Once again, the Red Wings will have to play without some of their top players. Kris Draper, shortly after returning from an "upper body" injury, missed game 4 against the Blackhawks and will also miss tonight's game due to a pulled groin. On the plus side, Draper said that the injury was not nearly as bad as the injury that kept him sidelined until game 7 against the Ducks.
Niklas Lidstrom's lower body was injured and Pavel Datsyuk hurt his foot. Both missed game 4 as well, and were also ruled out for tonight, although they were first listed as questionable.
Draper is a big loss due to his face-off ability, unbelievable speed, and effective backchecking. It's no thrill to lose a defending Norris Trophy Champion and a Hart Trophy Finalist as well. Strangely, however, in game 4 the Wings seemed to be perfectly fine, slaughtering the Blackhawks 6-1.
Tomas Kopecky will miss the rest of the playoffs due to a broken orbital bone. It is unclear when or if Andreas Lilja will return after missing all of the playoff games so far due to a concussion. Chris Osgood, who sat the third period in game 4 due to dehydration, is expected to start game 5.
1 comment:
The depth of the Wings is incredible.I do not think many if any other teams in any sport could withstand losing such key players and continue winning. Zook
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