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    • The Red Wings do not give in, heed the call against physical senators
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    The Red Wings do not give in, heed the call against physical senators

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

    Detroit — When the Red Wings and Ottawa Senators met in recent seasons, the games were lively, grueling and not for the faint of heart.

    At times the Senators were ahead in this regard.

    But recently the tide has turned. And on Friday, when the two teams met in preseason, it was the Red Wings who signaled that this roster will not be exploited.

    There was no clearer indication than in the first half when Austin Watson, who is in professional training at the Wings camp, stormed into the game as Ottawa’s Jan Jenik clashed with Moritz Seider.

    Watson has long been one of the NHL’s top heavyweights. Watson immediately overwhelmed Jenik and found words for Jenik and the Ottawa bench as he skated off the ice after being ejected from the ice (misconduct of instigator, affray, incitement of a minor) while receiving 27 penalty minutes.

    The Wings were on the power play for seven minutes and killed it.

    Coach Derek Lalonde agreed with Watson’s actions.

    “I actually really liked it,” Lalonde said. “It gave our guys energy.”

    Watson should be in the lineup Saturday in Toronto, the Wings’ final preseason game, and get one final opportunity to show what he can do. The rosters have to be decided by Monday at 5 p.m. and Watson appears to be close to making the squad. The physicality Watson brings and the ability to make opponents think twice about taking advantage of the Wings could be a key ingredient they want to keep.

    “It’s amazing, just one guy with that mentality helps the group tremendously,” Lalonde said. “Up until that point, Austin was good at his game. He takes penalties, he had a wonderful Class A chance at the back door, five on five. He also did some good things with his game.”

    Long after Watson was ejected, Ottawa’s Cole Reinhardt was annoyed that Simon Edvinsson delivered a clean, hard hit to a Senators teammate. Reinhardt skated toward Edvinsson and began to attack, but Edvinsson easily dragged Reinhardt onto the ice before the scuffle ended, much to the delight of the crowd at Little Caesars Arena.

    The Wings did a good job of supporting each other last season. Friday’s responses were a sign of their commitment to helping each other.

    “It makes us stick together,” said defender Olli Maatta. “We did that. That’s the toughness you need. It’s no longer necessarily about fighting, but about team spirit. Don’t give in and support your teammates, your partner, your linemates. That’s the attitude we’ve had all three years that I’ve had. “I’ve been here and we’ll continue to do that.”

    Squad changes

    The Wings released forward Isaac Ratcliffe from his professional training, sent forwards Alexandre Doucet, Amadeus Lombardi and Jakub Rychlovsky to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL and sent goaltender Gage Alexander to Toledo Walleye of the ECHL.

    Additionally, the Wings have designated forward Tim Gettinger and defenseman Shai Buium as injured non-roster members, while forward Ondřej Becher will continue his rehab in Grand Rapids.

    The Wings released forwards Hunter Johannes and Dominik Shine and defender Josiah Didier from their professional tryouts and returned to Grand Rapids.

    The Wings currently have 41 players on their training camp roster: 21 forwards, 14 defensemen and six goalies.

    Ice chips

    Goaltender Ville Husso was scheduled to play the entire game in Toronto on Saturday evening in the Wings’ final preseason game.

    … Forward Marco Kasper likely won’t be on the opening night roster, but Kasper made one final impressive statement with two first-period goals against Ottawa on Friday.

    “Just the confidence, controlling his game, playing with the puck,” Lalonde said of the difference Kasper made compared to last year at this point. “You saw last year (in training camp) that he looked like a deer in headlights, swinging pucks all over the place and opening himself up for shots. It’s a credit to him how much he’s developed in a year and a credit to the guys (staff) in Grand Rapids. He had a really good camp and is an exciting player for us.

    … Many Wings players last year saw how the city got behind them during a late-season playoff push that ended unsuccessfully in a tiebreaker, and how the city was energized by the Lions’ run last season .

    Wings players spoke all week about the excitement surrounding the Tigers and the excitement in the city.

    “All the guys, we all tune in, watch and cheer for them,” said defenseman Ben Chiarot. “It’s great for the city. Detroit is such a good sports city, you saw it last year with the Lions and our attempt to finish last and make a run for a playoff spot. It’s a great sports town, especially when a team is having success.”

    “A great place to be as an athlete.”

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    Caradoc Wyn
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