Some big decisions are coming soon for the Detroit Red Wings, who are rapidly moving toward a much healthier roster.
Defenseman Kyle Quincey (right ankle surgery) and forwards Drew Miller (fractured jaw) and Tomas Jurco (upper-body injury) are all expected to be ready to get back into action during the west coast portion of Detroit’s current six-game road trip. After Monday’s game at New Jersey, the Wings’ four-game western swing gets underway Thursday at San Jose.
“They’re all close,… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “I don’t anticipate any of them in the lineup tomorrow night, but they’re all close.
“Miller and Quincey will be available for the trip out west, we’re not sure what game, but we expect them to be available for the trip out west. Jurco would be the same boat I’d say.…
Quincey has pushed himself hard to get ready to return to game action, and appears to be ahead of the mid-January return date that was originally speculated when he went under the knife on Nov. 14.
“It feels good, feels strong,… Quincey said. “I’m still getting better every day so I’m looking forward to it.
“Now it’s just a matter of practicing hard every day. It’s the game stuff, which you can’t practice. That’s going to be the hurdle.…
While he may be ahead of the doctor’s prognostication, Quincey figures he’s right on his own schedule in terms of when he intended to be back in the lineup.
“I truly believe that the surgeon is always going to say, is always going to shade on the side of caution and he’s going to say a number that’s safe,… Quincey said. “My goal is to push the workouts, push the rehab to make that number smaller. So that’s what I’ve done and I’m looking forward to getting ahead of schedule.…
By driving himself so hard, it has also mandated that Quincey endure some personal suffering, something he wasn’t required to do when he underwent surgery for bone spurs in his left ankle after last season.
“Yeah, last time there was no rush,… Quincey said. “There was no rush at all. The rehab was totally different last time.
“This year I was pushing through pain and pushing through everything to get back as fast as I can.
“It was different but at the same time very similar.…
Forward Thinking Blashill juggled the combinations for his top three forward units prior to Saturday’s 4-3 win at Buffalo and liked what the new trios produced, so he intends to stick with those groups for Monday’s game against the Devils.
The Henrik Zetterberg-Justin Abdelkader-Gustav Nyquist and Pavel Datsyuk-Tomas Tatar-Darren Helm units each produced a goal, while the troika of Riley Sheahan, Brad Richards and Dylan Larkin netted the tallies that gave the Wings a 2-0 lead.
“We tried to adjust the lines and you’re always trying to adjust lines and put them in spots to be as successful as possible,… Blashill said. “Zetterberg’s line and Datsyuk’s line had lots of success together last year and that’s how they were yesterday.
“We thought Sheahan, Larkin and Richards could be a good line and they certainly were yesterday. That has more to do with individual players playing at a high level.…
Blashill saved special praise for Sheahan, who registered a goal and an assist and has now scored three goals in six games after going 15 games without a goal.
“I thought Sheahan was great yesterday, probably the best player on the ice,… Blashill said. “Those lines will work well as long as the individuals on the lines play well.
“The one thing we have to do is play your best every night to have a chance to win. I thought our compete level yesterday was real good. I thought our management of the puck was real good. We didn’t turn the pucks over and I thought we competed at a high, high level and so did Buffalo. That’s the NHL every single night.
“We better compete at a high level. We better manage the puck well. We need to make a play or more than them that’s what it comes down to. It’s not huge differences.
“We want to win the specialty teams battle. That’s another area we need to continue to improve in.…
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