Captain Henrik Zetterberg got the thumbs up Sunday morning, but the word on Jonathan Ericsson won’t be given until game time.
Both Zetterberg (lower body injury) and Ericsson (upper body injury) were listed as questionable starters for Sunday’s game at Joe Louis Arena against the Calgary Flames. Zetterberg was deemed good to go after Sunday’s morning skate and will perform in his usual spot on the forward line with Justin Abdelkader and Dylan Larkin.
Ericsson’s uncertain status left Detroit’s defensive pairings for the game equally uncertain.
“We’ll make that decision but we looked at (Brendan) Smith being in (Ericsson’s) spot (alongside Danny DeKeyser) and leaving the (Niklas) Kronwall(-Mike Green) pairing alone and then going (Jakub) Kindl-(Alexey) Marchenko,… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “We feel comfortable with that.
“Smitty is someone I think has played very well here lately. He has a skill set to go against the other team’s best players. He can skate, he’s strong, he can move the puck, so that’s something we’ve looked at. But we’ll make that decision when it happens tonight.…
Petr Mrazek will start in goal.
Holiday Gift Giving The calendar says Dec. 20 but as far as Tomas Nosek and Xavier Ouellet were concerned, Christmas has already arrived.
Both players were told after Saturday night’s AHL game in Grand Rapids that they were being recalled to the Red Wings.
Though neither is slated to play Sunday, both are thrilled to be here.
“I still can’t believe it, that I’m here and obviously I’m very excited,… Nosek said “I’m surprised for sure. I’m just trying to play well, do my best and hopefully get a call up, that’s what happened and I’m so happy for that.…
It’s the first recall to the NHL for Nosek, but Ouellet’s been called up a few times before and last season, was brought up to Detroit for New Year’s so he’s getting used to spending the holidays in the NHL.
“It’s good to know that they’re still looking, that they’re still paying attention to everything I do there,… said Ouellet, who has played in 25 games over the past two NHL seasons. “I’ve been performing, I’ve been playing pretty good. I feel good about myself. Obviously I was hoping to get an opportunity here.
“It’s always good to be here around the guys and hopefully I get an opportunity. I’ll be ready to play.…
Ouellet has posted 2-10-12 totals in 25 games with the Griffins, nearly the equivalent of the 1-15-16 numbers he put up there in 52 games last season.
“I don’t know, a little more experience,… Ouellet said, trying to explain his increased offense. “It’s my third year pro so I would say experience, and I’ve had some good opportunities on the power play.
“I’m being given lots of responsibility, lots of ice time. I think it helps.…
Beyond the numbers, Ouellet figures his overall game has improved significantly.
“I’m managing my game offensively and defensively better,… he said. “I’ve had a lot of lot of ice time down there so I’m trying just to control the game a little bit better, know when to go and when not to go, stuff like that, which comes with experience I think.…
Although he’s never played in the NHL, Nosek 23, has played in the Czech League and Blashill thinks his maturity provided him the edge when looking for a depth forward.
“He’s done it before,… Blashill said. “Having played against men, he stepped in right away, did a good job (in Grand Rapids). The other thing in this process for us is he’s a little bit older.
“When you’re bringing guys up and sending them down, that roller coaster starts, the guys who are a little bit older and have been through have lots of experience, so it’s sometimes it’s a little easier on them mentally, so that was part of the decision process as well.…
Blashill also thinks Nosek is a better fit as a bottom-six forward than some of the other options in Grand Rapids such as Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou.
“I think part of that is they’re pretty equal in terms of the best player available, it just depends what you’re bringing to the table,… Blashill explained. “When you bring guys up you want them to fit in the role they’re comfortable and confident in playing, especially when it comes to penalty killing.
“Lots of guys have killed, who’s really good at it? Nosek has been really good for me (last year), they say he’s been one of their best guys (on the PK) down there as well. I believe he can step in and play in the NHL today.
“I think his first step into the NHL would be in a role where he’s a penalty killer, where he’s a real good accountable player, he’s extremely smart. Does he add offense from there? That’s the stuff you can’t predict until they get here. He’s somebody like a lot of guys - given the opportunity he could come in and do a good job in the NHL.
“The question we ask every day - is he better than somebody we have here? But I definitely think Nosek can come in and fill that type of role where he’s real accountable defensively, real smart, a real good penalty killer. That’s not to say he doesn’t have offensive tools, because he does but you can’t predict what type of offense they have until they get here.…
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