Quick Hits: The Shutdown Edition

Pete Flynn

• 1 min read Front Page

In Red Wings Land

Detroit Red Wings' Filip Zadina "so happy" to be back on the ice
“We have to do a better job slowing them down, so we have to check better than we did, for sure,” Blashill said. “And then we have to have the puck more. It’s a combination of the two — you have to check to win. You have no chance in this league if you don’t check. But the best way to check is to have the puck a lot. When you have the puck a lot, you’re not tired trying to change and then they’re jamming it back down your throat, like what happened on the first goal. So let’s have the puck more and then let’s do a better job checking.”

He didn’t say it as artfully as he could, so it’s a bit confusing, but he’s right. Detroit needs to forecheck better. They also need to have the puck more. They also need to make tape to tape passes. They also need to, well, you get the point.

He’s not wrong. It was pretty obvious at the time that’s what happened.

Around the NHL

NHL makes four changes to in-arena COVID protocols
After an extremely challenging day where five teams added more players to their COVID-Related Absences List and the Minnesota Wild were shut down until Feb. 9, the NHL made four changes to its in-arena protocols in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

It seems like the league is rapidly approaching an untenable situation, with more players being added to the COVID list each day and Minnesota becoming the fourth team this season to shut down temporarily because of an outbreak.

Update: Colorado becomes the fifth team this season to shut down temporarily because of an outbreak: