Wings' Abdelkader close to return; Pens' Engelland suspended

Detroit Red Wings left wing Justin Abdelkader took in an outside skate with his teammates on Thursday at Comerica Park, raising hope that he could return from the NHL concussion protocol before the Christmas break, possibly on Monday if things continue to progress.

"Feel good so far, had a little bit of a bag skate, so that all went well.  Hopefully keep progressing, hopefully be able to play before the break, but we'll see." - Abdelkader

 

Abdelkader took a nasty shot to the head from Pittsburgh Penguins' defenseman Deryk Engelland late in the opening period of Detroit's 4-1 loss on Saturday - a check to the head that cost Engelland five game checks, though Abdelkader doesn't believe it was purposeful.

“I don’t think he was trying to hit me in the head at all.  He was just trying to take the body there and got me in the head. It’s an unfortunate play. The league has done a good job of cutting down on those hits."

 

He has been symptom-free for the past two days, his headaches and dizziness having subsided and he appears to be close to getting back into the lineup.

The 26-year-old has played in 34 games this season, collecting 13 points in an average of just under fifteen minutes of ice time and sporting a plus-three rating.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2013/12/wings-abdelkader-close-to-return-pens.html