Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, Nikolai Khabibulin Out for Game 4

Huge news out of Chicago, where the Detroit Red Wings are severely crippled in their bid to gain a stranglehold on the Western Conference Finals. All-Everything defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom suffered a lower-body injury in Game 3 of the series Friday night and will miss Sunday's game. It's the first time in Lidstrom's career that he has sat out a Red Wings playoff game -- a streak of 228 games..

Also out is forward Pavel Datsyuk, who will miss his second straight game in the series with a bad foot. He took a puck off his foot during Game 2 in Detroit.

The Chicago Blackhawks made an involuntary goalie change for Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. That change appears to remain in effect for Game 4 Sunday afternoon.

Reports out of the United Center are that Nikolai Khabibulin, who started the first 15 Chicago playoff games, is not on the ice for the pregame warmup, and he will not play. Instead, Cristobal Huet will make his first start of the playoffs.

It does appear that Martin Havlat will be able to play in this game, despite getting knocked out cold in Game 3. Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall, who knocked Havlat silly with a hit that drew a five-minute penalty, was not suspended by the league and will play.

There is more bad news for Detroit. The Red Wings lost Kris Draper to a lower-body injury in Game 3, and he is not going to play.

After this game, the teams get an extra day off, with Game 5 not contested until Wednesday night in Detroit. Only time will tell if any of these injured players will be able to return with that extra day to prepare.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-24-2009 @ 4:07PM

Pasko said...

When did Blackhawks fans turn into such total namby-pamby, whine, crying pantywaists?

5-24-2009 @ 4:15PM

When did Blackhawks fans turn into such total namby-pamby, whining, crying, miserable, hapless, pathetic pantywaists?

5-24-2009 @ 4:47PM

The Blackhawks did a great job of holding the Wings to only 5 goals in the first 30 minutes of today's game.

Stick a fork in the Blackhawks, Joel Quenneville has become unglued.

5-24-2009 @ 4:54PM

The Blackhawks are killing themselves by taking so many penalties after play has been whistled down. That is because the Blackhawks are utterly and totally undisciplined and have no leadership.

5-24-2009 @ 4:55PM

Corey Crawford is the third Chicago netminder to be fed into the Red Wings meat grinder.

5-24-2009 @ 4:58PM

Joel Quenneville's strategy of containing Zetterberg in today's game is working out pretty good. Zetterberg has only scored one goal so far.

5-24-2009 @ 5:08PM

Brian Campbell tried to decapitate Marian Hossa at center ice, but he missed, and instead Hossa waltzed in and scored with Campbell totally out of position.

5-24-2009 @ 5:43PM

Zetterberg shoots ... he scores!

Detroit 6 -- Chicago 1

5-24-2009 @ 5:48PM

Versteeg wanted to fight Juri Hudler. LMFAO! Juri Hudler is one of the smallest players in the entire League,and Vesteeg went after Hudler. You cannot make this stuff up. The referee threw Versteeg out of the game, ha ha ha ha lol lol lol lol ho ho ho ho.

5-24-2009 @ 6:01PM

The Blackhawks did a great job of holding the Wings to only one goal in the third period.