While the majority of the Detroit Red Wings will enjoy a respite during the NHL All-Star break, Teemu Pulkkinen will keep on skating,
The Wings have returned right-winger Pulkkinen to Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League in time to skate in a trio of games and also participate in the AHL All-Star Game Jan. 26-26 in Utica, N.Y.
“My plan is to go to Grand Rapids and play three games,… said Pulkkinen, who scored his first NHL goal in Tuesday’s 5-4 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild at Joe Louis Arena. “I'm going to play the AHL All-Star Game.…
That means Pulkkinen will be the only Red Wings player to skate in an all-star contest. Goaltender Jimmy Howard, who was selected to play in this weekend’s NHL All-Star Game in Columbus, won’t be able to participate due to a groin injury, leaving the Wings without representation in the event for the first time since the 2009 All-Star Game in Montreal.
That season, both Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk bowed out citing injury, but since neither had missed any league games, the NHL suspended both players for one game, not believing that they were actually hurt.
Meanwhile, defenseman Xavier Ouellet, the other current Wing who was chosen to play in the AHL All-Star Classic prior to his late-December recall to Detroit, won’t be going to Utica. Detroit coach Mike Babcock indicated that the time off would allow for a nagging wrist problem that’s been affecting Ouellet to heal.
“His wrist isn’t great right now anyways, so we’re going to give some time to get a breather,… Babcock said.
Ouellet admitted he had mixed emotions about the decision.
“There’s one side that wants to go and there’s the other side that wants to rest a little bit to keep performing if I get the opportunity to stay up until the end (of the NHL season),… Ouellet said. “I want to take care of my body and make sure I can perform, so it’s kind of a tough situation.…
As for Pulkkinen’s NHL future beyond the all-star break, that likely depends upon how quickly forward Tomas Jurco (back disc problem) enables him to return from the injured list.
While they like what they’ve seen from Pulkkinen in the six games since his recall, the Wings also see that he remains a work in progress. Pulkkinen is armed with a world-class shot but other parts of his game still require seasoning.
“Obviously he’s got some things to learn,… Babcock said. “There’s some things we’re not thrilled with right now. We’ll send those clips to Blash (Grand Rapids coach Jeff Blashill). Blash knows exactly what he needs to work on.…
There’s plenty the Wings also like about Pulkkinen’s game.
“He adds that dimension of being able to shoot the puck, he’s tenacious,… Babcock said. “He should be able to play in the National Hockey League. We’ve just got to fix some things.…
Gustavsson, Jurco close Some members of the Wings’ injury brigade could soon be removing themselves from that list.
Right-winger Jurco and goaltender Jonas Gutavsson both are targeting a date shortly after the upcoming NHL All-Star break for a return to action.
“It’s huge progress since Day 1 when I couldn’t really move,… said Jurco, who’s been getting treatment and taking medication for the disc problem in his back. “Right now I’m skating so it’s way better but it’s not 100 percent ready yet, so we’ll see.…
The back ailment had been bothering Jurco for quite some time but it didn’t get to the point where he could no longer function on the ice until Detroit’s Western Canadian road trip earlier this month.
“Yeah, my back has been bothering me for a few months, so it I could still feel it in games,… Jurco said. “But it wasn’t that bad that I couldn’t play.
“So I just played with it and all of a sudden in Edmonton after the second period it started being really, really sore. So I had to get out of the game.…
Gustavsson, who suffered a separated shoulder in early November, is also close to being back in the net.
“It’s better every day, actually,… Gustavsson said. “I feel like I’m getting closer. I don’t worry or think about my injury as much.
“I still have some work to do, but I feel hopeful and hopefully I can be back somewhere after the break.…
While their teammates enjoy a rest from hockey over the break, the injured will continued to treat their hurts in order to hasten their return to action.
“I still have some progress that needs to be done but the way it’s going, I feel if I just get those days healing at the same speed that it is now, it should be good somewhere after the break,… Gustavsson said.
Defenceman Jakub Kindl (elbow) is another close to returning, while the prognosis for Howard (groin) and forward Johan Franzen (upper body) is more long-term at this point.
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