Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk out again; seeking yet another opinion on injured knee

Clinging precariously to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the last thing the Detroit Red Wings needed was more bad injury news - but that's exactly what they got on Monday when they learned that star forward Pavel Datsyuk is on the shelf yet again.

At issue, the bothersome knee that has been the point of conjecture and controversy for two months, a knee that's not getting better, a knee that may ultimately require surgery to repair.

Three doctors have previously told Datsyuk and his employers that surgery is not required and that rest and treatment is indicated for whatever is ailing the joint, but Datsyuk will visit a fourth physician on Wednesday, missing the team's Tuesday night faceoff at New Jersey and being listed day-to-day...for now.

“Just rest and treatment,” Datsyuk said on Monday. “Every day, hoping.”

Datsyuk has been dealing with the knee since the beginning of the New Year, missing 14 games before returning for two matches before heading to Sochi to captain the Russian team in the Olympic Games, hobbling through the tournament in which his home country finished out of medal contention...

...an issue that may gain more steam if Datsyuk is forced to miss more time for a team already beset by injuries and missing it's captain, Henrik Zetterberg, who was forced from the Sochi Games himself with a flareup of a bulging disc, for which he had season-ending surgery for two weeks ago.

On top of that, winger Stephen Weiss suffered a setback from his recovery from sports hernia surgery and is being evaluated on Tuesday after having what general manager Ken Holland called "A bad day for him." on Monday - and forward Daniel Cleary suffered a knee injury of his own that will have him out of the lineup for at least a week.

But the focus is on Datsyuk's knee that forced him to repair to the room after just two periods against Ottawa last Thursday.

“It just won’t go away,” Holland said of the injury. “When Pav is healthy and he can help us win, he’ll be in the lineup.”

If the Red Wings could ever get healthy, they have the talent to go deep into the playoffs - but if they lose Datsyuk and don't get healthy anywhere else, they'll have a tough time even making the post-season as there are five teams within three points of each other in the race for the final seed.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/03/red-wings-pavel-datsyuk-out-again.html#.UxkOSYUcq58

Preds' Pekka Rinne set to face Penguins after successful conditioning stint

After two warmups in the American Hockey League, the Nashville Predators are going to throw netminder Pekka Rinne right into the fire.

“Yeah, we’re just throwing him in there against the leading scorer in the league,” coach Barry Trotz said about his plan to start Rinne on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the top scoring team in the Eastern Conference “It’s not easy, but we’re not going to pick and choose games. We’re going to have to find out, and it will be a great challenge.”

And why not?  He's only been out of action for the past five months, recovering from an infections stemming from offseason hip surgery, and only started practicing when the Predators started gearing up for action after the Olympic break...

...and now just a few days removed from stopping 33 of 35 shots in two games for the Milwaukee Admirals, Sidney Crosby and his band of snipers from the steel city are his welcoming back committee.

Rinne couldn't be happier.

“It’s been a really long time waiting,” Rinne said on Monday. “I’m just glad to be back playing and feeling good. That’s the main thing. I feel very excited.”

With 21 games left to be played, the team will pick and choose Rinne's game action, but Trotz believes that his return could mean to difference between the Predators' challenging for a playoff spot - Nashville is six points behind Dallas for the final berth in the Western Conference - and playing golf.

“Psychologically, it’s good for the franchise, the coaches, management and the fans to know Pekka Rinne has kind of come full circle, even though he’s still got a ways to go,” Trotz stated. “We know the type of player he is and type of person he is and what he can mean to our team.”

Be that as it may, Trotz is preaching caution at the same time.

“He’s a game-changer. I try to temper it a little bit, but it’s exciting to have him back in the fold.” Trotz said, adding, “He’s moving and he’s having fun, he’s smiling and he’s competing. Everything that makes Pekka great, he’s doing, (but) you can’t just throw a guy in there and expect him to be the savior.”

In truth, it might take more than Rinne returning to secure a spot in the playoffs - a brutal stretch schedule awaits them, including the roadie through Canada and the California gauntlet, but his presence can do nothing but help.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/03/preds-pekka-rinne-set-to-face-penguins.html#.UxkN04Ucq58

Rangers' Derek Dorsett scratched after one game back from broken leg

Derek Dorsett's triumphant return from a broke fibula lasted all of one game - well, make that 8:42 plus two minutes in the clink.

No, he didn't re-injure the leg in his first game back against the Philadelphia Flyers, he's just been on the shelf for so long that he needs more practice time to get in sync with his linemates - but his two minutes for high-sticking that cost his team the Flyers winning goal in a 4-2 victory may have had something to do with it as well.

