It looks as if the struggling Detroit Red Wings will welcome back at least one of their walking wounded for their final game prior to the Christmas break when they face the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena. Forward Stephen Weiss, who’d been an offensive dynamo with10 points in 10 games prior to suffering a shoulder injury Dec. 12 against the Florida Panthers, appears about to return to the lineup. “I’m ready to play,… Weiss said. “Now we’ll just see if coach (Mike Babcock) puts me in.… For that to happen, a number of other factors may be in play because the Wings currently have no room on the 23-player roster to activate Weiss from the injured list and the only player who could be sent down to the minors without clearing waivers would be goalie Tom McCollum, but McCollum will be needed to back up Petr Mrazek if Jimmy Howard (groin) is unable to answer the bell. “I don’t know for sure,… Babcock said of whether Weiss would go Tuesday. “We’ll know after the skate tomorrow morning, but it sure looks like he is (ready).… As for Howard’s status, that situation is also in flux. He participated briefly in practice Monday, but a determination of whether he’ll be in Tuesday’s lineup won’t be made until after the morning skate. “There’s a chance, but I don’t know,… said Howard, who admitted he tweaked his groin in the first period of Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to the New York Islanders. “I’ll probably have to talk a little bit more to (athletic therapist) Piet (Van Zant) and (assistant athletic therapist) Russ (Baumann) to see what’s best for myself and for the team.… Howard acknowledged he’s feeling better every day and is certain he’s close to being ready to get back in the net. “It’s responded every single day with treatments,… Howard said. “It felt good out there on the ice today. Hopefully tomorrow is another good work day and you never know.… With Detroit in the midst of an offensive and overall slump – six straight losses in which the team has scored a meager six goals – Weiss felt the frustration mounting inside as he was unable to help overcome the struggles. “It’s tough to watch these last few at home and I’m really looking forward to hopefully getting one in before (the break),… Weiss said. “It’s funny, when you’re scoring, things are just going in and all the sudden it can just turn on you in an instant. “You feel like you’re doing the same type of things but the puck’s not going in. You’ve just got to be mentally strong and not think about it too much. The more you think about it, the tighter you hold the stick. “Sometimes you’ve just got to let it rip. Easier said than done. When you’re in these types of stretches it becomes a little more difficult.… Weiss sparked Detroit last month when he returned from a groin injury and Babcock was hopeful that lightning would strike twice. “We have to find a way to score goals,… Babcock said. “Maybe Weisser can do that. He was doing that for us before (he was injured). “Maybe he gets another opportunity and gets going.… Abby Advice Only recently returned from a shoulder injury himself, Detroit left-winger Justin Abdelkader spoke to the sort of sensations Weiss can expect if he is indeed back in the game Tuesday. “I think he was out, it's been less than two weeks,… Abdelkader said. “I think that's important. As you get over a week into two weeks, I think as far as conditioning and getting back into the swing of things, it's a little harder. But I think he skated good out there. “He might be a little tentative at first. I know he has his strength back and he's feeling better. Just go out and do what he's capable of doing.… As a skill guy opposed to someone like Abdelkader who provides a physical presence, Weiss probably won’t find that his shoulder will be as sore at first as Abdelkader’s was when he originally returned. “He plays a little different style of game than me so it'll be different that way, but I think he'll be fine,… Abdelkader said. “He looks good, he's skating well. I don't think it'll be too much of a transition getting back into things.…
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