The Detroit Red Wings got back on the winning track Thursday with a 3-1 victory at Columbus and Friday, got some more good news.
Defenseman Niklas Kronwall may play in Saturday’s road game against the Florida Panthers.
“Yeah, it’ll probably be a game-time decision,… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said of Kronwall, who hurt his knee in Saturday’s win over the New York Rangers. “I’m not sure, I have to talk to him, he was going to test it more, so we’ll see how he feels tomorrow and continue to evaluate him.…
Kronwall seemed to think he’d be able to pass that evaluation.
“I hope so,… Kronwall said. “Things felt good today in practice, so we’ll see how it is tomorrow in practice and go from there.…
The original prognosis was that Kronwall would be out 1-3 weeks, but he never viewed the injury in that manner.
“I know they said that but we didn’t really talk too much of a timetable,… Kronwall said. “It was more about just getting treatments in and getting the job done and then we’ll see how soon I can get back.
“It’s responded well so far and hopefully tomorrow is another good day and I’ll be good to go.…
Kronwall was hurt when his left skate got tangled up with the skate of Rangers forward Jesper Fast during a goalmouth scramble and he did an impromptu split that concluded with teammate Andreas Athanasiou tumbling on top of his right leg.
“When you watch the replay, it doesn’t look great,… said Kronwall, who underwent surgery on his left knee in January. “It was definitely the right one that took the beating this time.…
Mrazek Missing While the news was promising regarding Kronwall, goaltender Petr Mrazek (illness) was still missing in action on Friday.
“He didn’t practice today, so he’s still not feeling good enough to practice,… Blashill said. That likely means Jimmy Howard gets the start in Florida, while Jared Coreau will back him up.
Mantha OK Playing his second NHL game Thursday, Detroit left-winger Anthony Mantha got a rude awakening when he slammed into a goalpost while going hard to the Blue Jackets net.
“It didn’t feel good that’s for sure,… Mantha said. “At first it was the breath. I had a hard time breathing but like I said it came back after a few minutes. I was just controlling my breath and I was back on the bench for like two shifts later.
“I tried bringing it to the net and sometimes you lose an edge and you fall. I just lost the edge and fell right into the post. That’s what happened. I’m all right today, so it’s good news.…
Otherwise, Mantha admitted that the second game was a much different experience than his first.
“It was better,… Mantha said. “I had more legs. I knew how to prepare myself, what the routine was for the day and just prepared myself to play the best game that I could, and that’s what I did.…
Coming up for his first NHL taste in the midst of a playoff race, Mantha, 21, is trying to take it all in while also contributing to the team’s chances of success.
“For sure it’s just a learning experience,… Mantha said. “I see how all the guys are showing up every day. They’re prepared mentally, physically for the games.
“They know that every game’s important, obviously, following one of the previous ones, so it’s just a fun experience to live and to learn off of these guys.…
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