The Detroit Red Wings are just three points shy of having the best record in the Eastern Conference - this despite missing leading goal scorer Pavel Datsyuk.
Datsyuk, who has already missed the past four games with concussion-like symptoms, has been ruled out of Wednesdays matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers, and hasn't even started practicing yet - so his situation is still very fluid.
Detroit General Manager Ken Holland doesn't know if the 11 year veteran will be able to practice on Tuesday, and apparently hasn't satisfied the league-mandated concussion protocol though he has participated in light skating.
"Slowly, a little bit better," Datsyuk said last Friday in regard to any progress toward a return "I'm not feeling where I am supposed to be."
Holland has indicated that Datsyuk will require about a week of practice before he is cleared to play.
Datsyuk took an elbow from Ottawa's Jared Cowen on November 23rd - a cheap shot that teammate Henrik Zetterberg felt deserved some sort of punishment from the league, but the NHL's Department of Player Safety reviewed the hit and ruled it an accident.
Cowen didn't receive a penalty on the play, not was he fined or suspended and says that he was just trying to slow down the slick skating Datsyuk. “You just try to get your bumps on those kind of guys, don’t let them have free range out there, get speed and do what they want’’.
“I think I hit him right in the button - just by chance it got him right in the spot,’’ the 6-foot-5, 228-pound Cowen said. “It’s too bad. I hope he’s back, but at the same time, it was an accident.’’
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