The Daily: Patrick Kane Update Today; Markstrom In Catch-22

The Detroit Red Wings are expected to provide an injury update today on Patrick Kane who left Sunday’s game in Toronto in the first period with a lower body injury.

The Red Wings have a tenuous hold on a wild card position in the Eastern Conference. They don’t have much margin for error. Losing Kane for an extended period would make their playoff run more challenging. Kane has quickly become crucial to the team’s offense, particularly when it comes to getting the puck into the offensive zone cleanly and distributing the puck on the power play.

Detroit’s power play unit appears more confident when Kane is on the ice. He has 16 points in 19 games thus far this season.

Coach Derek Lalonde didn’t have a medical update on the night of the injury. The only tidbit he offered was that Kane’s injury didn’t involve his surgically-repaired hip, although he added that he couldn’t be sure of that fact because had not received a full medical update.

The Red Wings (22-16-5) are in the No. 1 wild card position, but there are five teams below them within three points of them. But the Red Wings are now just one point behind Toronto for third place in the Atlantic Division. The top three finishers in the division qualify for the playoffs. Toronto does have three games in hand.

Patrick Kane will not return…these two plays happened right before he left https://t.co/2iXIfuWpcH

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 15, 2024

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• How do you explain Andrew Copp going from a 26-game goalless slump to goals in three consecutive games?
• James Reimer was strong in goal to help the Red Wings down the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 Sunday night.
• Goalie Alex Lyon understands what Lions fans went through before their team put up a big win against Matthew Stafford’s Rams on Sunday night.
• Kris Draper has found a different arena to take advantage of his competitiveness and passion.

Red Wings Next Game

The Red Wings don’t play again until Wednesday when they play the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Fla. The Red Wings lost 2-0 in Detroit to the Panthers on Nov. 2. Captain Dylan Larkin takes a five-game points streak into the game. He boasts four goals and three assists for seven points in the surge. With 17 goals and 38 points in 37 games, Larkin is on pace for his third consecutive 30-plus goal season.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Jimmy Murphy writes that Jim Montgomery deserves Jack Adams Trophy consideration for the job he’s doing this season for the Boston Bruins.

Calgary: Trevor Neufeld examines the Catch-22 of Jacob Markstrom’s NHL trade market status. Calgary Flames.

Colorado: Valeri Nichushkin enters the NHL/NHL Players Association Player Assistance Program. Colorado Avalanche

Chicago: Where the Lukas Reichel fit the Chicago Blackhawks’ master plan? Nate Brown weighs in

Vegas: The Vegas Golden Knights injured reserve list boasts considerable talent. The team has been overrun by injuries this season.