The absence of Lucas Raymond presents an opportunity for the rest of the Detroit Red Wings to step up their own games as stated by rookie Michael Brandsegg-Nygård.
The bad news for the Detroit Red Wings is that forward Lucas Raymond, who is tied for the team lead in goals so far this young season with two, will not be available for Wednesday evening's tilt against the Florida Panthers.
The good news is that the injury that forced him from Monday afternoon's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs isn't considered to be serious, and he was officially designated as day-to-day by head coach Todd McLellan.
Rookie forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, who will be getting time on Detroit's second power-play unit, said following Wednesday's morning skate that Raymond's absence isn't the ideal situation but that it presents an opportunity for the rest of the team to step up their own game.
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"He's a big part of the team, but we have a good team," he said. "It's a chance for everyone on the team to work harder, and I think we're on the right path now, and we know what to do, so I don't think it should be a big problem."
The Red Wings are running the gauntlet early on in the season, with the Panthers representing their fourth of what will be five consecutive matchups against Atlantic Division opponents.
They did take both games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, first with a 6-3 victory on home ice followed by a tight 3-2 win in Toronto on Monday afternoon.
During the latter, the Red Wings were badly outshot, and yet thanks to some late game heroics from Mason Appleton and a superman-like performance from Cam Talbot, they came away with all four points available in the short home-and-home series.
"Of course we want the shots to be higher, we want to get pucks on net and we talked about it a lot in Camp to get pucks on net," Brandsegg-Nygård. "We didn't do it in that game but like Talbs said, we found a way to win."
It was Talbot who said that good teams find ways to win even when the stats don't paint the prettiest of pictures, and his teammates proved him right.
Not only did Appleton tally late in regulation for what was ultimately the game-winner, but James van Riemsdyk also tallied his first goal in a Red Wings uniform as part of his debut.
How 'Bout Them Apples: Mason Appleton Happy To Come Up In Clutch For Red Wings
First-year Detroit Red Wings forward Mason Appleton came through in the clutch for his team in the final minute of Monday afternoon's tilt against the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was both the game-winning goal as well as his first tally since joining the Red Wings.
Brandsegg-Nygård earned a roster spot thanks to his strong play both in Training Camp and the pre-season schedule, and he'll be one of the players the Red Wings will look to provide a spark during Raymond's absence.
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