The Detroit Red Wings’ lineup, already depleted after the trade deadline, sustained another hit Wednesday.
Robby Fabbri, a top-six forward and power play guy, left in the first period of the game at Little Caesars Arena after a hit along the boards from Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson. Fabbri limped to the bench and down the tunnel to the locker room.
“We’ll know more (Thursday),” coach Derek Lalonde said. “When he initially did it, he went and tried to skate on the other sheet.
“Obviously his past history, what he has been through — you cross your fingers on that one.”
Fabbri missed the first three months of the season recovering from a third knee surgery, playing his first game Jan. 4. He has seven goals and nine assists in 27 games.
“You don’t like to see guys getting injured,” forward Dominik Kubalik said after scoring the winning goal in the 4-3 victory. “We’ve been through a lot, especially Fabs. It was a long time when he was out and he has been playing really well and he was part of our leader group. It’s not what you want to see.
“I kind of feel we really wanted to win it for him, so I’m happy that we did.”
It’s the second time within two weeks the Wings have seen a forward limp off the ice: Michael Rasmussen, in the midst of a career year, was hurt during the Feb. 25 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning when a puck fired by Zach Bogosian hit Rasmussen in the right kneecap, ending his season.
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The Wings lost three forwards and a defenseman at the trade deadline. Top-line winger Tyler Bertuzzi was sent to the Boston Bruins (who the Wings play in a home-and-home this weekend), and Oskar Sundqvist, a bottom-six forward and power play presence, was traded to the Minnesota Wild. Top-four defenseman Filip Hronek was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, and forward Jakub Vrana, who only appeared in five games, was sent to the St. Louis Blues.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.