The Daily: Watson, Shine Get Griffins Going; Panthers Hurting

The return of Austin Watson and Dominik Shine to the Grand Rapids Griffins seemed to be the boost they needed to shove their offense back in its groove.

Watson and Shine came back from their stint with the Detroit the Wings to contribute significantly to the Griffins’ most explosive outburst of the season, an 8-3 triumph over the Rockford IceHogs in Grand Rapids. The two teams play again tonight in Rockford (8 p.m).

This was an important win for Grand Rapids because it ended a four-game losing streak and put the team back into third place, ahead of the Chicago Wolves. The two teams are tied but the Griffins own the tiebreaker. The Griffins covet third place because the top three finishers earn a first round bye. They move directly into the division semifinal. The fourth place finisher must play the fifth-place team (currently Rockford) in a best-of-three series to advance to the divisional semifinals.

Danielson! 2 on 1 against the Rockford netminder and he wrists it home. 4-2 Grand Rapids in the first period. #GoGRG #LGRW pic.twitter.com/0UREWYpdT5

— Griffins Nest (@GrGriffinsNest) April 4, 2025

With Matthews rejoining Nate Danielson’s line, the young center had two goals and an assist to lead the GR attack. Watson put up a goal and an assist.  Their other linemate Joe Snively finished with a goal and two assists.

Getting Danielson relaunched is important to the Detroit organization. With Detroit short on scorers, Danielson produced no points during the losing streak. Danielson now had 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points.

Shine, playing with Amadeus Lombardi, also put up a goal and two assists. Lombardi, having an impressive season, scored his fourth goal in five games. He continued to score during the losing streak. He 16 boasts goals this season.

Emmitt Finnie, who recently joined the Griffins after his Western Hockey League season, earned his first professional assist. Defenseman Antti Tuomisto had two assists and was plus-3.

The Griffins had not netted eight goals since Dec. 22, 2022 when they beat Chicago 8-7 in overtime.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

Detroit’s Axel Sandin Pellikka’s team is down 1-0 in its SHL Playoff series, but he’s still racking up records.

Patrick Kane, 36, has proven that he can still help this team grow moving forward.  He’s been a dependable offensive contributor for the Red Wings in their playoff hunt.

Paywall story:  Can Nate Danielson have the kind of impact that Marco Kasper has had? Let’s look at where Danielson is at in his development. To subscribe, click here:

Red Wings Extra

The Florida Panthers coming into Little Caesars Arena Sunday (5:30, TNT) have more vulnerability than they have in the past. They have lost their lost three games, and four of their last six (2-3-1). Matthew Tkachuk is injured, and he’s not expected to play until the start of the playoffs. Sasha Barkov is also hurt and won’t play Sunday. Aaron Ekblad is suspended. He hasn’t played since March 8. Detroit fans will get to see Brad Marchand for the first time wearing a Panthers Jersey at LCA. He has one point in four games.

Detroit Hockey Now

Boston: After a 10-game losing streak, the Bruins are looking at adding a top-end draft pick to strengthen their prospect pool. Andrew Fantucchio has details. Boston Bruins. 

Colorado: Gabriel Landeskog takes another step toward returning to the Avalanche lineup by taking the morning skate with their AHL team. Colorado Avalanche. 

Philadelphia: Will the Flyers be a spoiler over their last six games? The Red Wings need them to be at Montreal tonight. William James has the story. Philadelphia Flyers. 

Pittsburgh: Official playoff elimination is coming for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

San Jose: Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky is named head coach of the Team USA for the World Championships. Depended upon what happens in the playoffs, there should be some Red Wings on that team. San Jose Sharks.