday. However the sorts of performs Berggren, Söderblom and Veleno made the final two video games, on nights when the Pink Wings had been dealing with actual adversity, will assist their instances to remain. The three appear to have actual chemistry as a line, too.

It’s most likely not lifelike to suppose all three can keep up as soon as Fabbri, Vrana and ultimately Tyler Bertuzzi return — that might be a more healthy lineup than Detroit has had all season. However might two of the three keep within the fold? It could require powerful choices, however the three are doing a very good job making an attempt to pressure these proper now.

3. Magnus Hellberg performed 5 of the six intervals for the Pink Wings on this back-to-back, which is very attention-grabbing given Alex Nedeljkovic has now gone three weeks between video games.

Detroit has been carrying three goalies, however that place appears all however sure to be one place the Pink Wings look to make room for his or her returning forwards. One thing goes to have to provide.

Hellberg stopped 19 of 19 in Pittsburgh, permitting Detroit to make its historic comeback. He additionally let in 5 of 34 pictures in Buffalo, although at the very least two of these went in instantly off his teammates and one other was off a disastrous giveaway within the slot.

The very fact he was the selection in internet on this journey might be a sign of how the employees sees the present hierarchy, or it might simply be they needed to get extra sport appears at Hellberg earlier than resolution time arrives. However we should always have readability quickly — the roster scenario calls for it.

4. Filip Hronek and Larkin have been the Pink Wings’ two greatest gamers this season, however each had moments Thursday they’ll most likely need again. Hronek unintentionally deflected a puck previous Hellberg, whiffed on a move that turned a giveaway within the slot on one other aim in opposition to, and was a minus-4 for the evening. In the meantime, Larkin received beat to a puck with the empty internet (probably whereas making an attempt to safe an icing) on what turned Buffalo’s dagger sixth aim. After the play, he broke his stick on the web in frustration.

These sorts of moments aren’t the norm for 2 gamers who, frankly, have carried Detroit for stretches this yr. However they did loom giant on this one.

5. The Sabres have owned the Pink Wings this season, and it’s laborious to not admire the way in which that group is popping out of what appeared like a disastrous setback simply over a yr in the past. Their rebuild appeared to have failed when Jack Eichel — the prize that they had bottomed out for — needed out of city. Now they’re the highest-scoring workforce within the league and nonetheless have extra high-end expertise on the way in which.

Why am I bringing this up in a Pink Wings story? As a result of it’s a very good reminder that whereas rebuilds don’t all the time repay completely on schedule, accumulating younger expertise has a manner of paying off. It took years after the Ryan O’Reilly commerce for Tage Thompson to pop and change into one of many league’s most deadly aim scorers. How many individuals had utterly given up on Casey Mittelstadt, who scored twice Wednesday? It took time for Rasmus Dahlin to achieve his full potential, too.

And whereas Dahlin, Dylan Cozens, Owen Energy and Jack Quinn had been the top-10 core Buffalo completely needed to get proper within the draft, J.J. Peterka and Mattias Samuelsson are the less-heralded second-round picks who’re making a huge impact for them, as effectively.

These are all issues to bear in mind for Detroit, whether or not it’s enthusiastic about early season ups and downs with Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, the timelines of gamers like Veleno, Michael Rasmussen or Filip Zadina, and even about Detroit’s farm system. Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper have but to reach, Berggren is just simply now beginning to make his mark, and different current second- and third-rounders like William Wallinder, Shai Buium and Carter Mazur are nonetheless on the way in which.

These final three could not make the identical quick splash as Samuelsson and Peterka, however they need to assist Detroit begin to develop the form of every-line risk the Sabres now have — even when it takes awhile.

(Picture of Pink Wings goaltender Magnus Hellberg reacting after letting in a aim in the course of the second interval in opposition to the Buffalo Sabres: Timothy T. Ludwig / USA At this time)

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Detroit, MI

How to Watch Orlando Magic vs. Detroit Pistons on Saturday, November 23

Published

2 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

How to Watch Orlando Magic vs. Detroit Pistons on Saturday, November 23

ORLANDO, Fla. – After a three-game west coast trip, the Orlando Magic have returned home. They’re set to square off with the Detroit Pistons Saturday night for a one-off home game before again hitting the road. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET inside the Kia Center.

The Magic went 2-1 out west, with wins over Phoenix and the LA Lakers sandwiching a loss to the Clippers Wednesday night. Franz Wagner’s game-winner sealed a signature 119-118 win over the Lakers last time out, bringing a Hollywood ending to his 37-point, 11-assist night.

