Detroit Red Wings team captain Dylan Larkin, who has been a recent regular participant in practice, gave the latest update on his condition after having missed the last seven games.
Tuesday evening presents the Detroit Red Wings with yet another divisional challenge and, at the same time, a tremendous opportunity.
The Red Wings host the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena (7:00 p.m. ET), who are only a single point behind them in the ultra-tight Eastern Conference postseason chase.
However, there is a good chance Tuesday's game could feature the return of team captain and emotional leader Dylan Larkin, who has missed the last seven games with a lower-body injury that he sustained on March 6.
While Larkin stopped short of confirming his return, it sounded as though he had made enough progress to rejoin the lineup.
"I still have to see how today goes, and I think it's still a game-time decision, but I feel good and made really good progress," Larkin said following Tuesday's morning skate. "I'm really trying anything I can to get back."
Larkin fell to the ice after awkwardly twisting his right leg during Detroit’s 3–1 loss to the Florida Panthers earlier this month. While he was initially labeled day-to-day, that timeline was soon extended to a two-week re-evaluation.
While Larkin declined to comment on the specific timeline initially provided to him by the club’s medical staff, he reiterated his commitment to returning to game action as soon as possible.
"Like I said, I'm trying as hard as I can to get back as soon as possible."
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Without Larkin, the Red Wings began a four-game road trip with a 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils, but then suffered damaging regulation losses to both the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
After stealing a point in an overtime setback against the Dallas Stars, Detroit returned home and earned critical victories over the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens, but were defeated on Saturday night by the Boston Bruins, whom they are also neck-and-neck with in the postseason chase.
"Scoreboard watching hasn't been the most fun thing to do, but it's the way it's going this year," Larkin said. "I think it was like this a few years ago, but it is what it is. You have to take care of business."
"I hope we can capitalize on some of these chances, and not get to the point where our destiny isn't in our control."
In 2024, Detroit's point cushion shrank beginning in early March when Larkin suffered an injury against, coincidentally, the Panthers. While they eventually won their two final regular-season games dramatically over the Montreal Canadiens to keep their hopes alive, they missed the playoffs by a single point because of a tiebreaker.
For Larkin, being sidelined again with an injury during such an important stretch of the season was nothing short of frustrating.
“It was very frustrating. You hear the noise about this time of the year, and to have it happen when it did, it was extremely frustrating, and I was down about it,” he said. “But my teammates lifted me up, and that’s why it’s a team sport.”
While Larkin confirmed it was the first time in his playing career he had suffered that kind of injury, he declined to specify exactly what it was while also noting he was fortunate it wasn't more severe.
"I got pretty lucky," he said. "That's all I'll say about the injury."
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