He’s been called the Finnish Brett Hull and as of Friday, you can also call Teemu Pulkkinen a Detroit Red Wing.
Recalled from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League, where he’d been riding a club-record tying eight-game goal-scoring streak and leading the league with 20 goals, Pulkkinen will be given every chance to show he can produce at the NHL level with the same frequency as he’s potted goals in the AHL, where Pulkkinen has scored 51 times since the start of last season.
“He just seems to be a good player that scores,… Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “He’s scored his whole life. Now is he ready to score in the NHL? We’re always looking for goals.
“If he can score, why wouldn’t we have him and he’s a right-handed shot.…
Pulkkinen will join fourth-line center Luke Glendening as the only right-handed shots in the Detroit lineup and Pulkkinen is someone whose shot always seems to be locked and loaded.
“Just since I was a little kid I had fun with my friends going out to shoot pucks, playing different games,… Pulkkinen explained as to how he developed his potent shot. “I enjoy shooting and I’ve been practicing that since I was a little kid.…
Pulkkinen has heard the comparisons to Hall of Fame 700-goal scorer and former Wing Hull, and his new teammates also see some parallels.
“Obviously he has a real good shot,… Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “But also he's good at finding the open ice to be able to receive passes. He doesn't need much.
“It's almost like Brett Hull in a way. He doesn't need a lot of room to get a shot off. It's going to be interesting to see what he can do. Obviously he's done a real good job down in Grand Rapids and we’re looking forward to having him around with us.…
Pulkkinen saw action in three games with Detroit last season, but never managed to collect a point and admitted that perhaps he was too quick to defer to his more experienced teammates rather than unleash his own wicked shot.
“It’s like those guys play here so many years and they’ve been around and scored so many goals,… Pulkkinen said. “I haven’t scored any goals. So of course you sometimes think ‘Should I shoot or pass to the guys?’…
He intends to take a different approach when making his NHL season debut Saturday at Washington against the Capitals.
“I will just try to shoot it and put it away and play my own game,… Pulkkinen said.
Riley Sheahan, who figures to be Pulkkinen’s center, thinks that’s the best approach for his new right winger to take.
“I think for him he’s just got to play his game,… Sheahan said. “I think he’ll be playing with me and Millsie (Drew Miller). I think we’re just going to try and get him the puck and he can get that shot away of his.
“He’s got an unbelievable shot. He’s a great skater. I think just for him it’s confidence and just coming out and playing his game.…
Injury Updates Pulkkinen’s stay in Detroit may be a lengthy one, based on the injury reports on forwards Tomas Jurco (back) and Johan Franzen (upper body, believed to be concussion-like symptoms). “He’s being looked at today,… Babcock said of Jurco, who left Tuesday’s game at Edmonton with back pain. “He’s got a back issue, a little bit of a disc issue.
“He’ll be shut down for a bit, hopefully for not long.…
As for Franzen, who missed time earlier this season with a concussion and was rocked by a hit from Edmonton’s Rob Klinkhammer, the news also seems grim.
“We’re day-to-day,… Babcock said. “You know how those things are.
“We’ll just see when they’re ready.…
Meanwhile, defenseman Jakub Kindl (sprained wrist) is slowly but steadily progressing.
“It’s getting better,… Kindl said. “I can do everything else, I can skate finally, I can shoot finally, and then I'm just trying to get into contact more and more, but obviously I'm trying to be careful. I don't want to jam it or twist it again.
“It's a sprain. You’ve got to let it heal. It's in a bad spot where if I get caught out there, I don't want to get it worse.
“It's just got to heal properly.…
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