Detroit Red Wings Clips March 20, 2014

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1 Detroit Red Wings Clips March 20, 2014 Detroit Red Wings PAGE 2 With Detroit Red Wings' Jonathan Ericsson out, Brendan Smith back to defense PAGE 3 Red Wings' Jonathan Ericsson out 4-6 weeks after finger surgery PAGE 4 Injuries keep coming, but Red Wings persevere PAGE 6 Red Wings lose defenseman Jonathan Ericsson for four-to-six weeks after surgery on broken finger PAGE 8 Red Wings' Justin Abdelkader fortunate leg injury isn't worse; Darren Helm making progress PAGE 10 Landon Ferraro comfortable on penalty kill in debut; Leafs' Randy Carlyle says Red Wings interfered a lot PAGE 12 Red Wings determined not to succumb to injuries as they chase playoff spot during 'crazy' season PAGE 14 Wings lose Ericsson for rest of regular season PAGE 16 Howard must keep it going for Red Wings to make playoffs PAGE 18 Wings notes: Players just as baffled by injury situation

2 With Detroit Red Wings' Jonathan Ericsson out, Brendan Smith back to defense 3:07 PM, March 19, 2014 By Carlos Monarrez Detroit Free Press Sports Writer So much for Brendan Smith s brilliant offensive career. It s back to defense for Smith with injuries continuing to mount for the Detroit Red Wings. Coach Mike Babcock said today Smith would return to his normal position after filling in at forward Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Smith was filling in for Justin Abdelkader, who suffered a lacerated leg Sunday at Chicago. But after Jonathan Ericsson suffered a broken finger against the Leafs, Smith returned to fill in for Ericsson on defense at the end of the game. Smith will take Ericsson s spot on the top defensive pairing with Niklas Kronwall for Thursday s game against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. Losing Ericsson against the Penguins, who feature one of the NHL s best offenses and league points-leader Sidney Crosby, isn t exactly a recipe for success with the Wings outside and looking in on the playoff race. Well, we ve got lots of guys that are missing, Babcock said. We just keep playing. Find a way to win the game. They ve got a real good team, obviously. They have four world-class forwards. They re going to make it hard on us. We understand that. But we ll be ready to go. CLOSE CALL: Abdelkader said he suffered a laceration above his knee midway through the third period at Chicago on Sunday when he dove and collided with Ben Smith, who lost the edge on his skate. He lost his footing and slid right into me and cut my leg right above the knee pad, Abdelkader said. I didn t know how bad it was cut until I looked down at it. I could see it split open. Abdelkader said he took 11 or 12 stitches but was lucky that he didn t sustain any ligament damage. He offered no new timetable on the original day estimate for his return. NOTEBOOK: Forward Darren Helm (concussion) was among a handful of players who took part in today s optional practice. The symptoms have gone down a little bit, Helm said. It s a little bit each day but nothing major. Pavel Datsyuk (knee) said it would be another week before any possible return to the ice. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

3 Red Wings' Jonathan Ericsson out 4-6 weeks after finger surgery Ted Kulfan The Detroit News Detroit The Red Wings won't have defenseman Jonathan Ericsson until the playoffs if they get that far. The team announced Wednesday that Ericsson underwent successful surgery on the middle finger of his left hand. Surgery was required to stabilize a fracture in the finger suffered Tuesday against Toronto and repair a partially torn tendon. Ericsson is expected to be out of the Red Wings lineup for the next four to six weeks more than the approximately two weeks the team estimated originally after Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Toronto. Ericsson has played in 48 games for the Red Wings, with 11 points (one goal, 11 assists) with 34 penalty minutes and a plus-2 rating, while averaging 21 minutes 14 seconds of ice time per game. The Red Wings recalled defenseman Adam Almquist from Grand Rapids. From The Detroit News: Yk Detroit News LOADED:

