The Detroit Red Wings ready themselves to face the Blackhawks on Sunday with some additions and subtractions from their last lineup.
On the bright side, defenseman Jonathan Ericsson and forward Patrick Eaves are back in action. That comes at the expense of Darren Helm (back) and Jakub Kindl, according to Fox Sports Detroit’s Trevor Thompson.
Helm, 26, played his first game of the season on Friday, but apparently throwing his body around for four hits took its toll.
Ericsson has only played in a single contest himself, yet one might argue his presence will mean more than Helm’s absence. The 28-year-old Swede comes back into action on a battered Detroit blueline against a high-flying Chicago offense.
He was dealing with a shoulder injury suffered on Jan. 20.
Either way, it won’t be easy for Detroit, who carry a 2-2-0 record into the United Center.