Preparing to face the New York Rangers Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena, the Detroit Red Wings were certain that they’d be welcoming two new faces to the lineup and they were hopeful that they would also be welcoming back two familiar ones.
While winger Erik Cole and defenseman Marek Zidlicky, Detroit’s two trade-deadline acquisitions, will make their Red Wings debuts, defenseman Kyle Quincey (bone chips in ankle) is also back after a five-game absence.
The final decision on whether captain Henrik Zetterberg (concussion-like symptoms) will play is not going to be made until just prior to game time.
Zetterberg, who has taken part in practice the past two days and skated again Wednesday morning, will undergo one more test to determine whether he’s good to go.
“The beauty of my job is I don’t have to play doctor, I just get to play coach,… Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.
Zetterberg is slated to center a line with Justin Abdelkader on the left side and Cole on the right wing. If he is unable to play, forward Daniel Cleary would draw in and the Wings would be forced to shuffle their lines, likely moving Riley Sheahan into center between Cole and Abdelkader.
Abdelkader is curious to see how he and Cole work as linemates.
“He’s similar to me in the way that he gets in on the forecheck and goes to net,… Abdelkader said. “He’s a big body. He’s a proven point producer in this league. He’s physical.
“He’s been in a number of playoff series, so I think that’s big for us going forward. He still skates real well, so I’m looking forward to the addition and I think he’ll fit in nicely.…
Nervous Nellie Cole admitted he was feeling the butterflies as his Detroit debut approached.
“For sure,… Cole said. “Absolutely. It’s an exciting moment for me to play for this organization. It’s just a great opportunity.
“I’m honored that I’m getting to be a part of this. Chances are if I stayed where I was (in Dallas), I wasn’t going to be in the playoffs. This is just a great opportunity. I want to prove why they brought me here.…
Jurco Shuffle Looking to get him out of his scoring funk, the Wings will try right-winger Tomas Jurco, who has two goals in 49 games, on the right side with Pavel Datsyuk and left-winger Tomas Tatar.
Jurco will be filling in for the injured Darren Helm (strained oblique).
“I think it’s good for him because he’s playing with Tats and he’s played his best hockey when he’s played with Tats,… Babcock said. “He seems to be comfortable with Tats.
“I just expect him to go to work, just like Helmer does. Go to work. Turn over pucks by forechecking, turn over pucks by being heavy by being at the net, create space for those guys and it’s up to him.
“His confidence isn’t at an all-time high. He deems himself a scorer, an offensive guy. He’s at the working stage of his career. Once he gets comfortable maybe he can get back to that but right now he’s just got to go to work.…
This may be Jurco’s last chance to prove that he deserves to be part of Detroit’s regular lineup going forward toward the playoffs. The final forward spot if everyone is healthy will likely come down to a decision between him and Joakim Andersson.
“It’s a good chance for me to play more minutes,… Jurco said. “I’ve got to take advantage of it and play a good game.…
Besides Cleary, the other healthy scratch will be defenseman Jakub Kindl. Forwards Helm and Johan Franzen (concussion) and defenseman Alexey Marchenko (oblique) are out with injuries.
Jimmy Howard gets the start in goal.
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