Updated:
Bad news for the Detroit Red Wings.
Their heart and soul leader Pavel Datsyuk was knocked out of the Wings loss to Ottawa by an elbow to the head by Sens D Jared Cowan.
No penalty was assessed to Cowan on the play. The Red Wings are reportedly furious about the Datsyuk injury and the lack of penalty. I expect the NHL to add supplemental discipline to Cowan for his Rule 48 violation on one of the biggest stars in the NHL.
Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg took a shot at the ref and linesmen who failed to see the blatant Cowan elbow to Datsyuk's face:
"Obviously, the combined eight eyes out there didn't see it, the referee team," captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "If you don't see it, you can't call it."
The Red Wings have announced that Datsyuk will not play in Buffalo on Sunday afternoon.
More to come......
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Ted Nolan wanted more veterans in his lineup. He got another on Saturday when Alex Sulzer was officially recalled to Buffalo. Nolan and Pat LaFontaine watched the Rochester-Utica game live in person on Friday night. Nolanliked what he saw of Sulzer and now the German D will be riding shotgun with fellow German Christian Ehrhoff. The two have played together a lot in their Buffalo careers. Sulzer and Ehrhoff were an effective pair last season until the 29 year old D suffered a season-ending knee injury that required surgery to repair.
Personally, I'm so glad that Nolan realized that Ehrhoff and Myers do not play well together at all. The 10-57 experienced far too many blonde moments when playing together this and last season. Sulzer brings a very stead hand and capable feet to the Buffalo D corps. Nolan's bread is buttered on the side of veterans these days. He feels that there are already enough kids in Buffalo. The new coach wants some more grey beards on the bench to help teach the kids.
Sulzer has skated in 10 Amerks games this season, collecting two goals and five assists.
Reports from Sabres practice on Saturday morning pointed to Mark Pysyk skating with Brayden McNabb. Pysyk scratched out of the 4-1 loss in Philly on Thursday night after going -3 against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. Assuming Nolan plays 3 with 44, 10 with 52, and 57 with 20 vs. Detroit on Sunday, you can expect Mike Weber and Jamie McBain to be your D scratches. Pysyk and McNabb have a ton of chemistry between themselves as they have been a go-to D pair in Rochester last season
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Badass Cody McCormick didn't practice on Saturday. Nolan said afterwards that McCormick will be out of the lineup for a week or so.
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Sabres lines and D:
Moulson – Hodgson – Stafford
Ennis –Leino – Ott
Adam – Grigorenko - Girgensons
Foligno – Flynn – Tropp
Ehrhoff –Sulzer
Tallinder – Myers
McNabb –Pysyk
* Likely scratches: Weber – McBain
Miller in the cage vs. Team USA goalie candidate Jimmy Howard.
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Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said Friday that dynamic, offensively gifted forward Gustav Nyquist will play tonight vs. the Ottawa Senators.
Nyquist, the best player in the AHL by leaps and bounds right now, scored two beauties in Detroit's 4-3 win over Carolina on Thursday night.
Holland cannot send Nyquist back to Grand Rapids after tonight without him clearing waivers. That ain't happening folks. All 29 other NHL teams would try to pluck him off waivers. Most NHL scouts that I speak with have dubbed Nyquist as the heir apparent to the thrones of Datysuk and Zetterberg.
On Friday night, Holland said:
“He’s (Nyquist) playing tomorrow night, so he’s here for the year,” Holland said today.
Holland said UFA acquisitions Stephen Weiss and Daniel Alfredsson are not ready to return from groin injuries vs. Ottawa. One or both may play in Buffalo on Sunday.
“We want to be sure,” Holland said. “We’re in a marathon, not a sprint. Our experience with groins is you think they’re OK and then you re-aggravate them and it’s another 10 games. This weekend isn’t going to determine (anything). It’s an 82-game marathon. Barring any setbacks, expect to see them both in the lineup Wednesday against Boston.”
Source: Detroit Free Press
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