4 Injuries keep coming, but Red Wings persevere Ted Kulfan The Detroit News Detroit They'll put a team on the ice, as they have all season and will continue to do so, never mind most of the names are a little unfamiliar to Red Wings fans. Thursday the Red Wings host the Pittsburgh Penguins and will put out a lineup that largely resembled the Grand Rapids Griffins roster at the beginning of the season. But as Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Toronto showed, this Red Wings team will continue to persevere and will not go down easily. "There are guys at their individual points of their careers trying to find a job and trying to stay in the league," said coach Mike Babcock of some of the recent fill-ins. "Be confident, play hard and make it good for yourself. "When people get hurt, other people get a big opportunity. Grab hold and set yourself up." The Red Wings have had a player exit with injury the last six games. Tuesday it was defenseman Jonathan Ericsson, who broke a finger (had surgery Wednesday morning) and will be out of the lineup for approximately two weeks. "We have lots of guys we're missing," Babcock said. "We just keep playing and find a way to win a game." Abdelkader lucky Forward Justin Abdelkader sustained a deep cut during Sunday's game in Chicago, but he was lucky it wasn t worse. The blade of Chicago forward Ben Smith came near a tendon of Abdelkader's. "It was real close; the doctor said I was real lucky," Abdelkader said. "The doctor said I was lucky it didn't cut one of my tendons. I was fortunate that way, but it was a bad break." Midway through the third period, Abdelkader dove on the ice to get a loose puck up the ice to Drew Miller. "Ben Smith started to skate up ice and lost an edge, lost his footing and slid right into me," Abdelkader said. "It cut my leg, right above the knee pad." Crosby a unique player Babcock has coached Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby at two Olympics, winning a gold medal each time. Babcock compares Crosby to the likes of Jonathan Toews (Chicago) and the Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. 4

5 "Elite, elite competitors," Babcock said. "A drivetrain second to none. His bottom half, he's not the biggest guy but he's so thick and powerful and a great skater. His will to compete and will to win are no different than guys like Toews, Zetterberg and Datsyuk." Detroit News LOADED:

6 Red Wings lose defenseman Jonathan Ericsson for four-to-six weeks after surgery on broken finger Ansar Khan By Ansar Khan on March 19, 2014 at 4:05 PM, updated March 19, 2014 at 5:15 PM DETROIT The Detroit Red Wings have lost defenseman Jonathan Ericsson for at least the remainder of the regular season. The club announced Wednesday that Ericsson will miss four-to-six weeks after undergoing successful surgery on his broken finger. It was needed to stabilize the fracture and repair a partially torn tendon. It's a significant loss for a team whose defense hasn't been that strong this season. The 6-foot-4, 221-pound Ericsson is the club's shutdown defender, playing on the top pairing with Niklas Kronwall. He's one of their leading penalty-killers and was averaging 21:14 in ice time. If Ericsson is out the minimum four weeks he wouldn't return until the first round of the playoffs, if the Red Wings qualify. For now, Brendan Smith will go from left wing on the fourth line to right defense on the top pairing in a matter of two days. Coach Mike Babcock said he ll pair Smith with Kronwall for Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Joe Louis Arena (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit). They figure to see a lot of minutes against Sidney Crosby s line, with Chris Kunitz and Lee Stempniak. Smith played forward for the first two periods in Tuesday s 3-2 victory over Toronto before moving back to defense in the third, after Ericsson was injured. He s just got to compete hard and make good decisions with the puck, Babcock said. Smitty s got the competitive nature you need, he s got the skating you need, the skill you need. His decision-making with the puck gets him in trouble at times and his decision-making being active, so those are things you grow with, you become a better player. Do more by doing less, make the simple play, don t force things. Lots of shifts are 50-50, nothing happens. Babcock said he ll keep the Danny DeKeyser-Kyle Quincey pairing intact. The third pairing would be Brian Lashoff and Jakub Kindl. The Red Wings recalled defenseman Adam Almquist Wednesday from the Grand Rapids Griffins as insurance in case one of their six defensemen can t play. The move had to be made Wednesday because the Griffins will be on a bus to Iowa on Thursday, general manager Ken Holland said. 6

7 Ericsson was injured late in the second period Tuesday when hit by a shot. He has had a rough season, missing 10 games from Oct. 21 to Nov. 12 with a separated shoulder and 10 more games from Dec. 28 to Jan. 20 due to broken ribs. Losing a guy like that is hard, Lashoff said. He plays a lot of hard minutes and he s a very good player. We re going to have to do it by committee and take advantage of the opportunity we have. We just have to rally together. DeKeyser, who was paired with Kronwall in the third period Tuesday, said: I think we have pretty good depth on this team and guys just got to step up when guys get injured. Michigan Live LOADED:

