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Red Wings Luff Keeps Going After Taking Puck to Face

Red Wings Matt Luff bloodied after taking slapshot to the face

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Matt Luff, Red Wings
A puck to the face left Red Wings forward Matt Luff an unslightly mess.

If the Detroit Red Wings are seeking out a nickname for recent call-up Matt Luff, we’re putting forth Timex as a recommendation.

Luff is definitely someone who takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

In the third period of Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild at Little Caesars Arena, Red Wings forward Luff went to block a shot by Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba. The shot, clocked at 89 mph, rode up Luff’s stick, clapping him directly under his lower lip.

The damage caused was requiring 16 stiches to repair the damage. Some of Luff’s teeth were also dislodged.

“He should be fine,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said of Luff after Saturday’s game. “He’s got a lip the size of a watermelon right now, but I think he’s fine.”

Hockey player that he is, Luff was back on the ice practicing with the Red Wings on Sunday. He’s expecting to be back in the lineup Monday. The Red Wings are playing at the Buffalo Sabres in an Atlantic Division matchup.

Luff Off To Fast Start

Once the Red Wings were running into injury trouble at forward, Luff was the first player to get the call from the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. He was sharing the team lead in scoring with 3-4-7 totals through five games at the time of his recall.

Saturday was his second game for the Red Wings and first home game. Luff made his Detroit debut in Thursday’s 5-1 loss at Boston.

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He was an offeseason free-agent signing. The 25-year-old right-winger was producing 3-3-6 totals in 23 games last season for the Nashville Predators. Prior to that, over three seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, Luff was collecting 10-7-17 numbers over 64 games.

Passed over in the NHL entry draft, Luff spent three seasons in the AHL with the Ontario Reign before making his NHL debut for the Kings on Nov. 3, 2018 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.