Detroit is no stranger to a thriller either. Their last time out, the Charlotte Hornets took them to overtime and, with the help of Brandon Miller’s 38 and LaMelo Ball’s 35, defeated the Pistons 123-121.

Who: Orlando Magic (10-7) vs. Detroit Pistons (7-10)
What: NBA regular season game
When: Saturday, November 23, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida, FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, NBA League Pass
Radio: 104.5 The Beat, Magic Audio Network, SiriusXM
Point Spread: Orlando -10.5
Last Meeting: Orlando 113, Detroit 91 on March 3, 2024

Orlando Magic

Detroit Pistons

Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic: Mosley tipped off his fourth NBA season as a head coach this season, all of which having come with the Magic. He’s 113-150 in the regular season all-time, and 3-4 in the playoffs. Before Mosley was named the head coach of the Magic, he was an assistant with Dallas, Cleveland, and Denver. He’s a Colorado alum, and played four years of professional basketball in Mexico, Australia, Finland and South Korea.

J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons: Bickerstaff is in his first season as the Pistons head coach after being let go by the Cavaliers at the end of the 2023-24 season. He got four full seasons with the Cavaliers and led Cleveland to two consecutive playoff appearances in his final two. He also had part of a fifth season after taking over as interim coach during the 2019-2020 season. Throughout his coaching career, he’s been a head coach in Houston and Memphis, as well as an assistant in Cleveland, Memphis, Houston, Minnesota and Charlotte. He;s won 262 games as a head coach in the NBA.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Tigers Ace Breaks Down Unconventional Path to Postseason

Published

10 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Detroit Tigers Ace Breaks Down Unconventional Path to Postseason

The Detroit Tigers were able to have an incredible season in 2024, and arguably the most impressive feat for them was the performance of their ace all season long.

It was an incredible 2024 campaign for the Tigers, as they snapped a lengthy playoff drought and won the American League Wild Card Series against the Houston Astros.

In the middle of the summer, it didn’t look like either of those things were going to happen. At the trade deadline, Detroit traded away most of their talented impending free agents as most teams who are out of contention generally do.

However, the Tigers went on to be one of the best teams in baseball in the second half of the season, and rode that momentum right into the playoffs.

One of the main reasons for the success down the stretch was the performance of Tarik Skubal. The American League Cy Young award winner was simply phenomenal every time he got the ball to start a game, and he was the clear choice for the award.

Recently, the southpaw spoke about how the team playing better in the second half of the year helped him win the award. Also, he spoke the unconventional way Detroit went about managing their pitching staff around him.

“That was a blessing. When I was given the ball every fifth day, I think everyone expected to win,” Skubal said to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. “and that’s something I take a ton of pride in. I’m trying to be the same guy and put my team in a position to win every fifth day, and we’ll figure out the other three, four days in between. I think it speaks to what we did. We were able to do those things and probably gave A.J. (Hinch, manager) some long nights, but he was good for it.”

Skubal finished up the season with a 18-4 record, 2.36 ERA, and 228 strikeouts, which led the league.

From start to finish, it was a great campaign, as in his worst month of the season, he only posted a 3.05 ERA.

The southpaw is very much a team player and really passes all the credit along to those around him. Now, after a great run into the playoffs, the Tigers will be hoping to do that again and get even further in 2025.

With their talented lefty leading the way, they know that they will be a favorite to win against pretty much anyone when he is on the mound.

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Detroit, MI

‘We hate the Lions’: Why sportsbooks are scared of a Detroit Super Bowl win

Published

18 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

‘We hate the Lions’: Why sportsbooks are scared of a Detroit Super Bowl win

The Detroit Lions’ Week 11 52-6 dismantling of the Jacksonville Jaguars, combined with the Kansas City Chiefs’ 30-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, vaulted the Lions into a unique position. For one of the few times in the history of the franchise, they became the consensus Super Bowl favorite at around +325 odds. In fact, by the account of several oddsmakers, it’s likely the first time the team has been favored to win the Super Bowl in 70 years. After all, the Lions have only made the playoffs 18 times since 1935.

That status has also positioned the Lions as the team most likely to keep those oddsmakers up at night after roaring to a 9-1 start this season. After last season’s inspiring run to the NFC Championship Game, the money has poured in on Detroit, which could cost sportsbooks significantly in payouts to bettors if the Lions were to win Super Bowl LIX.

