Detroit released a post morning skate video. Larkin did take to the ice but that’s not a guarantee that he’ll be in against NYR. Coach LaLonde said the Captain was dealing with “bumps and bruises” and they’ll know during or after pregame warmups if he will be in the lineup.
As for Fabbri, he’s ready to go. The winger said he was “ahead of schedule” and was anxious to get on the ice and compete. Of course there is a little confusion around all of this as originally this was a weekend long injury that stretched out substantially. Regardless, Fabbri does have a great attitude and his work ethic is a big part of what he brings to the ice. Unfortunately, the injury bug has plagued much of his career but by all account he is a solid presence in the room.
New York has some injury woes of their own, but beat Detroit in 4 of the 5 listed categories(power play, pk, faceoff and goals against) as Detroit holds the edge in goals for but it’s another matchup where the 3 goals against average is a bit worrisome. Detroit has been going against tough teams with good structure. The Bruins win was a nice comeback. This is another contest where Detroit needs a strong start and those continue to be hard to find. We’ll see what the team brings to the ice.
Slow starts and possible rebuilds: of course San Jose is the talk of the league, but Edmonton, Calgary, Washington and Pittsburgh have all had some tough sledding. Calgary has had a bit of an exodus of free agents and may lose more than half of the current blue line. Pittsburgh’s new ownership is now more open to a possible rebuild and Washington is without Backstrom for another season. (It’s hard not to wonder if the career is finished).
Calls are said to be going around and it may be a near season long set of trade talks and offers. Once you get past January, if teams are facing a free agent walking away they will want to get something if possible. Detroit is in a good situation in that expectations are for a step forward, not a leap into contention. A post season appearance is strongly hoped for and if more teams fall off, a bubble spot could well be open.
Here’s hoping for a good showing on broadway.
We’ll have a break soon for about 5 days and will touch on any rumors, speculation as well as the dreaded broadcast updates. Tomorrow is the day for ESPN. We could well hear about the partner that is going to usher them fully into streaming from the earning call. I will be listening live, and get input from an attorney and two financial advisors about what’s being said. Some of it will have to be translated as a new CFO with a massive golden parachute steps into the picture.
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