Red Wings News: Wings a "mixed bag" as they escape San Jose, prospects impressing
In what was one of the stranger games of the road trip, the Detroit Red Wings escaped with the win and left San Jose with some momentum heading into their Nov. 4 showdown with the Vegas Golden Knights.
If you want an accurate take on the Red Wings, look no further than Todd McLellan's postgame comments via Max Mller of NHL.com. When asked, McLellan said, "I thought we had a mixed bag to start. We weren't playing the type of game that we wanted to play. We're getting a little bit cute with stickhandling a lot in the offensive zone. Second period, started to throw stuff towards the net, and it opened up for us a little bit."
That has been a common theme for the Red Wings every time they skated into an opposing arena, sans their 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. McLellan isn't wrong, as the Wings landed just five shots on goal before they found their groove in the second frame and put up 14. If they want to get better on the road, then averaging at least 10 shots on goal per period is a great place to start.
During the big win, the Wings snapped Macklin Celebrini's seven-game point streak, but in the process, they allowed blueliner Sam Dickinson to put one past Cam Talbot for his first career goal.
Detroit Red Wings prospects keep impressing all across the NHL landscape
Eddie Genborg just won't stop scoring goals, and he put up another two on Nov. 1 as Timra shut out HV71. The performance puts Genborg at 13 points and seven goals across 18 contests. He's now on pace to snag 20 goals and 37 points across 52 games if he keeps going at the same pace, but maybe it's time to start wondering if he inches closer to that point-per-game mark.
Prospects like Max Plante have been playing lights out in the college ranks, while others like Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard will draw attention in the AHL. But don't forget about Eddie Genborg and the season he's currently having over in the SHL. Give him another year in Sweden before he ventures to North America, and he's going to be fun to watch in the AHL.
Speaking of AHL prospects, the Wings have a slew of them impressing in Grand Rapids. Danielson is red-hot, with five points and a goal in four games, while Amadeus Lombardi keeps showing that he deserves a chance with the big club, clocking in nine points (all assists) in eight contests.
Sebastian Cossa and Michal Postava may be the best young goaltending tandem in the AHL. Heading into Sunday, Cossa has enjoyed a 0.939 save percentage, a shutout, and a 1.75 GAA. As for Postava? He's looking like he played the North American game before, with a 2.22 GAA and a 0.934 save percentage. If they keep this up, the Wings' future in the net is going to be more than solid.
Mac Jones reveals secret to 49ers winning despite endless injuries
The San Francisco 49ers just keep on chugging along. Any other team that's dealt with as many injuries as the Niners this season would have most likely folded at this point. Not this team, though. Against all odds, the 49ers are 6-3 after nine injury-riddled weeks this season. Despite a few stumbles here and there, a division title is well within reach for this team.
How are they doing this? Well, Mac Jones, who's been a beneficiary of the 49ers' injury woes, has an answer. The backup quarterback said that Kyle Shanahan's next-man-up mentality and his commitment to developing the younger players have allowed this team to thrive despite missing multiple key stars.
“It starts with the culture, for sure,” Jones told Albert Breer. “Kyle [Shanahan], the way he sets the table for the team, he wants to develop everybody—from undrafted rookies to fifth-year quarterbacks on their third team. He wants everyone to be great. That’s what it’s all about. Kyle just does a great job, defense, too, and special teams, everybody has a system. And when you have a system you believe in and it works, these are the results.”
The 49ers have missed multiple key players on both sides of the ball. Jones has only gotten multiple starts this season due to Brock Purdy's injury issues. Jones is also working with a depleted cast: Brandon Aiyuk is yet to make his return from his ACL tear, Jauan Jennings has missed some time this season, Ricky Pearsall has been out since Week 4, and George Kittle has only recently made his return to the field.
On defense, the losses have been far more devastating. They first lost star pass rusher Nick Bosa early in the season with an ACL tear. Later on, they lost star linebacker Fred Warner, this time to an Achilles tear. Coupled with the various injuries the other players have sustained, you have a recipe for disaster. Instead, Shanahan has reinvented this recipe to turn the 49ers into a contender this season.
The 49ers are coming off a dominant win against the New York Giants. They opened the game with a 17-7 run and never looked back, eventually ending the game with a 34-24 score.
