The Detroit Red Wings are a team in transition
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Veteran defenseman Niklas Kronwall scored a goal for his 400th point, while rookie defenseman Joe Hicketts, playing his second NHL game, grabbed a pair of assists for his first career points as the Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2.
”It’s neat for sure,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. ”It’s good. I thought a number of our young players played well.”
Luke Glendening scored twice and Darren Helm matched his career high with three points. Helm had a goal and two assists, and Frans Nielsen and Niklas Kronwall also scored for Detroit. Jimmy Howard made 22 saves to help the Red Wings win in regulation for the first time since a 3-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 24.
Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang scored for the Penguins. Matt Murray stopped 21 shots.
It took Pittsburgh 38 seconds to gain the lead. Crosby took Jake Guentzel’s cross-ice feed and snapped a shot before Howard could get across.
”(Dylan) Larkin, Helm and (Anthony) Mantha was the line that went up against Crosby,” Blashill said. ”They didn’t start great. The turnover early and then they go down and score. But that’s the learning process that you have to do and after that they were really good, so that’s a real positive.”
The Red Wings pulled even 17:43 into opening period. Helm found Kronwall pinching down from the point, and Kronwall whipped a quick shot past Murray. It was his 80th goal, tying him for fourth among Wings defensemen with Hall of Famer Marcel Pronovost.
”I try to keep them,” Kronwall said of his milestone pucks. ”I’m not sure exactly where I have them. I don’t have that many, let’s be honest. I think they’re around somewhere.”
Detroit
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Just 41 seconds later, Detroit made it 3-1 when Glendening deflected Nick Jensen’s point shot.
”We let them have the momentum with those two quick goals in the second period,” Crosby said. ”You can’t let that happen. Once we fell behind there, we were chasing the game.”
The Red Wings added another goal 6:21 into the third period when Helm converted Larkin’s feed for his 10th.
Letang’s point shot found its way through traffic and behind Howard with 3:16 left in regulation.
Glendening finished the scoring into an empty net with 1:28 to play.
”I don’t think we were struggling tonight, we just weren’t playing with the kind of urgency it takes to win games,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. ”This is a hard league, and it is hard to win a game no matter who you are playing.
”If you aren’t willing to make the commitment it takes to give that kind of effort, you are going to get beat.”
NOTES: Red Wings GM Ken Holland would not confirm reports that he and Blashill would return next season, saying only that the question would be answered by the end of the season. … The Penguins are the first visiting team to lose twice at Little Caesars Arena. They also fell 4-1 in Detroit on Dec. 31. . Glendening recorded his second career multi-goal game and first since Jan. 27, 2015 at Florida
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UP NEXT
Penguins: At New Jersey on Thursday night.
Red Wings: At Buffalo on Thursday night.
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LeBron James flew back to Los Angeles from a family vacation in the Caribbean. He could be there longer than usual.
Hours before NBA free agency opened with the three-time champion as its most coveted prize, James returned Saturday to Southern California, where he has two homes and a film production company. The Lakers are hoping they can persuade him to sign with them and return them to glory.
Los Angeles is among the teams in the mix to land James after his agent told the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday that he will not exercise his $35.6 million contract option for next season. At 12:01 a.m. Sunday, James will be an unrestricted free agent, and agent Rich Paul is expected to contact several teams with the Lakers and Cavs atop his list.
By declining his option, James positioned himself to be able to choose where he’ll play next, and Cleveland, just up the road from his home near Akron, remains a strong possibility. But there are at least three other teams – and maybe an outsider or two – with legitimate shots at landing James, who made it clear following this year’s NBA Finals that he’s still driven to win championships.
While every team dreams of being ruled by King James, only a few have a legit chance of signing him.
Here are the cases – for and against – the leading contenders:
CLEVELAND
WHY: Home; money.
James came back four years ago to a hero’s welcome, something that seemed unimaginable when he left in disgrace four years earlier for Miami. But he vowed to do everything he could to deliver a title to championship-starved Cleveland. He delivered in 2016, erasing past sins and raising James to a worshipped level few athletes in any sport have experienced. His family is comfortable here and it’s where he has complete control.
The Cavs can also offer him the most lucrative package
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WHY NOT: Flawed roster; blemished relationship with owner Dan Gilbert.
Last summer’s stunning trade of guard Kyrie Irving left the Cavs without a quality running mate for James, who was forced to carry a heavier offensive load throughout the regular season and playoffs. Cleveland has deep salary-cap issues – partially caused by James’ failure to commit long-term – and the Cavs currently lack enough talent to unseat the champion Golden State Warriors.
Gilbert and James mended some fences for his return in 2014, but they remain distant other than a shared commitment to winning. Gilbert has gone above and beyond financial barriers to appease James, but the well could be running dry.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
WHY: Salary-cap space; business interests; iconic franchise.
With some savvy moves, the Lakers are poised to potentially add two superstars – James and Paul George and maybe Kawhi Leonard – to a team featuring up-and-coming talents like Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, who is reportedly dealing with a knee injury. James loves the Hollywood lights, and with two homes in the Los Angeles area as well as a film production company, he has already established some roots in the land of movie stars and slow-moving traffic. The appeal of playing for one of the league’s most storied teams is another allure.
WHY NOT: Youth; the Western Conference.
There’s little doubt James has some quality years ahead of him. But does he have enough time to let a group of unproven players with no postseason experience develop into a title contender? And if he jumps conferences for the first time in his career, the path to the Finals is far more treacherous.
PHILADELPHIA
WHY: Rising team; staying in the East.
In Sixers guard Ben Simmons, James sees a younger version of himself and he’d relish the chance to play alongside the 21-year-old while mentoring him. The Sixers also have center Joel Embiid, 24
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WHY NOT: Too young; front-office dysfunction.
Much like the Lakers, the Sixers lack postseason experience and James would be surrounded by players who have barely tasted the postseason. General manager Bryan Colangelo’s resignation following an investigation into whether he created Twitter accounts to criticize his own players, has given the impression that the team isn’t operating in concert and then would turn off James quickly.
OTHER CONTENDERS
Houston: While the Rockets once seemed a good fit, James declining his option all but eliminated the chances of him joining up with close friend Chris Paul and MVP James Harden. If James had opted in with the Cavs, they could have worked out a sign-and-trade with Houston.
San Antonio: James reveres Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, but living in Texas doesn’t seem appealing to the star’s family and the Spurs are still trying to figure out what to do with Leonard, who can become a free agent after next season.
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