DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin will see a specialist today for an unspecified injury suffered from a check into the boards during Thursday’s season-opening 7-6 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Little Caesars Arena.
Larkin also had a hearing today with NHL Player Safety for his retaliatory punch to the face on Mathieu Joseph, who moments before had cross-checked him in the back into the boards, causing the injury.
Larkin was on the ice briefly before practice Friday but didn’t try to accelerate or do anything. He took a short twirl and left after a minute or two.
Coach Jeff Blashill said he had no health update on Larkin or any indication of the significance of the injury.
“He could not practice today,” Blashill said. “I don’t know what that means moving forward. He’ll go see some people today and we’ll see where that goes.”
It was Larkin’s first game since April 20 in Dallas, when he suffered a neck injury on a cross-check from Jamie Benn. Larkin was hospitalized and placed in a cervical collar for eight weeks.
Neither Benn nor Joseph was penalized for their initial hits on Larkin, and Benn was not disciplined by the NHL.
Larkin received a match penalty and was ejected from the game at 11:40 of the second period for punching Joseph.
Blashill said it’s important to understand what was going through Larkin’s head as the play happened.
“At the end of last year late in a game against Dallas Larks got cross-checked in the back of the neck with enough force that he spent the night in the hospital and spent eight weeks in a cervical hard collar,” Blashill said. “There was no penalty on the play, which happens, things happen fast. There was no suspension. So if you’re Dylan Larkin or you’re us, it kind of sets a standard a little bit, that that’s not worthy of (a penalty) and we got to make sure we police ourselves a little bit. That’s partially what would go through his head.
“And then you fast forward to last night’s game . They got a player who’s trying to play up the lineup for the first time and kind of took a run at (Lucas) Raymond on one side and then comes back over and hits (Larkin) right in the numbers and Larks has his head basically (down) going into the glass and at that point gets up – there’s no penalty called – and he’s thinking we have to police ourselves out here. I talked last night about not losing emotional control, but I certainly understand it. Larks would tell you that he’d like to take that (punch) back; what he was really trying to do was get his attention to fight him. Personally, we’d like to be in a position where it’s a penalty on the original hit and then I don’t know if anything happens.”
Blashill said he is upset that Larkin is absorbing this punishment and feels the need to defend himself.
“I feel bad, (ticked) off for Larks that he’s got to take that punishment and then feels the need on a regular basis to kind of defend himself,” Blashill said. “In the game of hockey right now the most dangerous plays are the plays around the boards. There’s a lot of talk about when guys turn, but that wasn’t the case at all, (Larkin) was clearly going for the puck. When you get up on the numbers and make any kind of pushing motion, whether it’s a push or a cross-check – there was one on (Michael Rasmussen) late in the game that was a cross-check and that was called – but the push is the same effect as the cross-check. It’s something that’s dangerous.
“I’ll be disappointed (if Larkin is suspended), but I also know where Larks is coming from. He’s got a feeling like he’s got to police himself a little bit.”
If Larkin isn’t available for Saturday’s game vs. Vancouver at LCA, due to his health or a potential suspension, Robby Fabbri will move into the top-line center spot alongside Tyler Bertuzzi and Lucas Raymond.
More: Red Wings glean some positives from ‘gut punch’ in opener
Ad Choices