8 Red Wings' Justin Abdelkader fortunate leg injury isn't worse; Darren Helm making progress Ansar Khan By Ansar Khan on March 19, 2014 at 2:11 PM, updated March 19, 2014 at 2:22 PM DETROIT Detroit Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader isn t sure when he can start skating after being cut in the leg by a skate, but he s feeling better and thankful the injury isn t worse. See how it feels as we move along here, Abdelkader said. It s slowly been getting better each day. I have to get my strength back and then the (range of) motion back and then kind of go from there. Abdelkader is estimated to be out up to two weeks after getting injured midway through the third period of Sunday s 4-1 loss at Chicago, when Ben Smith lost an edge and slid right into him, cutting his left leg right above the knee pad. It required about a dozen stitches. I didn t know how bad I was cut until I looked down at it and I could see it split open, Abdelkader said. Obviously, you don t know the extent of the injury until trainers and doctors look at it. He joins the team s long list of injured players. You re disappointed at this time of year with the push that we re trying to make and the injuries that we ve already sustained; it s frustrating, Abdelkader said. But at the same time I was lucky that I didn t cut any tendons or it was worse than it was. It was really close. Doctor said I was really lucky that it didn t cut one of my tendons. I got fortunate that way, but it s a bad break. Helm experiencing more good days Darren Helm (concussion) said he s had three good skates in a row after experiencing a bad day on Sunday. He s not experiencing many symptoms, but he doesn t have a time frame on his return. I need to sit down with everybody and decide, Helm said. We still haven t had a (full) practice. I was hoping today would be that test for me to see if I would be able to hold up through a full team practice. Didn t do that (they had an optional skate). Gustavsson getting closer to return Goaltender Jonas Gustavsson, who injured his groin on March 7, said he s close to returning. We ll see if it s tomorrow or this weekend or when it is, Gustavsson said. But I felt good on the ice today. 8

9 This is the third time this season Gustavsson has been idled by a groin issue. It s one thing if you break your leg or something like that; you know for sure that you can t move, Gustavsson said. But with groin injuries, it can feel good for maybe the last week before you go on the ice. Gustavsson said it s frustrating because he feels fine off the ice. It s not something you can play through the pain because it s just going to make it worse, he said. You feel like you re so close all the time to be back out there, but especially as a goalie, you really need to be 100 percent because otherwise it s a matter of days before you hurt it again. He added, As a goalie, it s all those small muscles; you need all of them to be able to perform. As a goalie, if you re five percent off, that means maybe a couple extra goals a game and that s going to cost you the game, so you really need to be patient and let it heal. Michigan Live LOADED:

10 Landon Ferraro comfortable on penalty kill in debut; Leafs' Randy Carlyle says Red Wings interfered a lot Ansar Khan akhan1@mlive.com By Ansar Khan akhan1@mlive.com on March 19, 2014 at 8:04 AM, updated March 19, 2014 at 8:06 AM DETROIT Landon Ferraro couldn t have asked for much more in his NHL debut Tuesday. He logged nearly 10 minutes of ice time and played on the penalty kill, his parents came to town on short notice to watch, and the Detroit Red Wings beat their rival Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 at Joe Louis Arena. I think it went pretty well, Ferraro said. I was a little nervous at the beginning and other than that I thought I played pretty well and kind of got comfortable a bit and just settled in. Ferraro was relieved to get bailed out in the second period by Jimmy Howard, after the fast-skating forward s turnover at the Toronto blue line led to a breakaway pass to Phil Kessel. I thought I could kind of cut through the D and the guy s stick was a little longer than I thought and it ended up being a deep pass to Kessel for a breakaway and Howie had to make a really big save, Ferraro said. Ferraro has no points and one shot on goal in 9:45. He logged 1:45 on the penalty kill. That s where I m going to have to try and make this team next year, being solid five-onfive and then being really good on the PK, Ferraro said. That s where I m going to have to try and earn my ice time and earn a spot so it s kind of nice to get a feel for it tonight. Said coach Mike Babcock: "We re missing penalty killers and he did a real good job in that area. I like his speed. He s got to get stronger, but he s quick." Ferraro was recalled from the Grand Rapids Griffins on Monday due to Justin Abdelkader s injury (leg laceration). It meant a lot to him to have his parents, Tracey and Ray, in the stands. Ray was a long-time NHL player who scored 408 goals in the league. It s not just my hard work that s gotten me here, it s watching and being around the rink with my dad and my mom driving me to practices every morning, especially since he was on the road a lot, Ferraro said. So it was real nice for both of them to be able to get in and be here for this. Carlyle: Red Wings did a good job disguising interference Each team had four penalties, but Toronto coach Randy Carlyle felt the Red Wings could have been called for a few more. 10

