Lower-body injury slows Red Wings’ Cleary
Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock downplayed Daniel Cleary’s absence from Saturday’s morning skate, suggesting the forward would be in the lineup on against Pittsburgh later in the evening (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 7:30 p.m. ET).
The 30-year-old native of Carbonear, N.L., is said to be suffering from a lower-body injury.
Red Wings defenceman Brian Rafalski and rookie centre Justin Abdelkader also missed Saturday’s workout, while centre Pavel Datsyuk skated alongside Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. He will make his series debut after suffering a foot injury.
“Cleary and Raf both didn’t skate,” Babcock said. “Both are supposed to play. Abby had a bit of the flu. I think these guys are all available for tonight, so we’ll just make decisions at game time.”
Cleary was more cautious about his status, admitting he suffered an injury in Game 4 and hinting he might not be able to go in Game 5.
“We’ll see,” said Cleary, who indicated he’d take the pre-game warm-up before making the final call. “You want to be playing in the finals.”
Cleary indicated his ailment was partially due to the lower-body injury he suffered in practice just prior to the playoffs and partially a new aggravation. “It’s a little bit of both,” he said.
Cleary, in his 10th NHL season, is fourth in team scoring in this year’s playoffs with 14 points in 20 games after posting 40 points during the regular campaign.
The Red Wings and Penguins are tied 2-2 in the Stanley Cup final series.
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