With Henrik Zetterberg out with a groin strain, the Red Wings recalled Darren Helm from Grand Rapids to play against Vancouver tonight. Zetterberg is day-to-day.  Helm got the call instead of Ville Leino in part because Helm fits under the salary cap and Leino does not. It's likely that the lines will be shuffled with Valtteri Filppula centering the second line, Kris Draper centering the third line and Helm centering the fourth line. Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Hossa Franzen-Filppula-Samuelsson Hudler-Draper-Cleary Kopecky-Helm-Maltby Also, goalie Jimmy Howard (broken finger) was cleared to play and shipped to Grand Rapids.
Coach Mike Babcock explained earlier today that his problem with Jiri Hudler's performance so far this season is that he isn't shooting enough. Thus the switch to the third line.
"One of the things is when Huds plays with those guys (Zetterberg, Franzen), all he does is pass them the puck," said Babcock. "He's always deferring to Z (Zetterberg), deferring to Franzen. I think he's a good offensive player. I want him to shoot the puck. If he plays with Fil (Filppula) and Cleary, he'll shoot the puck."
Babcock's right. Hudler isn't shooting much.
With three shots on goal in the first three games, Hudler is ahead of only fourth-liners Kirk Maltby (two shots) and Kris Draper (one shot) in that category. And it's not as though Hudler's shots just aren't hitting the net. In addition to his three SOG, Hudler has had just one shot that missed the net and one other that was blocked.
I have been impressed by Hudler's passing ability and his hockey sense. But if it's shooting that he's been asked to do, Hudler hasn't performed well by that measure.
At the same time, Samuelsson's north-south style is what Babcock hopes will spark the Zetterberg line.
"Sammy's a big, strong guy who can really skate and make plays," said Babcock. "He'll get them to go more straight ahead than side to side."
Coach Mike Babcock explained earlier today that his problem with Jiri Hudler's performance so far this season is that he isn't shooting  enough. Thus the switch to the third line.
"One of the things is when Huds plays with those guys (Zetterberg, Franzen), all he does is pass them the puck," said Babcock. "He's always deferring to Z (Zetterberg), deferring to Franzen. I think he's a good offensive player. I want him to shoot the puck. If he plays with Fil (Filppula) and Cleary, he'll shoot the puck."
Babcock's right. Hudler isn't shooting much.
With three shots on goal in the first three games, Hudler is ahead of only fourth-liners Kirk Maltby (two shots) and Kris Draper (one shot) in that category. And it's not as though Hudler's shots just aren't hitting the net. In addition to his three SOG, Hudler has had just one shot that missed the net and one other that was blocked.
I have been impressed by Hudler's passing ability and his hockey sense. But if it's shooting that he's been asked to do, Hudler hasn't performed well by that measure.
At the same time, Samuelsson's north-south style is what Babcock hopes will spark the Zetterberg line.
"Sammy's a big, strong guy who can really skate and make plays," said Babcock. "He'll get them to go more straight ahead than side to side."
OK ... maybe Fabian Brunnstrom is that good. The Swedish free agent played his first NHL game tonight and netted a hat trick, including  the winning goal in Dallas' 6-4 win over Nashville. Brunnstrom was a highly sought-after unrestricted free agent last spring, who narrowed his choices down to Dallas, Detroit and Montreal. He had a verbal agreement before that with Vancouver, but when the Canucks changed their management, Brunnstrom went shopping.
How rare is a hat trick in an NHL debut? The only other players to accomplish thatwere Alex Smart (1943) and Real Cloutier (1979).
Not a bad night for Brunnstrom -- someone who was working in a Swedish Burger King a few years ago while playing low-level professional hockey.
OK, so Brunnstrom isn't the next Bobby Orr ... or whatever you'd want to call a Swedish free agent superstar forward. But after tonight, it looks like he's definitely equipped to succeed in this league.
And maybe he would have been a nice fit on a second line with Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen.
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