Red Wings Lose Game to Wild, Hronek to Upper Body Injury

The Detroit Red Wings are falling. They’re also dropping like flies. That crashing sound you heard just might be the wheels coming off the club’s hopes and dreams of making the NHL playoffs.

For the second successive game, the Wings tasted defeat. They also lost another member of the team’s core to what appears to be a serious injury.

Early in the first period of Wednesday’s 4-1 road setback at the Minnesota Wild, Wild tough guy Ryan Reaves leveled Detroit defenseman Filip Hronek with a heavy check. Catching Hronek with his head down at the Red Wings blueline, Reaves appeared to catch Hronek with a head shot. The four game officials huddled and came to the determination that no penalty was warranted from the check.

Looking woozy after after getting to his feet, Hronek was Heading immediately to the Detroit dressing room. He did not return to action.

UPDATE: #RedWings defenseman Filip Hronek will not return tonight.

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 15, 2022

In Tuesday’s 1-0 home-ice loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit captain Dylan Larkin didn’t return for the third period. Earlier in the game, a shot from Carolina defenseman Brent Burns hit Larkin in the right hand. Larkin was out for Wednesday’s game. He’s waiting to see a specialist to get further word on the extent of his injury.

Larkin and Hronek are 1-3 on the Wings in scoring. Other key players missing for Detroit include forwards Tyler Bertuzzi (upper body), Filip Zadina (lower body), Robby Fabbri (knee surgery) and Jakub Vrana (personal) and defenseman Olli Maatta (illness).

Hellberg Suffering First NHL Loss

Hronek’s injury was overshadowing the fact that goalie Magnus Hellberg was making his first start of the season in goal for Detroit. It’s another clear sign that the club is concerned by the poor form shown this season by Alex Nedeljkovic.

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Stopping 18 shots, Hellberg was suffering the first loss of his NHL career. He’d been 3-0 coming into Wednesday’s game.

Red Wings Soderblom Delivers On Recall

Getting a call up from the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins following the injury to Larkin, rookie forward Elmer Soderblom was delivering the goods. His second-period tally was the first by the Wings in a span of 124:10 and was breifly narrowing Minnesota’s lead to 2-1.

Big Elmer's 3rd of the season. 👏 pic.twitter.com/2wFqMGSo79

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 15, 2022

However, just 16 seconds later, with Mats Zuccarello scoring, the Wild were erasing any momentum Detroit might have been gaining from Soderblom’s goal.

Facts And Observations

1. In Detroit’s last seven games against teams that made the 2021-22 NHL playoffs, the club is a combined 1-5-1
2. The Wings lost the second game of back to backs for the first time this season. They’d been 3-0 in that scenario this season
3. Detroit is 0-3-1 in the last four games and 2-4-2 over the past eight games
4. Hellberg won his first three NHL games for three different teams (Nashville, Detroit, Ottawa). No other goalie in league history has done that
5. The Red Wings are 0-3 in their last three at Minnesota and 1-6 in the last seven at xcel Energy Arena. Overall, Detroit is 1-5-1 in the last seven games facing the Wild