11 It seemed like there wasn t a lot of space out there, Carlyle said. They had a job to do, as far as checking. I thought interference was supposed to be called in the NHL. Tonight was a clear-cut difference-maker in that for us we felt there was a lot of interference. You ve got give them credit. They disguised it. They did a better job than we did. And they got some opportunities and scored some timely goals. When you go in to forecheck, they step in front of people, holding people up. There were no interference calls on either side. Notable/Quotable Brendan Smith logged only 4:31 in five shifts while playing left wing during the first two periods. After Jonathan Ericsson s injury (broken finger), Smith moved back to defense in the third period, logging 5:12 in eight shifts. Daniel Alfredsson scored what proved to be the winning goal, against a club he has tormented. He has 35 goals and 74 points in 83 career games vs. the Maple Leafs. Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard: This is what it s going to be like for the rest of the season, this is what it s been like for a while. We ve got to keep scratching, clawing, find ways to get points. Babcock: Lots of guys are getting opportunities, so the more guys that get injured the more opportunities for the young guys, so it s a real positive thing for them. There are lots of guys that aren t playing that are good players, but these guys did a good job tonight. Michigan Live LOADED:

12 Red Wings determined not to succumb to injuries as they chase playoff spot during 'crazy' season Ansar Khan By Ansar Khan on March 19, 2014 at 10:30 PM, updated March 19, 2014 at 10:40 PM DETROIT Justin Abdelkader called it crazy. Darren Helm said it s unbelievable. The Detroit Red Wings have experienced injury-plagued seasons before, but nothing like this. This team has lost one player to injury in each of its past six games and seven of eight. Its injured list includes 10 players who started the season on the NHL roster. Its current roster contains seven players who began the season with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. As the Red Wings battle for a playoff spot in crucial games down the stretch, their lineup looks like one you would expect to see for a preseason game. Still, they have managed to stay in the postseason race, just one point out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. It s something that you never think of or imagine happening, Abdelkader said. But the team has done a good job of hanging in there and working hard each night, trying to get wins to get points as we fight for a playoff spot. The Red Wings have been particularly hard hit at center. The four centers they started the season with are out: Pavel Datsyuk, Stephen Weiss, Helm and Joakim Andersson. Their entire top line from the season opener is shelved (Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Abdelkader). They re also missing forwards Daniel Cleary, Mikael Samuelsson and Tomas Jurco, backup goaltender Jonas Gustavsson and defenseman Jonathan Ericsson, who s out four-to-six weeks with a broken finger suffered in Tuesday s 3-2 victory over Toronto. There s been times when we ve had guys out, but not like this, Helm said. To have almost every one of our centers from the start of the year be out right now, and seeing Johnny go out, I don t want to say it s comical, but it s unbelievable. You can t really explain what s happening with this team, but the guys that are in the lineup have been doing a good job, so once everyone is back healthy we ll make a good push. The problem is, several of these players, including key parts Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Ericsson, won t be back anytime soon. "You can t really explain what s happening with this team, but the guys that are in the lineup have been doing a good job," -- Darren Helm It s up to the players that are healthy right now to keep this club s 22-year playoff streak alive. 12

13 The Red Wings face another big test Thursday, hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit). We ve got lots of guys missing so let s keep playing, let s find a way to win a game, coach Mike Babcock said. They re a real good team with four world-class forwards (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz and James Neal) and they re as good as you re going to play against. They ve got veteran players on their third and fourth lines. They re going to make it hard on us. We ll be ready to go. Crosby leads the league with 91 points and appears destined to win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. Babcock called him an elite competitor whose drive train is second to none. He s not the biggest guy, but he s so thick and so powerful and a great, great skater, Babcock said. He gets a step on you, it s no different than a guy like (Jonathan) Toews, Datsyuk or Zetterberg. He s just on another level. Crosby and company will present a huge challenge for the Red Wings young, relatively inexperienced lineup. It s exciting and a challenge for everybody to try and shut down a guy like that, defenseman Brian Lashoff. They ve got more than him. They have a very deep team. We have to limit our mistakes and turnovers because they re a good transition team that plays with a lot of speed. The Penguins are second in the East with 94 points, despite leading the NHL in mangames lost to injury (413), according to mangameslost.com. Amazingly, the Red Wings, who have 75 points, rank only second at 313 man-games lost. You can t go out there and be scared that you re going to get injured; you just have to go out there and play, Abdelkader said. Things are going to happen; it s just unfortunate that they ve been happening right in a row for us. Red Wings injured list (injury, projected return) Jonas Gustavsson (groin, day-to-day) Darren Helm (concussion, week-to-week) Joakim Andersson (broken foot, late March) Justin Abdelkader (leg laceration, late March) Tomas Jurco (broken rib, late March to early April) Henrik Zetterberg (back surgery, mid-to-late April) Jonathan Ericsson (broken finger, mid-to-late April) Pavel Datsyuk (knee, indefinite) Stephen Weiss (hernia surgery, indefinite) Daniel Cleary (knee, indefinite) Mikael Samuelsson (shoulder, indefinite) 13

