Red Wings announce tough love decision for veteran defenseman

The Detroit Red Wings hit the ice in the friendly confines of Little Caesars Arena this evening against the Original 6 rival Montreal Canadiens, and they'll be attempting to stop the trend of the kind of slow start that doomed them on Tuesday night against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. 

One player who skated for the Red Wings against the Rangers will not be available tonight, as it was unfortunately announced that the oft-injured forward Robby Fabbri is unavailable this evening. He made his return to the lineup for the first time since October 12 on Tuesday night, but is being held out of the lineup as a precaution, as the Red Wings don't want him playing in consecutive games just yet.

Forward Austin Czarnik will slot into the lineup in Fabbri's place.

“He plays fast, he’s a smart player,” head coach Derek Lalonde said of Czarnik. “Reliable. He can play on the wing. We’ve killed him at times. We could use him on the power play. He’s very valuable player for us. We like him, obviously, how we’ve used him of late. Very reliable player.”

Fans will also notice that Lalonde has made the call to designate defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere a healthy scratch; he was -2 against the Rangers on Tuesday. In the words of head coach Derek Lalonde, he's pleased with Gostisbehere's overall game but that his sitting out tonight is a chance for him to reset. 

“For him, maybe a little reset,” Lalonde explained. “Not a strong game for him the other day, but at the same time if you take his body of work for the year he’s been excellent for us. A little slip in his game, the luxury of having seven quality D that we’re all comfortable with. A little breather, time to watch one, we expect him back in on Saturday.”

“He drives the power play when it was going well,” Lalonde continued. “A little but on the defensive end, too.”

Recommended articles:

• Life-changing announcement from Dylan Larkin
• David Perron gets brutally honest on what Red Wings must fix
• Crucial injury updates released by Red Wings
• Trade brewing in Detroit due to unique goalie situation
• Steve Dangle chirps William Nylander's agent after Red Wings trade for Alex DeBrincat