Patrick Kane returns to the Detroit Red Wings, and they are fully healthy in time for their postseason push.
It’s almost time for Patrick Kane to play in the lineup he dreamed of when he signed with the Detroit Red Wings.
The Wings have all 23 players healthy for the first time since he joined the team at the beginning of December. In order to get ready for the Wings’ first game of the season—a matinee against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday—the entire team practiced well for 45 minutes on Thursday.
For much of January, Kane, defenseman Ben Chiarot, and goalie Ville Husso were out with injury.
“It’s great to be fully healthy and we can really build our game here going into the playoffs,” Kane stated. “We have 32 games left — some big, available points on the line and we have to take advantage of every game.”
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It makes reasonable that Alex Lyon will start given that his outstanding play helped the Wings finish 9-2-2 in January. Husso has earned the right to start at number one, but the Wings won’t have to ride Lyon like they did with him available for the first time since December 18.
Chiarot was back on a pairing with Jeff Petry, while Kane rehearsed on a line with J.T. Compher and David Perron.
It’s been months since the Wings have been this healthy. Compher was hurt when Kane made his debut on December 7. Following Dylan Larkin’s injury in the next game on December 9, David Perron received a six-game suspension. Next came injuries to Husso and Lyon, and Jake Walman missed many games due to illness.
“Coach Derek Lalonde stated that it’s a year-round struggle to stay healthy and deal with attrition. “We lost two of our goalies and our top two centers in December, which was disastrous.
“We’re doing fine, knock on wood. Although we’ll have to make some difficult judgments regarding scratching, they are fantastic challenges to have. When you saw us in December, we struggled to field a lineup due to the number of injured players, so your recovery comes at a good time.”
Practice suggests that Klim Kostin will stand out from the crowd right away. With Shayne Gostisbehe, Olli Määttä and Justin Holl alternated in a duo.Regarding.
When Kane decided to return from invasive hip surgery with the Wings, he was expecting this kind of lineup.
“That was one of the things I liked, was just the depth on the team,” he stated. “Every winning team I’ve been on has a deep lineup, and you can rely on different players—not just the same two or three—to step up each night. Our team’s excitement stems from it.
Since departing the game on January 19 due to a bothersome upper-body injury, Chiarot has not participated in any games. Observing the previous five games from the press box, he has gained an overview of the Wings’ performance.
“You can tell our defensive structure looks tighter, looks more in place, you could say, from up top,” he stated. “That was what I noticed the most.”
Since the Wings’ extended break occurred before the All-Star weekend, the Canucks squad (26-18-6) will have played twice this week. Although the Wings will at least get two sessions before Saturday, Lalonde said they are “being at a disadvantage” in that sense. The schedule then has them traveling to
Playing big games at this time of year is enjoyable, according to Chiarot. That is the goal the organization is attempting to achieve and what we have been working toward since I arrived. It will be quite enjoyable.
Helene St. James can be reached at hstjames@freepress.com. Observe her at Helenest James.
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