Givani Smith did not know what a Gordie Howe Hat Trick was until he recorded one on Sunday, in his 27th NHL game.
Smith scored a goal, registered an assist and picked up a fighting major, sparking the Detroit Red Wings to a 4-1 victory over Florida Panthers at BB&T Center, snapping their eight-game winless streak.
Smith has been shuffled from the taxi squad to the Grand Rapids Griffins and back to the Red Wings over the past few weeks as the NHL club juggled its lineup due to COVID issues, injuries and ineffectiveness.
He has appeared in only five of 13 games, but Smith is tied for sixth on the team with four points. He has earned a regular spot in the lineup, at least for an extended time.
“Tonight was a great example of what he brings to the team, what he’s been bringing every night he’s been in the lineup,” Robby Fabbri said. “He’s got a great mentality and mindset around the rink, coming in when he’s needed and doing his job. You saw tonight he did a little bit of everything – hits, a fight, a goal, and an assist. That’s what we need out of him every time he’s in the lineup.”
Smith brings several elements the Red Wings (3-8-2) need – size, toughness, strong forechecking and a net presence.
“He’s a big, big body and he’s got better skill than people might understand,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “He can make a play with the puck.
“He’s still got to get better on the wall breaking pucks out, but I think he’s done a good job of using his skill and getting to the net front and ultimately, he’s a big man around the net and he’s just hard to contain.”
Smith’s confidence is growing with each game.
“I had a long break to prepare, with COVID and everything, and I just wanted to be humanly ready, do everything I can to prepare myself for moments like these, where I got opportunities to play,” Smith said.
“Only thing I can really do is every time I’m in the lineup work my hardest and work my best and hopefully that can pay off in the long run.”
Greiss finally rewarded
After going winless in his first nine appearances as a Red Wing (0-7-2), Thomas Greiss made 36 saves to hand Florida its first regulation loss (6-1-2).
Greiss has played better than his statistics show (3.00 goals-against average, .903 save percentage). The team hadn’t supported him well offensively until Sunday and didn’t play well enough defensively at times.
“It got to a point where I felt bad it’s taken us this long to help him out and get one,” Fabbri said. “He’s been playing great all year. It’s nice we were able to pull one through for him.”
Greiss has started five consecutive games due to Jonathan Bernier’s upper-body injury. Bernier has resumed practicing and might return during this trip, which features another game in Florida Tuesday and two games in Nashville.
“(Greiss) certainly played good enough through large stretches of the year to have one and we didn’t give him enough offensive support,” Blashill said. “For him to finally get a ‘W,’ he certainly deserved it earlier in the year, so it was good for him to get it.”
Neutralized in neutral zone
After losing a pair of one-goal games to Florida the previous weekend, the Red Wings did a better job slowing down the Panthers in the neutral zone.
“This is a team that plays really fast, they get behind you, and I thought we did a way better job at clogging up the neutral zone,” Blashill said. “I would say both in our effort Friday (3-1 loss at Tampa Bay) and our effort today we were way better in the neutral zone creating turnovers and understanding how important that is. It’s something we’ve worked on the last couple practices and I think that’s been a big difference in our game.”
The Red Wings were averaging less than two goals per game, having scored as many as four goals only once. They applied more pressure on the Panthers, registering a season-high 39 shots on goal.
“We’ve been a pretty good O-zone team all year,” Blashill said. “We just got to make sure we clog up the neutral zone and we get through the neutral zone ourselves, get pucks in behind, make (defensemen) turn and create turnovers and play in the O-zone.”
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The Link LonkFebruary 08, 2021 at 06:01PM
https://www.mlive.com/redwings/2021/02/red-wings-givani-smith-shows-why-he-should-play-regularly.html
Red Wings’ Givani Smith shows why he should play regularly - MLive.com
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