14 Wings lose Ericsson for rest of regular season By Chuck Pleiness, The Macomb Daily Posted: 03/19/14, 4:45 PM EDT DETROIT >> The only streak the Detroit Red Wings seem to keep intact of late is the amount of injured players that keep piling up. Tuesday s win over Toronto produced another injury, a broken finger for defenseman Jonathan Ericsson. It was the sixth consecutive game that a player has been injured. There s been times when we ve had guys out, but not like this, said Darren Helm, who s currently sidelined with a concussion. To have almost every one of our centers from the start of the year be out right now and seeing Johnny go out (Tuesday) I don t want to say it s comical, but it s unbelievable. You can t really explain what s happening with this team, but the guys that are in the lineup have been doing a good job so once everyone is back healthy we ll make a good push. According to Wings general manager Ken Holland, Ericsson had successful surgery to stabilize his fractured finger and repair a partially torn tendon and will be out four-to-six weeks, sidelining him for at least the rest of regular season. We ve had actually lucked out for a while on the blue line, Brian Lashoff said. Not having E is going to be tough. It s just kind of strange how it s been happening all year and now these last couple of games guys are just going down. We just have to rally as a group back there and makeup for the minutes that E won t be playing. Jonas Gustavsson (groin) began the long list of injuries after leading the team to a win over the New Jersey Devils on March. 4. That was followed by Joakim Andersson (broken foot, March 9 against the New York Rangers), Tomas Jurco (broken rib, March 11 against Columbus), Todd Bertuzzi (lower-body injury, March 14 against Edmonton) and Justin Abdelkader (leg laceration, Sunday against Chicago. Bertuzzi missed just one game. The team is also without Pavel Datsyuk (knee), Henrik Zetterberg (back), Stephen Weiss (sports hernia), Mikael Samuelsson (shoulder) and Daniel Cleary (knee). I don t think anyone has seen anything like this, Lashoff said. It s been weird for sure. A lot of guys have had opportunities to come up from Grand Rapids and guys have played more minutes than they would have before and those guys have been playing well and they ve kept us in the hunt. Wing coach Mike Babcock said that despite the rash of injuries this year it doesn t wear on him emotionally. I do the same every day, get up and do the best I can, Babcock said. I m not carrying around the weight of the world, I don t do that. Smith paired with Kronwall Babcock said he ll start with Brendan Smith paired with Niklas Kronwall on the blue line Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. 14

15 He s just got to compete hard and make good decisions with the puck, Babcock said. Smitty s got the competitive nature you need, he s got the skating you need, the skill you need. His decision-making with the puck gets him in trouble at times and his decision making being active, so those are things you grow with, you become a better player. Do more by doing less, make the simple play, don t force things, lots of shifts are 50-50, nothing happens. Smith began Tuesday s game as the fourth-line forward before dropping back when Ericsson got injured. The Wings also recalled Adam Almquist from Grand Rapids on an emergency basis. Helm progressing After suffering a setback on the ice last Saturday, Helm has gone three straight skates without an issue. The symptoms have gone down quite a bit, Helm said. There s a little bit each day, nothing major. Monday, Tuesday and (Wednesday) were all good days, positive and something to build off of, Helm continued. I was doing alright, not doing great, but that (Saturday) skate was really tough on me for whatever reason so I had to leave the ice. Helm however isn t ready to put a timeframe on his return. We still haven t had a practice, Helm said. I was hoping (Wednesday) would be that test for me to see if I would be able to hold up through a full team practice. I don t know (when I ll be back), Helm added. I need to sit down with everybody and decide. Macomb Daily LOADED:

