Already without the suspended Niklas Kronwall, the Detroit Red Wings will also play Game 7 of their Stanley Cup series against the Tampa Bay Lightning Wednesday at Amalie Arena minus veteran defenseman Marek Zidlicky, who suffered an apparent concussion in Game 6.
During the morning skate, the Wings skated with the following defense pairings – Jonathan Ericsson-Alexey Marchenko; Danny DeKeyser-Kyle Quincey; Brendan Smith-Jakub Kindl.
The Wings tried to take a positive approach to the situation.
“There’s a door open for someone to step in and play well,… Smith said.
Kronwall (148) and Zidlicky (44) account for 148 games of Stanley Cup experience
“He’s our best defenseman,… Ericsson said of Kronwall, his usual defense partner. “I hope everyone’s feeling even more motivated for this game.
“I don’t know if you could be even more, but I think this puts you even more motivated to win this game for Nik. I think everyone’s going to give that little extra that they have.
“We all have to play our best here. We’re missing Kronner. He’s our No. 1 match-up Dman here, so Marchy has to try to fill his shoes. He’s definitely going to fill them literally, but on the ice we’ve got to be at the top of our game.…
As for Zidlicky, his right-hand shot will be missed on the Detroit power play.
“He’s been very good,… Smith said. “I think he’s been very good five on five, another tough loss for sure. We’ve got some guys coming in that have played well.…
DeKeyser and Kindl will take over Kronwall and Zidlicky’s roles on the power-play points.
“We’re not concerned about that at all,… Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “DK might be the best guy at packing the puck up on the breakout on the team. He really can swing it from one side to the other.
“Kindl when he’s in our lineup always played on our second power play. So we’re not concerned about that one bit.…
Kronwall Fallout Naturally, Kronwall didn't agree with the NHL decision to suspend him one game for his Game 6 hit on Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov.
“No, I don’t," Kronwall said, admitting he's endured a couple of sleepless nights since the incident.
“It’s hard to describe. I still don’t really know how I feel, to be honest with you. I still haven’t grasped it. The decision has been made. I've got to live with it.…
Others on the team were more outspoken.
“I think there’s been a lot of questionable hits over the whole playoffs,… Ericsson said. “I don’t think Kronner’s hit was worse than any of the other ones that happened that were either called on the ice or taken up by the NHL.
“I was surprised that it was a suspension because of all the other hits that have been going on in this series or in the playoffs, but when I heard he had a hearing, that usually means suspension.…
Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg agreed that the decision seem to fly against what’s already gone on in the playoffs.
“Yeah it’s a little inconsistency, I think, if you look back at what we’ve been through and what’s going on in other years, too,… Zetterberg said. But it is what it is. We can’t do anything about it. We’ve just got to go out and play a good game here tonight and then we just forget about it.…
Others with the team felt it wise to keep their opinions to themselves.
“I think if I talk about Game 7 then I won’t get fined,… Babcock said. “If I talk about Game 7 I’ll still have all the money I have.…
Hungry For A Win To Babcock, it’s not about who’s playing as much as it is about how they are playing that will determine the outcome of Game 7.
“I see this as a good series that we’ve done well in,… Babcock said. “We gave up three free goals last game. If we just eliminate that and make sure there’s no room out there it will be a fun night for us.
“I expect them to play good. I expect us to come here and enjoy being in the atmosphere and enjoy being in Game 7 and get ourselves a win.
“There’s a deli called Schwartz’s in Montreal that I’m dying to have a sandwich from.…
With a win, the Wings would advance to play the Montreal Canadiens in Round 2 starting Friday at the Bell Centre.
Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer