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Add Michael Rasmussen as the next to go through the revolving door that leads to the sick bay of the Detroit Red Wings. The rookie forward didn’t play Sunday as the Wings brought an end to their one-game winning streak, squandering a 2-1 lead and losing 3-2 to the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals.
“He’s been kind of nursing a lower-body deal,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill explained. “It hasn’t gotten better, so the training staff felt like it was time to shut it down and get it better so that he can go full out.
“It’s day to day. I don’t think he’ll play Tuesday (against the Montreal Canadiens) but I would expect him ready for the weekend.”
Block Party
Both defenseman Nick Jensen and forward Jacob De La Rose retreated to the bench in apparent pain after blocking shots while on the penalty kill. De La Rose took an Alex Ovechkin shot off the right leg, but was able to return to action after a brief respite in the dressing room.
“It was the same spot he got hurt the other night on a block,” Blashill said. “He was able to come back and play. I think he’s going to be OK but what a job blocking, that was unreal.”
Goaltender Jimmy Howard echoed those sentiments, praising him teammates for willingly making such sacrifices in front of him.
“It means the world to me,” Howard said. “They don’t have on half the equipment that I do and they’re out there sacrificing their bodies against guys like Ovi and the other night (Nashville’s P.K.) Subban.”
Big Tony
In his second game back from a broken finger, right-winger Anthony Mantha showed that his hand had healed up just fine, putting the moves on Washington goalie Braden Holtby before tucking the puck into the net between Holtby’s legs.
It was Mantha’s second goal in as many games, and his 10th of the season.
“I think it’s just a long stick,” Mantha said. “To be honest I just need to use it to my advantage.”
Fil-ing It Up
Rookie defenseman Filip Hronek finished off a beauty of a play for Detroit’s second goal, redirecting a Dylan Larkin pass beyond Holtby’s outstretched pad from the edge of the goal crease.
Blashill admires the sticktoitiveness that Hronek has displayed since his recall last month from AHL Grand Rapids.
“He’s out there on a consistent basis in the last number of games against the best players lots of times,” Blashill said. “Those are real players – Ovechkin, (Evgeni) Kuznetsov, (Nicklas) Backstrom, (T.J.) Oshie, so on, I better say (Tom) Wilson – and he’s played real well.
“He had one really bad game in Dallas. But what I like about it is he came back from that game and has been good ever since. Something him and I talked about was making sure you put it behind you, have a short memory, and he’s done a real good job of that.”
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