Red Wings send message of tough love by scratching a notable young forward vs. Flyers
He's not been producing this year, and head coach Derek Lalonde is sending him a message of tough love by making him a healthy scratch for tonight's game.
The Red Wings hope to pick up their 2nd straight win when they host the Philadelphia Flyers at Little Caesars Arena tonight (7:00 PM, NHL on TNT, 97.1 The Ticket).
But one notable member of the forward units who hasn't been producing is being sent a message of tough love by head coach Derek Lalonde.
Forward Jonatan Berggren has been declared a healthy scratch for the 1st time this year, and he'll have to watch as the rest of his teammates hit the ice tonight.
Berggren has managed just four goals in 30 games; in 67 games as a rookie in '22-23, he scored 15 goals.
Per Ansar Khan of MLive, tonight's anticipated line combinations are as follows:
Tarasenko - Larkin - Raymond
DeBrincat - Copp - Kane
Rasmussen - Compher - Motte
Veleno - Kasper - Fischer
Edvinsson - Seider
Chiarot - Petry
Gustafsson - Holl
Alex Lyon will get the start in net; it will be his first game since November 25.
While the Red Wings aren't in an impossible position just six points outside of a playoff spot, they're still only a point ahead of the divisional foe Montreal Canadiens for the final spot in the Eastern Conference.
This is where picking up points against lower opponents like the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks would have come in handy; the Red Wings had better hope that those inexplicable losses don't come back to bite them down the stretch as it did last year.
The Red Wings are also aiming to avenge their 4-1 loss to the Flyers last week at Wells Fargo Center; Scott Laughton scored every Philadelphia goal, while the Red Wings were badly outshot and only managed a single goal from defenseman Ben Chiarot late in the 3rd period.
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DECEMBRE 18 | 101 ANSWERS Red Wings send message of tough love by scratching a notable young forward vs. Flyers How underwhelming has Jonatan Berggren's performance for the Red Wings been this year? | ||