It's no secret that Dorsett spends so much time in the penalty box - 105 minutes in 38 games - that he has standing reservations, perhaps even a preferred, worn spot on the bench, but his penalty that provided the Flyers the man advantage and Wayne Simmonds' gamer prompted coach Alain Vigneault to scratch Dorsett from the Sunday match against the Boston Bruins.

“Back-to-back games, and Dors needs to practice a little more and work on his timing," Vigneault said on Sunday. "so we have a couple of days this week, and we’ll go from there,”

When pressed, the Rangers' bench boss answered questions in regard to the 27-year-olds' conditioning, which was speculated by the media to contribute to the bad penalty. “He’s fine. It’s just a question of timing right now. I think conditioning-wise he’s pretty close. It’s going to take him a couple of games.”

Dorsett doesn't contribute a whole lot on the offensive end, as his five points will attest, but he is a first-class pest that often succeeds in getting under the skin of his opponent, dropping gloves nine times against some pretty skilled fighters, so his value to the team is unquestioned, he just apparently needs some conditioning and to get his timing back...

...but he needs to do it quickly, as the Rangers' slow start out of the Olympic break has them clinging to the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race by one point over both Detroit and Columbus.  The good news is that their schedule is less-then-imposing down the stretch, and a healthy pest could make a lot of difference for the blue shirts.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/03/rangers-derek-dorsett-scratched-after.html

Devils' Bryce Salvador considers bruised collarbone "Lucky"

It takes a bit of bad luck to take a puck off of your collarbone, so New Jersey Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador has to be wondering what karmic entity he managed to defy.

Actually he doesn't have to look very far, as Columbus Blue Jackets' defenseman Jack Johnson appears to be his otherworldly nemesis - a Johnson one-timer breaking Salvador's foot in late October that sidelined him for two months and now a rising sniper job that caught him flush on the collarbone that has had him watching from the press box for the last two games.

“It was just a freak situation. The puck just rolled on him at the last second. What do you do?” Salvador asked, shaking his head sadly. “He’s definitely got my number that guy. He’s the guy that broke my foot. I have to buy him a couple of beers or something over the summer. Change that karma we’ve got going on."

In all seriousness, the veteran blue liner has been around long enough to know how fortunate he actually is, as an inch or two higher or lower could have made the injury much, much worse.

"I guess, all in all, nothing broke and it didn’t hit my face. It’s painful but I got pretty lucky.  If it hit me in the heart, I might not be here.” the 38-year-old laughed. “It was up on the collarbone. I would have liked it lower, that’s for sure. We had X-rays, so nothing is broken. I take that as a positive. Just a bruise."

Playing with pain is one thing, but the area is swollen and is limiting his movement, so it would be dangerous to his health to let him go back out on the ice before he's one hundred percent.

"What we’re dealing with right now is making sure I can get full range of movement so I can protect myself on the ice instead of putting myself in a vulnerable position where I can’t raise my arm."

Salvador's next shot at making it back to the ice is on Tuesday when the Devils host the Detroit Red Wings in the first leg of a home-and-home series - the same Red Wings team that New Jersey is chasing for the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race - and as they are but three points behind, sweeping the series would go a long ways to overtaking Detroit for the playoff spot.

The second leg of the home-and-home is on Friday in Detroit.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/03/devils-bryce-salvador-considers-bruised.html#.UxUd4IUcq58

Flames' Westgarth on protocol after scary knockout punch

Calgary Flames' forward Kevin Westgarth was knocked cold in a fight with Edmonton Oilers' goon Luke Gazdic on Saturday night, and is now in the NHL's concussion protocol system.

The fight occurred on the faceoff at center ice immediately after centerman Sean Monahan gave Calgary an early lead with his 17th goal of the season, both pugilists landing hard shots before Gazdic took control with three straight rights, then landing a brutal right cross flush on Westgarth's chin.

Westgarth's mouthguard came flying out of his mouth and ragdolled to the ice, the official closest to the bout immediately signalling to the Calgary bench that Westgarth needed attention. 

No more Westgarth tonight, according to the #Flames. Evaluation protocol. Concussion, I'm assuming.
— Kristen Odland (@KristenOdlandCH) March 2, 2014

"It was a good fight and both guys were throwing good punches," Giordano said. " At the end of the day, you care about the person and it is hard to see something like that. Hopefully he recovers quickly and can get back in the lineup. He is feeling all right now, which is good to see."


A well-traveled tough guy, the 6' 4", 235 pound  Westgarth was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes on a New Years Eve trade that sent Calgary's 2008 first round entry draft pick, Greg Nemisz, to the 'Canes - a steep price to pay for an enforcer with negligible offensive skill, which underlines general manager Bruce Burke's plan to make his team tougher.

