Red Wings Captain Larkin May Start Practicing Next Week

Saturday it will be two weeks since Dylan Larkin suffered a lower body injury. But don’t look for the Detroit Red Wings captain to be flying up ice on Saturday at home against Buffalo or Sunday in Pittsburgh.

“I would not expect him this weekend,” Lalonde said. “We’ll see how he handles maybe getting on the ice this weekend. And hopefully when we get back from Pittsburgh on Monday, maybe he’ll be in that day to day range.”

There’s clearly an urgency to get Larkin playing again because his departure from the lineup has coincided with the Red Wings losing their hold on an Eastern Conference playoff spot. They have lost six in a row and four of those losses have come with Larkin on the sidelines. Opponents have outscored Detroit 23-7 in those four games. That works as a Detroit Lions’ lead, not a Red Wings cumulative score.

The disappearance of Detroit’s offensive might isn’t solely about Larkin’s injury, but he is the engine that powers the team’s offense. With only 17 games left in the regular season, his return is critical.

Lalonde said his projected Larkin timeline could change. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” Lalonde said.

The Red Wings return to action Thursday with a rematch against the Arizona Coyotes. Arizona shut out Detroit 4-0 last Friday in Tempe. Alex Lyon will start against the Coyotes Thursday , after getting after being yanked for giving up four goals in the first period Tuesday in Buffalo.

Husso On The Mend

Lalonde may have another goalie option soon. Ville Husso, out since Feb. 13 with a lower body injury, is progressing in his rehabilitation.

“He’s probably still in that week to week range from a full game or a full practice,” Lalonde said. “But he’s taking more reps, which is part of the process.”

While there is no timeline for Husso, Lalonde said “I would expect him before the end of the season, hopefully sooner than later and hopefully he can help us.”

Husso has an unflattering 3.55 goals-against average and .892 save percentage, but he is 9-5-2 on the season.