Derek Lalonde confirms a worrisome injury to forward Andrew Copp that somehow went uncalled by the referees.
It was undoubtedly a disheartening night for the Detroit Red Wings, as they missed a significant opportunity to advance in the tightly-contested Eastern Conference standings. They struggled to find a way past Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren, who made an impressive 43 saves, until the final moments of regulation when they scored with just 0.9 seconds remaining, trailing 2-0. However, a moment during the third period sparked considerable outrage, as forward Andrew Copp was high-sticked by Nicholas Aube-Kubel, resulting in a broken cheekbone. Yet, no penalty was called on the play.
The Red Wings fell in regulation to Washington
Despite outshooting the Capitals by nearly a 2-1 margin for most of the first two periods, the Capitals managed to capitalize on a failed clearing attempt by J.T. Compher, leading to a goal from Dylan Strome to break the ice. Then, with just seconds remaining in the period, future Hall of Fame forward Alex Ovechkin beat goaltender Alex Lyon with a wicked snap shot, marking his 30th goal of the season, and was ultimately the game-winner.
Patrick Kane managed to finally get the puck past Lindgren, breaking his shutout bid, but it came too late with only 0.9 seconds remaining, and the outcome was all but officially sealed.
Derek Lalonde confirms Andrew Copp suffered a broken cheekbone
Naturally, Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde wasn’t pleased with the fact that not only was there no penalty called, but that the on-ice officials didn’t even review it.
“Doc just told me he broke his cheekbone; he’s going to get an x-ray to get it confirmed,” Lalonde said. “My understanding was if it’s an injury they can take a look at it. Again, it’s hindsight now because he’s got a broken cheekbone, but that stings even more. They said they didn’t see it. What can you do?
“They never took a look at it. Again, there’s no blood. Again, my understanding is if an injury is caused before the whistle, they can take a look at it. Obviously, a blatant high stick. If it hits him in the visor, you can probably move on from it. But the fact he broke his cheekbone, that one stings a little bit. I feel for Copper. Obviously, I don’t know what the situation is going forward, but that would be a big loss for us.”
If Copp is unable to play on Thursday, the Red Wings may be forced to call up a forward from the AHL.
“It’ll be a different look. Other guys will have to step up,” Lalonde said of Detroit’s lineup potentially without Copp. “Probably ask a little bit more from (Joe) Veleno, which obviously he’s more than capable of. It’s just that time of year. You’re going to go through some of these things.”
In the 77 games that Copp has played this season, he’s tallied 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists).
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- The Detroit Red Wings were defeated in regulation by the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night by a 2-1 final score
- Andrew Copp suffered a broken cheekbone after being high-sticked in the 3rd period
- Derek Lalonde confirms the worrisome injury following the loss, and didn’t have further information about his status
Bottom Line: It’s now or never for Detroit
Despite the disappointing setback to Washington, the Red Wings are somehow still mathematically alive in the standings. Washington now occupies the 2nd Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Red Wings face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night in another crucial matchup with significant postseason implications.
