Detroit — It looks like the Red Wings are going to finally get forward James van Riemsdyk into the lineup.
The veteran wing was working on a line with Michael Rasmussen and Mason Appleton during Sunday’s practice, and after a week of practicing, he appears ready to get into live NHL games.
Van Riemsdyk arrived the last week of the preseason after tending to family matters. He missed the first two games of the season, getting his conditioning and timing to NHL levels.
“Good chance,” said coach Todd McLellan, of whether van Riemsdyk would play Monday in Toronto (2 p.m./FDSN/97.1).
Van Riemsdyk, 36, signed in the offseason to a one-year free agent contract worth $1 million, is excited about joining his new team on the ice.
“This is what I love to do,” van Riemsdyk said. “To go out there, and whenever that is, to join the guys and get into live action, I’m really looking forward to it. We’ll see when that is.
“It’s a long season, so again, the circumstances of coming in, just coming in a little later, it’s always cliche but I’ve gotten this far, and you try to have the best day you can every day and focus on the next day and go from there. That’s all you can do. It was nice to see the team get a big win Saturday (6-3 over Toronto) and I’m excited to get an opportunity to get in there with the guys.”
With all the practice time, van Riemsdyk feels he’s comfortable with what the Wings want to accomplish on the ice and how they want to play.
“It’s different chemistry, playing with different guys, and sometimes you need reps in a game to develop that sort of thing,” van Riemsdyk said. “But I feel I have a good handle on how we’re playing and what we’re trying to do to execute.”
McLellan is excited about adding an accomplished veteran to the lineup, one who is versatile and effective around the net.
“He’s played a lot of years on a lot of good teams,” McLellan said. “He has that stability. He’s a big man with good hands, (effective) on the power play. In and around the net, he’s been one of the better ones in the NHL over a number of years. He’s played real good in those areas and he’s crafty.
“He has a little wisdom to his game and uses what he has.”
Still clicking
The Red Wings had one of the best power plays in the NHL last season, ranking fourth.
The chemistry and precision of the unit, particularly the first grouping with Patrick Kane, Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, has carried over and been maintained.
The Wings have scored a power-play goal in each of the first two games and have continued to look dangerous.
“We had a good year last year on the power play, but we want to take steps there as well,” Raymond said. “When you play a full year together, you learn about each other. You learn each other’s tendencies and at the same time, other teams also do. For us it’s about finding new ways to score, being creative.
“We’re not going to score every power play but as long as we get momentum for the team and put ourselves in a good spot, it’s successful.”
Difference maker
How close was Saturday’s game to going the other way for the Wings?
The Leafs nearly scored on a deflected shot on one end, which would given Toronto a 3-0 lead, but the puck stayed out. Shortly later, Marco Kasper‘s goal injected new life into the Wings and began a three-goal Wings outburst.
“That would have certainly been deflating,” said McLellan of Toronto’s near goal. “Could we overcome it? I’m not sure. Marco’s goal turned the tide for us.”
Kane set up Kasper near the slot, but in Kane’s mind, the work of Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard the previous shift exhausted the Leafs.
“They have a good shift, get off the ice and put us in a good position to get out there fresh against some of their tired guys,” Kane said. “We make a turnover, and that was a great catch and release there by Kasp to find us our first goal. It was a great shot.”
Ice chips
Raymond scored the 99th and 100th goals of his NHL career Saturday and became the 50th player to score at least 100 goals in a Red Wings uniform. Raymond also became the fifth Swedish-born player in NHL history to record 100 goals at age 23-or-younger, joining Mats Sundin, Filip Forsberg, Gabriel Landeskog and Elias Pettersson.
… Kane (1,347 career points) is two points away from tying Sundin (1,349) for 31st place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list. Kane is also 28 points away from passing Mike Modano (1,374) for the most by a U.S.-born skater in NHL history.
Kane (493 career goals) is seven goals from reaching the 500-goal milestone and becoming the fifth U.S.-born player in NHL history to reach the milestone.
… It was only the second game of the regular season but the Wings understood the importance of getting points in the standings against Toronto. Early-season wins count just the same as later in the schedule.
“We’ve been in situations a couple years now, where it comes down to the end and the margins are very thin,” Raymond said. “It’s about getting off to a good start, putting ourselves in a good position and getting good habits. We got all the tools in this locker room and around us to be a really good hockey team.”
Red Wings at Maple Leafs
▶ Faceoff: 2 p.m. Monday, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
▶ TV/radio: FDSN/97.1
▶ Notable: The Red Wings (1-1-0) travel to Toronto (1-1-0) on Canadian Thanksgiving. … The Wings defeated the Leafs Saturday at Little Caesars Arena 6-3. … G Cam Talbot will get a second consecutive start for the Wings.
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