Okay, so the Red Wings practiced on Wednesday minus Tyler Bertuzzi (maintenance), as well as Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen (COVID protocols) ahead of Thursday’s game vs. the Carolina Hurricanes, which is still scheduled to take place as of now.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Canes may go with 16 skaters and 2 goalies due to salary cap constraints; they still possess a 19-7-and-1 record, and their most recent loss (in Vancouver) snapped a 4-game winning streak.
The shorthanded “Jerks” will be looking to stick it to Nedeljkovic and the 14-12-and-3 Wings on Thursday, so the Red Wings better be at their best as they head to Raleigh tomorrow night.
After Wednesday’s practice, Dylan Larkin spoke with the media, and he addressed more than the state of the Wings…
Larkin, on the Olympics: “I think it’s … There’s a lot going on right now. We’re dealing with COVID here. We had calls and talks, and you guys read the reports on what it could be like in China, and that’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.”— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) December 15, 2021
Larkin, on the Olympics (continued): “It would be very unfortunate to get stuck in quarantine for that long, and you know, [there’s] a serious unknown of when you come home. So I think it’s unfortunate for all athletes.”— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) December 15, 2021
(Players who test positive for COVID in China may be stuck there for 3-5 weeks)
And coach Jeff Blashill addressed the Wings’ COVID situation:
Coach Blashill says they will call up players today, with the absence of a few guys on the team. When asked if it would be Jonatan Berggren, he said no. He doesn’t want to throw off Berggren’s confidence when he’s playing so well in the AHL. #LGRW— Carley Johnston (@carleykjohnston) December 15, 2021
Good news here:
Maintenance day for Bertuzzi but expected to be available tomorrow— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) December 15, 2021
