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Getting Healthy For The Stretch Run |
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The Detroit Red Wings will go into Wednesday’s home game against the San Jose Sharks with a 2-5-1 slate in their last eight games prior to the NHL All-Star break, but at least they will go into this game with a healthy lineup.
Forwards Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm and defenseman Trevor Daley will all return to action from lower-body injuries.
Abdelkader, who missed one game earlier this season due to a fractured cheekbone, had sat out the last six games since being injured Jan. 13 at Pittsburgh.
“Coming off All-Star break, we had some time to get some extra healing and I think we’re all anxious definitely to get back,” Abdelkader told Detroitredwings.com. “I feel pretty good, so I am excited to get back out there.”
Abdelkader will also be able to doff the protective facemask he’d been wearing since suffering his fractured cheekbone.
“I don’t miss that,” Abdelkader said. “Thank God, I got that off. It will be a lot better tonight without that on.”
Helm was also injured in the same game as Abdelkader.
“I’m good to go,” Helm said. “It feels like it’s been a long time with the two breaks (bye week and all-star break) and getting injured after the first. It’s been a long time, so I’m obviously excited to get back and just get back on the ice.”
For the Wings, 15 points out of third place in the Atlantic Division and 10 points out of the final wildcard in the Eastern Conference, there’s nothing they can do but win almost every night if they intend to keep their very faint playoff hopes glimmering.
“You never want to be missing guys, so we’re going to come back and be ready to go and hopefully make a final push here, see what we can do,” Helm said.
There’s no debating that reaching the postseason is an unrealistic goal for the Wings, and they are the first to recognize the long odds they face.
“You know you’ve got to go on a run right now,” said Daley, who missed three games. “Now is the time to get it done. There’s still a lot of games left with a lot of points out there.
“It’s one game, one shift, one period at a time but we realize how desperate this is right now. The time’s right now. We’ve got to get it done right now.
“We put ourselves in a tough position, but we could take ourselves out of it, too. It could be real good around here.”
Honoring The Fallen
The Wings will hold a pre-game moment of silence for Detroit police officer Glen Doss Jr., who was killed in the line of duty while answering a domestic violence call last week.
It’s a tragedy that hit close to home for Wings coach Jeff Blashill.
“My dad was DPD for 10 years, my uncles were DPD and (there are) sheriffs (in the family) up in Traverse, Grand Traverse County, so it’s something that’s important to me and I don’t speak a lot publicly about,” Blashill said. “I just think it’s important to remember the sacrifices that are being made so that we can live in a city and feel free to enjoy our lives and do what we do as we come downtown every day.”
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