As Return Nears, Motte Can Help Cure Ailing Red Wings Penalty Kill

Tyler Motte's tenure with his hometown Detroit Red Wings didn't get off to the start he would have wanted.  After playing just four games, the Port Huron native and University of Michigan alumnus fell awkwardly in a collision with New York Rangers defensemen Victor Mancini on Oct. 17 and has been out ever since with an upper body injury.  Now, Motte has participated fully in two practices over the past two days, and he appears a strong possibility to return for Saturday evening's game against the Buffalo Sabres.  Motte's potential return comes at an opportune moment for Detroit; the nine-year pro's speciality is the penalty kill, and the Red Wings' PK currently sits at a 65.6% kill rate (30th among the NHL's 32 teams).

When asked about Motte's potential to provide the struggling kill a lift with his return this morning, coach Derek Lalonde replied,"I think he came here with a purpose to penalty kill.  He's been good on it, wants to do it, takes a lot of pride in it, so yes, of course, we'd like to get him back in that rotation."  Beyond just special teams, Lalonde lauded Motte's vigorous presence, saying, "He's not an overly big guy, but he plays with energy and pace.  He's a guy that can give us some energy minutes, which we would like, and he's done a really good job throughout his career on the penalty kill."

One advantage for Motte as he looks to recover his rhythm upon his return is experience.  No, he hasn't yet gotten many live game reps with the Red Wings, but having played for seven teams (including two different stops with the New York Rangers) over his career, Motte has seen and done just about all there is to see and do on an NHL penalty kill.

"I've seen and played in most systems on the PK," Motte told The Hockey News back in October, before sustaining his injury.  "I think there's always the small tweaks in systems and sticks and positioning and when to pressure.  And there's also some of the terminology that's always a little bit different.  When you're trying to communicate quickly in the moment, sometimes the terminology gets mixed up.  You're used to hearing one thing or saying another, and that just comes with reps.  I still feel pretty comfortable.  Obviously, throughout the pre-season and camp, you get opportunities to kill with a few guys, but not everybody together.  That's some of the rep stuff that unfortunately has come now as the season's here.  But I have full confidence in myself and the guys that we have to get jobs done."

Patrick Kane—a long-time staple on the other side of the NHL's special teams equation—has played with Motte in both Chicago and New York, so Kane is quite familiar with his game.  "I think he's got a great stick, good skater, moves well, strong," Kane said of Motte.  "One thing I've really notice on the penalty kill, I've noticed to start camp—especially against us, when we're playing against him—he's got a good stick, and he pokes it in at the right time and can either get the puck off your stick or deflect the pass. He's still a threat to go the other way with his speed too. I think he's had a great camp, and he's a great addition to the team."

One advantage for Motte is that in J.T. Compher, Andrew Copp, and Dylan Larkin, the 29-year-old has three former U-M teammates joining him as forwards on Detroit's penalty kill.  That quartet represents the Red Wings' four leaders in short-handed ice time per game in the season's early going (per Natural Stat Trick).  As Motte points out, it's a bit of stretch to suggest that decade-old chemistry will hold from their days as collegians, but the trust that connection creates does hold up.

"I think the confidence in each other to do the job, yes," Motte said, when asked about re-kindling the connection with his fellow former Wolverines.  "As far as the systems and the tendencies, probably not so much.  It's been a while, but all of us have been doing it for a long time, not just in college but in this league too and doing it at a pretty high clip.  It's gonna come, just some of the smaller details that we hone in on and we'll start getting some more kills done successfully."

To get anywhere near its long-term ambitions, Detroit needs its PK to take a significant up from its current sub-two-thirds success rate.  With Motte back in the fold, whether Saturday or for Wednesday's game against the Blackhawks, the Red Wings will have one more key ingredient toward making that happen.

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