The Daily: Griffins Seek Big Win in Texas; Detroit Needs ‘D’

Even with the Grand Rapids Griffins’ recent offensive struggles, they are still in a battle to win the AHL’s Central Division.

Coach Dan Watson’s team will play the Texas  Stars (Dallas Stars) tonight for second place in the division. The Griffins (27-19-4) and Stars (28-16-3) are tied at 58 points, although the Stars have four games in hand.

The Griffins, scoring 19 goals in their past 10 games, are looking to find the net with more frequency. It doesn’t help that 19-goal scorer Sheldon Dries was recently called up by the Red Wings.

The key for Grand Rapids now may be prospects Carter Mazur,  Amadeus Lombardi and Nate Danielson. Mazur and Lombardi are finding their scoring touch after lengthy stays on the injured list. Mazur boasts five points in his past five games, while Lombardi scored Sunday against Iowa. Danielson has two goals and two assists over the past five games.

HE’S SO BACK 😎 pic.twitter.com/m02L2HiOET

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) February 23, 2025

One of the Griffins’ underrated offensive contributors this season has been prospect defenseman Antti Tuomisto who has two goals and 19 assists for 21 points.

The Griffins and Stars are both two points behind the division-leading Milwaukee Admiral (Nashville Predators).

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

The Red Wings traded goalie Ville Husso to their old friend Pat Verbeek who is now the Anaheim Ducks general manager.

Are Red Wings fans satisfied for Trevor Zegras’ three-game suspension. Maybe not because they are still miffed that no penalty was called on Zegras Sunday night.

Detroit GM Steve Yzerman might have to consider a trade for a center after Andrew Copp had season-ending surgery Tuesday.

Red Wings Extra

Defensive play should be the emphasis for the Red Wings tonight when they play a road game against the Minnesota Wild (8 p.m., ET, FanDuel Sports Network). The Red Wings picked up three out of four possible points since the 4 Nations break, but they were sloppy defensively in both games. One of those games was a 4-3 overtime loss to Minnesota at Little Caesars Arena.  Detroit has surrendered 18 goals in its last four games.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Bruins could be looking toward the future at the NHL trade deadline. Boston Bruins.

Colorado: Aarif Deen wonders whether this Colorado season is even worth saving? Colorado Avalanche.

Florida: George Richards looks at how the Panthers replace Matthew Tkachuk. Florida Panthers.

Philadelphia: Is the John Tortorella the “right coach, wrong time” for the Flyers? William James addresses that issue in his mailbag. Philadelphia Flyers.

Pittsburgh: The Penguins are starting to look like the many opponents they used to beat consistently for plenty of years. Pittsburgh Penguins.