16 Howard must keep it going for Red Wings to make playoffs By Art Regner, FOX Sports Detroit March 19, 2014 Jimmy Howard's performance in Tuesday's victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs is why the Red Wings rewarded him with a six-year, $31.8 million contract extension last April. Howard is Detroit's franchise goalie, and against the Leafs, he played his best game of the season in a must-win situation. It's no secret that the Red Wings' streak of consecutive playoff appearances is teetering on the brink. It's also not a secret that Howard must carry them if they're to extend their streak to 23. Broken Wings Coach Mike Babcock is clearly tired of talking about Detroit's injury situation, which got even worse Wednesday. He must play lights out or the Wings are doomed. That's why Tuesday's performance was so encouraging. Howard stood tall and stopped nearly everything. His kick save on Phil Kessel's breakaway midway through the second period might have been his most memorable stop of the night. But from the first period on, Howard, who made 32 saves, was excellent and the main reason the Red Wings won 3-2. For years, he's been on the cusp of attaining elite-goalie status, but inconsistency has always been Howard's bugaboo. This season, he hasn't found any kind of groove whatsoever. In fact, it's been a terrible year for Howard. His record, 2.62 goals-against average,.912 save percentage and two shutouts rank nowhere near the league leaders. Still, he's proven in the past that he's capable of leading a team. Down the stretch last season, when the Wings had to win their final four games to assure themselves a playoff berth, Howard was 4-0 and had two shutouts. 16

17 with only 14 games left for the Wings this season of them against quality opponents -- Howard must be that guy again, continue what he started against the Leafs. Given their ridiculous injury situation, their last line of defense has become even more important because there isn't enough firepower in the lineup to bail Howard out. The Red Wings haven't had a goalie who could carry them for long stretches since we witnessed the brilliance of Dominik Hasek. Howard doesn't have to be Hasek, but Howard must rise to the occasion like he did a year ago. It's the Red Wings' only hope to make the playoffs and could be career-defining for Howard. 17

18 Wings notes: Players just as baffled by injury situation By Dana Wakiji, FOX Sports Detroit March 19, 2014 DETROIT -- When you saw nine players skating during the optional practice Wednesday, you could easily make the joke that those were all the healthy guys the Red Wings had. Except it's no joke and coach Mike Babcock is clearly tired of talking about it. Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson was the latest victim, suffering a broken middle finger on his left hand late in the second period Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Wings confirmed he had surgery to have pins placed in the finger to help stabilize it and will miss 4-6 weeks Babcock said he planned to play Niklas Kronwall with Brendan Smith and keep Danny DeKeyser with Kyle Quincey. "He's just got to compete hard and make good decisions with the puck," Babcock said. "Smitty's got the competitive nature you need, he's got the skating you need, the skill you need. His decision-making with the puck gets him in trouble at times, so those are things you grow with, you become a better player. Do more by doing less, make the simple play, don't force things, lots of shifts are 50-50, nothing happens." Ericsson now joins Pavel Datsyuk (knee), Henrik Zetterberg (back), Stephen Weiss (hernia), Darren Helm (concussion), Jonas Gustavsson (groin), Mikael Samuelsson (shoulder), Joakim Andersson (broken foot), Tomas Jurco (broken rib), Justin Abdelkader (lacerated leg) and Daniel Cleary (knee). Asked if he'd ever experienced so many injuries, Babcock said, "Nope. No, I haven't." Neither have his players, who have had their share of injuries the last few years. "It's not good," Gustavsson said. "It's too many injuries and I'm for sure one of them. We're just a point out of the playoffs right now and considering all the injuries, it's good that we're still in the race now and we have a lot to play for. But it's been crazy this year. I don't know how many games we lost but I'm sure we're one of the top teams in that category." Helm, who has dealt with a myriad of maladies the last few seasons, can't quite believe it. 18

