In a recent announcement, The Detroit Red Wings expressed the absence of Patrick Kane, the 36-year-old American ice hockey player, at Thursday’s game against Montréal Canadiens.
Kane picked up an upper-body injury as mentioned by Coach Todd McLellan, who described the player as “day-to-day for now”.
The NHL will have the Detroit Red Wings play against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at 4:00 PM PST.
Injury Timeline and Team Impact
Patrick Kane was in excellent form, who scored 13 points in the previous 10 games. He has secured 30 points, 19 assists, and 11 goals with 15 points coming on the power play from 42 games. He secured 16 points with 6 goals and 10 assists before he was held without a point in the last two games.
But before the upper-body injury, he remained scoreless in the previous two games.
With Patrick Kane being day-to-day and an upper-body injury, his absence will be witnessed with limited play in the final 5:30 against the Philadelphia Flyers on 21 January 2025. The Detroit forward also missed the game against the Montréal Canadians for a 4-2 victory on 23 January 2025.
According to Coach Todd McLellan, the forward picked up the upper body injury while playing against the Dallas Stars on 19 January 2025, which persisted into the defeat in Philadelphia on Tuesday, keeping him out of action and considering him as day-to-day for now.
The American right winger Alex DeBrincat, who spent most of this season and nearly the entire McLellan’s tenure with Kane, said, “Obviously he creates a lot of offense for us, but next guy up mentality,”. He added, “I think we need to take that load off of him and hope he comes back sooner than later, but for the time being, we need to figure out a way to get in the O-zone and create stuff without him.”
In the context of Kane’s absence, the “next man up” is Vladimir Tarasenko, who will replace Kane’s spot on the top power-play unit and second line for the Red Wings.
According to McLellan, “Vlady” gets the next opportunity in place of Patrick, who has been waiting to play and let the two worlds collide.
The Detroit Red Wings have been longing for Vladimir to be a dynamic force waiting for the opportunity for over a season. With Patrick’s absence, Vladimir gets an increased opportunity on the second line with Andrew Copp and Alex DeBrincat. Joe Veleno is also likely to return to the lineup and contribute to the team’s win against Montréal.
Expectations for Saturday’s Game
The Red Wings will play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday and the Canadiens will start their three-game homestand against New Jersey. Immediately after the news about Patrick being out of the game against Montréal came out on X, fans started to react in the comment section where one particular fan posted, “The fact Kaner is still playing in the NHL is amazing. He’s paid the price to get back on the ice,”. Another fan said, “It seems like there is a rift between Kane and McLellen. I hope they fix it because you need every player and coach rowing in the same direction.”
There are speculations on Kane’s return and how his presence will impact the games in the future. He might get to reunite with his teammates on the second line and potentially boost the offense for the team. The team hopes for a quick return for Patrick Kane as they look for other alternatives to fill the gap for upcoming matches.
Bettor’s Perspective of Upcoming NHL Match
Patrick Kane’s return to the NHL will influence the betting odds for the game. Punters who are interested in the recent betting trends for Red Wings games in Kane’s absence can check out the Top NHL Betting sites available online. Expert analysts have shared their opinions on various social media platforms about Kane’s return and how it could potentially sway the predictions in favor of Detroit.