“They’re by far our biggest Super Bowl liability and pretty much our only one at this point,” BetMGM trader Christian Cipollini told The Athletic. “Anything inside of 10-1 [odds] we don’t tend to build crazy liability that we’re worried about, but everybody has been on them. At this point, the Lions winning the Super Bowl would be a huge problem for us. If I could remove them from futures, I would.”

Adding to the growing liability on Detroit, fans tend to favor their home team with their wagers, and Michigan is one of the 38 states with legal sports betting (and the 10th-largest by population). The Lions opened the offseason in the 12-1 range to win the Super Bowl, but those odds have dropped significantly to just over 3-1 since. The betting money has followed that success.

“The betting momentum in favor of Detroit started prior to the season as they attracted a large number of Super Bowl future wagers,” said Brad Bryant, general manager at Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook, noting the Lions have been one of the Mohegan Sun’s “top-wagered teams on a weekly basis.”

At DraftKings Sportsbook, 31 percent of bets (No. 1 among NFL teams) and 31 percent of total dollars wagered (also No. 1) were on Detroit to win the Super Bowl earlier this week. The Lions are third in ticket count for Super Bowl futures at The Borgata in Atlantic City, where sportsbook director Thomas Gable noted Detroit has the most total dollars wagered to win the Super Bowl “by a pretty good stretch.”

“We hate the Lions,” Cipollini said, adding that the number of bets on the Lions is the first thing that he looks at every week. “I haven’t seen something like this in my time at BetMGM. Every single week, they’re our worst team. I think something like 95 percent of the bets last week [vs. the Jaguars] were on Detroit.”

With an NFC-best 9-1 record and winners of eight straight games, the Lions have vaulted from a top-five preseason power rating among oddsmakers to the consensus No. 1 team in the league. Out of 10 oddsmakers The Athletic polled, nine of them had the Lions as their highest power-rated team. (One had the Baltimore Ravens slightly above Detroit.)

The Lions also have the NFL’s best record at 8-2 against the spread, and bettors placing a moneyline wager or standard six-point teaser on Detroit have cashed that ticket in nine of 10 weeks.

And the action isn’t only in Michigan. Bookmakers noted the increased interest in betting the Lions at several sportsbooks from Mississippi to Las Vegas.

“That’s 100 percent true,” Ed Salmons, vice president of risk at The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, said. “Weekly bets on Lions point spread, moneyline, teasers and game over and Lions team total over.”

Several other oddsmakers agreed, noting they’d seen an increase in betting on the Lions compared to previous seasons and that the public was regularly tossing Detroit in moneyline parlays and teasers. In the upcoming Week 12, Lions at -7.5 is currently the most-bet Week 12 side by both total money and tickets at BetMGM and DraftKings.

“[The public] will include Detroit in parlays and tease the spread down,” The Borgata’s Gable noted. “We opened [with] the Lions -8 against the Colts [in Week 12] and took respected money right away against the Colts. Now it’s 7.5.”

It’s easy to see why the public is in love: The Lions are a ridiculous 41-16 ATS (72 percent) in their past 57 games since the middle of the 2021 season. That includes a 22-8 ATS mark in the first half since the start of last season. Double-digit favorites in the NFL are 5-0 ATS this season, and the Lions are responsible for two of those covers — the 52-6 laugher vs. Jacksonville as a 14-point favorite and a 52-14 demolition of the Tennessee Titans as a 13-point favorite. It’s one thing to cover a 14-point spread; it’s another to have it be a rocking-chair win.

Looking ahead to a potential title matchup, when six oddsmakers were asked to make a spread on a Chiefs-Lions matchup on a neutral field, their responses were:

Lions -4.5
Lions -2.5
Lions -2
Lions -1.5
Lions -1
And one pick-em

The oddsmaker framing the matchup as a pick-em explained, “One concern I have is the coach. When you talk about Detroit vs. the Chiefs and Andy Reid, there’s a big difference there. And the Lions haven’t gotten [to the Super Bowl] yet. The Chiefs have been there.”

As the Lions keep steamrolling through teams, oddsmakers are certainly rooting against a Detroit Super Bowl victory. And history might be on their side.

Several of the oddsmakers contacted by The Athletic, who have worked in sports betting since the 1970s, could not recall a time when Detroit had been favored to win pro football’s championship. Per Pro Football Reference, however, the Lions were favored by three points 70 years ago in the 1954 championship game against the Cleveland Browns … who obliterated the favorites by a score of 56-10.

(Top Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

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