"I don’t like the way we’ve been pushed around,” Burke said of the deal. “I don’t think that’s any secret.
And having one guy that’ll answer the bell? That’s not enough in our league.”

Of course, Burke was referring to Brian McGrattan, a favorite with Flames' fans who has brought some toughness to the team since being re-acquired by the Flames this past offseason, but has been on the shelf since losing a battle with the end boards during practice coming back from the Olympic break.

Westgarth also made headlines on January 17th as Flames' bench boss Bob Hartley had him out on the ice for the beginning of the now infamous match between Calgary and Vancouver, a line brawl instigated by Westgarth causing Canucks' coach John Tortorella to go after Hartley in the tunnel leading to the rooms.

There has been no further work on Westgarth's condition, but the way he staggered off the ice despite being held up by teammates is not encouraging.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/03/flames-kevin-westgarth-on-protocol.html

Oilers' Nail Yakupov day-to-day after MRI reveals no broken bones

The good news is that Edmonton Oilers' winger Nail Yakupov doesn't have any broken bones in his foot or ankle.  The bad news is that it still hurts like blazes.

Yakupov had an MRI on Friday that alleviated concerns that he may have suffered a fracture when a shot off the stick of Justin Schultz, a glancing blow that had even Oilers' coach Dallas Eakins cringing.

“That was a hard shot on not a very good spot on his foot,” Eakins said after the teams' loss to Minnesota on Thursday night. “When you see a player go off like Yak did they rarely practice the next day. We’ll have to see tomorrow how he is,”

Yakupov took the stance that he's a hockey player and would be ok for the next game, but Eakins isn't in any hurry to return the young scorer to the lineup in this lost season for the Oilers, who are collectively the second-worst team in the NHL, just four points ahead of the streaking Buffalo Sabres for the dishonor of being the league's doormat...

...this despite going 5-2-2 in their last nine games, though losing streaks of six and seven games preceding the current high point effectively eliminated them from any hope of making the post-season.

The twenty-year-old had been manning the wing on the top line alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall,showing life with 23 points on the season on 11 goals and 12 assists, but sporting an abysmal minus-29 rating - but still, the youngster is keeping a good attitude towards his latest setback in this season of horrors.

“It happens sometimes. It’s part of hockey." Yakupov said on Friday, still sporting a walking boot on his right foot. "Sometimes shots will get your body or your legs when you stand in front of the net.”.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/03/oilers-nail-yakupov-day-to-day-after.html

Caps' Mikhail Grabovski aggrivates ankle injury; goes back on shelf

The human ankle is a conglomerate of bones and ligaments that naturally work against each other to enable us to walk, run and, in hockey, skate.  It is a miraculous mechanism which relies on all of these moving parts to be in perfect sync - otherwise, one can experience pain.

Or "Big Pain" as Washington Capitals' centerman Mikhail Grabovski put it when he was forced to the shelf for eight games after New Jersey Devils' defenseman Bryce Salvador fell on his leg during a game on January 24th - but Grabovski was back in the lineup against the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, though teammates knew he was skating on thin ice with the ankle.

“We knew his status coming into the game tonight,” right wing Troy Brouwer said. “We knew it might be a touch and go kind of feeling thing. Obviously something happened in the game early that didn’t feel well for him and he pulled out.”

Grabovski lasted all of three shifts in the 5-4 Caps' victory over Florida before Panthers' forward Nick Bjugstad fell on his leg, aggravating the joint and sending Grabovski to the room, where he rained for the duration of the match.

“I don’t know if it’s the same spot, they’re going to check,” Coach Adam Oates said. “Those ankle injuries are difficult, as I think everybody’s seen before, and hopefully it’s not bad.”

It was bad enough that the playmaker couldn't play Saturday in Boston, as he had returned to Washington to be evaluated by team doctors, and no new word has emerged from the team in regard to his status moving forward.

The Capitals, who entered the Olympic break on a hot streak has come out of the break absolutely on fire and have now won five of their last six and are just one point behind Philadelphia for third place in the Metropolitan Division and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race - and also a point behind Detroit for the second wild card spot.

And wouldn't you know it?  Washington enters a home and home series with the Flyers on Sunday afternoon in a battle for that playoff spot, the second leg of the series on Wednesday before things get much, much tougher for the Capitals with trips to Boston, Pittsburgh and the California gauntlet against the Murderer's Row lineup of Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose.

Hopefully for the Caps, Grabovski's ankle heals quickly.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/03/caps-mikhail-grabovski-aggrivates-ankle.html#.UxNsw4Ucq58