19 "There's been times when we've had guys out, but not like this," Helm said. "To have almost every one of our centers from the start of the year be out right now. And seeing Johnny go out (Tuesday) night, I don't want to say it's comical, but it's unbelievable. You can't really explain what's happening with this team, but the guys that are in the lineup have been doing a good job so once everyone is back healthy we'll make a good push." Datsyuk was shut down for three weeks March 5 but is still doing some off-ice work. "I need to wait one more week," Datsyuk said Wednesday. Zetterberg underwent back surgery Feb. 21 and will be reevaluated after eight weeks, which would be after the regular season. Helm is feeling a little more encouraged after having a setback over the weekend. "Monday, Tuesday and today were all good days, positive and something to build off of," Helm said. "We still haven't had a practice. I was hoping today would be that test for me to see if I would be able to hold up through a full team practice. Didn't do that. I got to do some stuff with the goalies and Tom Renney which is always fun." Helm said there's still no timetable for his return. Andersson broke his foot blocking a shot March 9 in New York and was told it would be at least two weeks. Samuelsson participated in the optional practice. Jurco broke his rib in Columbus March 11 and remains off the ice. That's a two-to-fourweek injury. Gustavsson worked hard in the optional practice and may be the closest to returning. "I felt good today," Gustavsson said. "We'll see if it's (Thursday) or this weekend or when it is. But I felt good on the ice today and I'm happy with that." Gustavsson said having groin issues flare up so often this season has been frustrating for him. "It's one thing if you break your leg or something like that," Gustavsson said. "You know for sure that you can't move. But with groin injuries, it can feel good for maybe the last week before you go on the ice. It's frustrating to feel like you should be able to be out there because everything you do in your normal life feels good, but then when you're on the ice you feel it. It's not something you can play through the pain because it's just going to make it worse." 19

20 Although the injuries may cost the Wings the playoffs this season, the young guys coming up from Grand Rapids are getting invaluable experience that will benefit them in the long run. "(Luke) Glendening played basically second-line center minutes (Tuesday) night," Babcock said. "(Riley) Sheahan plays a ton. Those opportunities aren't available to you otherwise. Cory Emmerton is in the league, (Teemu) Pulkkinen's in the league. (Landon) Ferraro's in the league. Those are all opportunities for the guys. Make good on your opportunity. You never know what can happen." ABDELKADER FORTUNATE HE WASN'T HURT WORSE Abdelkader was hurt in the third period of Sunday's game in Chicago and is out days with a lacerated leg. "I was diving on the ice to get the puck to Millsie (Drew Miller) and I think it was Ben Smith who was coming to turn up ice and he lost his edge, lost his footing and slid right into me and cut my leg right above the (left) knee pad," Abdelkader said. "It was really close. Doctor said I was really lucky that it didn't cut one of my tendons. I got fortunate that way, but it's a bad break. But I'm lucky." Abdelkader said he needed about 12 stitches to close up the cut. He's not sure when he'll be able to start skating again. "I think it's kind of see how it feels as we move along here," Abdelkader said. "It's slowly been getting better each day. I have to get my strength back and then the (range of) motion back and then kind of go from there." On a lighter note, the Michigan State product is optimistic about his team's chances in the NCAA Tournament. "Seems like a lot of the experts are picking them, which I don't know if that's good or bad," Abdelkader said. "I think (Tom) Izzo is a proven coach in tournament time and they're getting healthy at the right time. I think they have the experience of playing in the tournament and a lot of veterans who have been there and done it, so I think they're playing good at the right time and that's what you want in the NCAA tournament." Abdelkader said he hadn't filled out his bracket yet but expected to have MSU in his Final Four. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO TOWN? There were a lot of Maple Leafs fans in the building Tuesday but it's not likely that the Pittsburgh Penguins will have quite the same following at Joe Louis Arena Thursday night. 20

21 The Penguins are currently second in the Eastern Conference with 94 points behind the Boston Bruins, who have 99. Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz are fifth and sixth in the league in goals with 33 and 32, respectively, and Crosby leads in assists with 58. Evgeni Malkin is fifth in assists with 47. Babcock has coached Crosby on Team Canada in the last two Olympics. "Just like all the best players I've coached, elite, elite, elite competitors," Babcock said. "Drive train is second to none. He's not the biggest guy, but he's so thick and so powerful and a great, great skater. He gets a step on you. No different than a guy like (Jonathan) Toews, Datsyuk or Zetterberg. He's just on another level." The Penguins are excellent on the road, too, with 20 wins and 42 points in 36 games. "They have really good special teams, they've got some star players," defenseman Brian Lashoff said. "We have to limit our mistakes and turnovers because they're a good transition team that plays with a lot of speed. They're one of the best in the conference. It's a huge game with everything that's been going on. We have to take advantage and get some points." 21