Red Wings‘ debut season at Little Caesars Arena fell short http://www.officialhurricanes.com/authentic-adidas-jordan-staal-jersey , even of low expectations.Detroit was not projected by many to make the playoffs but the Red Wings didn’t come close.Detroit won just 30 games and finished 24 points behind the wild-card teams in the Eastern Conference, faring even worse than it did during last year’s farewell season at Joe Louis Arena. And some nights, it was as quiet as a library in their spectacular new home.”It was a tough year,” forward Justin Abdelkader said. ”Hopefully, we have guys in here that understand the long offseason gives all of us an opportunity to come back bigger, stronger and faster. We’ve got a lot of picks and hopefully some of those guys can help at some point next season and in the years to come. I don’t think we’re far off because we have a lot of pieces in this room.”The Red Wings, who didn’t miss the playoffs from 1991 to 2016, had their season end in with the regular-season finale in consecutive years for the first time since 1979-83. Back then, fans referred to them as Dead Wings and the team gave away cars to draw fans to the games.HE’S BACKThe Red Wings will continue to rely on general manager Ken Holland. He helped the franchise win four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008 and was given a two-year deal recently to stay in place and turn things around.”When I fly in an airplane, I always love to fly with a pilot who’s done it before,” team President Chris Ilitch said. ”Ken Holland has had the experience of seeing a Detroit Red Wing team in the 1980s build from the ground all the way up to the Stanley Cup champion.”ON THE BENCHJeff Blashill, who won 33 and 41 games the previous two years as coach, is expected to have his future addressed by Holland after the Red Wings gather Tuesday. On Monday, he was named the head coach for the U.S. national team competing at the world championships in Denmark next month.BRIGHT SPOTSThe Red Wings don’t have any superstars right now Womens Justin Faulk Jersey , but they have some younger players who could develop into game-changers.Dylan Larkin, a 21-year-old center, led the team with 63 points and made a relatively smooth transition from wing.”We had some guys that are significant in the growth of this team I thought take steps forward,” Blashill said. ”Larkin certainly would be at the top of that list. I’ve said before we need some guys to become elite players in their prime. I thought he took a step from a guy who a year ago in the middle part of the year was struggling on the wing, to a guy who is really coming as a two-way center.”Anthony Mantha, a 23-year-old wing, led the team with 23 goals. Tyler Bertuzzi had 24 points in 48 games in his first extended opportunity to play in the NHL as a 23-year-old wing.ONE TO WATCHAndreas Athanasiou, a 23-year-old center, was inconsistent after holding out for a bigger contract last fall. He is a restricted free agent, eligible for arbitration, and may want to be on the move.Does he want to play for the Red Wings next season?”I want to be an NHL player,” he said. ”I want to be in this league. I’ve been very happy to wear a Red Wings wheel, but it’s a business so we’ll see what happens.”LOTTERY LUCKThe Red Wings have an 8.5-percent chance to land the No. 1 overall pick, a selection that is widely is expected to be Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. Detroit desperately needs a potential superstar such as Dahlin Justin Williams Jersey , but will have a pair of first-round picks and an NHL-high 11 selections in the draft.— DENVER (AP) Late in the second period, with his team outplaying Colorado, Edmonton coach Todd McLellan couldn’t believe his Oilers were trailing 2-1.”Jay Woodcroft and I looked at each other and said, `How are we losing this game?”’ McLellan said.They didn’t, thanks to another big game by Connor McDavid.Article continues below ...McDavid had his third hat trick of the season and fourth of his career, and the Oilers beat the Avalanche 4-2 on Sunday to snap a six-game losing streak.McDavid now has 11 goals in the last nine games and two hat tricks. His first two goals tied the game, and his last one was into an empty net with 1:26 remaining.”Obviously the team isn’t finding a way to have success, but it’s a credit to the guys I’m playing with,” McDavid said. ”It’s been pretty fluid, I’ve been playing with a bunch of guys, and it’s a credit to them.”He has five goals in two games against the Avalanche this season.Ryan Strome also scored and Cam Talbot had 24 saves for the Oilers, who snapped Colorado’s 10-game home winning streak. The Avalanche had not lost since Dec. 27 against Arizona but failed to match Pittburgh’s current 11-game home winning streak.Colorado got goals from Tyson Jost and Alexander Kerfoot, and Semyon Varlamov had 36 saves, but the Avalanche couldn’t take advantage of the return of Nathan MacKinnon.MacKinnon missed eight games with a left shoulder injury suffered in Vancouver on Jan. 30. He was second in the league in scoring when he was injured. He entered Sunday tied for 16th with 61 points.”I felt fine Custom Florida Panthers Jerseys ,” MacKinnon said logging 22 minutes, 20 seconds of ice time.He had a chance to tie it late, but his shot with less than four minutes left hit the post. Moments later, McDavid sealed it with his team-leading 26th goal.The Avalanche played most of the third period down two defensemen. Anton Lindholm left late in the second period after crashing into the boards, and Erik Johnson left early in the third with an undisclosed injury.”The couple injuries in the back end could hurt us more than just the loss today,” coach Jared Bednar said.Bednar didn’t specify the injuries, but he was upset at the way his team played after being outshot 15-6 in the third.”There’s no excuse for the third,” he said. ”We played 14 minutes and had three shots on goal in a game we’re trying to win and need to win at home. No excuse for that.”The Avalanche took one-goal leads when Jost scored 4:04 into the game and Kerfoot got his 15th with just under seven minutes left in the second period.Strome nearly tied it at 8:01 of the third but Varlamov slid over to get a pad on his shot. He banged his stick on the floor of the bench in frustration after that but then gave Edmonton its first lead with his first goal in 22 games with 6:42 remaining.”It’s not for lack of chances, lack of effort or lack of caring. That’s the frustrating part,” said Strome, whose last goal came Dec. 23 against Montreal. ”You come to the rink every day and you try to get better and try to do the right things, and when things aren’t going in it’s kind of frustrating. Nice to get that one.”NOTES: Colorado is 24-2-2 when leading after two periods. … Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl had two assists. … The Avalanche recalled G Andrew Hammond from Belleville of the AHL to serve as Varlamov’s backup. Jonathan Bernier was injured in Friday’s game at Winnipeg. … Edmonton G Al Montoya was scratched for the second straight game after taking a puck to the mask in practice Friday. Laurent Brossoit was recalled and served as Talbot’s backup for the second straight game. … The Avalanche assigned F A.J. Greer to San Antonio to make room for MacKinnon. … Edmonton is 3 for 34 on the power play over the last 16 games.UP NEXTOilers: Host the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.Avalanche: Visit the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.—