The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted her customary morning article, and today, she discusses Michael Rasmussen’s return to the Red Wings’ lineup on Tuesday:
Rasmussen played just short of 13 minutes Tuesday in his first game in seven months and scored the decisive goal in the 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I felt good,” he said. “I felt good in camp and it’s good to get a game in. There’s some stuff to clean up here and there, but it just felt nice to be out there with the guys.”
“The guys” Rasmussen found himself playing next to were Andrew Copp and David Perron. Rasmussen and Copp started playing on the same line in mid-January, with either Perron, Robby Fabbri or Jonatan Berggren on the other wing.
Coach Derek Lalonde explained his thinking in pairing Copp and Rasmussen. “We worked probably backward off the penalty kill,” Lalonde said. “Last year, those were our first two guys out, and it kind of helped the rhythm of our lineup. But then they started to have some chemistry and they worked well together, they liked playing together.
“We have a little more depth this year. We’re not married to anything. But those two have done some good things together.”
