The Detroit Red Wings (8-17-4) made the puzzling decision to send forward Evgeny Svechnikov, who had tallied four points in four games, back to the Grand Rapids Griffins last week.
He’ll be back in the lineup tonight, spelling the injured Bobby Ryan as the Red Wings take on the Carolina Hurricanes (20-6-1), and another opportunity to face his brother Andrei.
But why the original demotion? According to head coach Jeff Blashill, it isn’t just production that he and the team look for in a player.
“We don’t just judge players simply on production,” coach Jeff Blashill said following the morning skate Tuesday. “There’s a lot more that goes into the game certainly beyond just goals and assists, plus-minus or any of those stats.
“But production does matter. The fact that he’s at a point a game probably is why he is in the lineup right now ahead of some other guys. He just needs to make sure he wins every shift, make sure he’s accountable. To play as a five-man unit, you got to make sure everybody is doing their job, so he has to make sure he’s doing his job in each particular instance. He’s got to make sure he’s winning battles by skating. If he does that, I think he’ll be an effective player.”We don’t just judge players simply on production,” coach Jeff Blashill said following the morning skate Tuesday. “There’s a lot more that goes into the game certainly beyond just goals and assists, plus-minus or any of those stats.”
Detroit will also look for Svechnikov to help out on the power play, which experienced a rare hot streak but has since cooled off.
“One of the reasons Svech goes back in is because there is a power-play spot there, so we’re hoping Svech can fill that,” Blashill said. “He is a threat to score. He’s got a really good shot. We’re hoping some of the things Bobby brings to the table, (Svechnikov) can bring.”
– – Quotes via Ansar Khan of MLive Link – –
Power play did great last night with Erne scoring 2 goals.