Detroit Red Wings forward James van Riemsdyk appears to be trending toward a return to the ice for their upcoming game on Wednesday evening.
One of the main components for the Detroit Red Wings in their dramatic 4-3 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars on Dec. 23 was the play of veteran James van Riemsdyk, who not only scored the opening goal of the contest but also set up the game-tying goal by Dylan Larkin late in the third period.
His incredible between-the-legs feed to a wide-open Larkin in the slot resulted in the game-tying goal, and it was Larkin who eventually scored in overtime to secure the extra point for Detroit. But during the contest, van Riemsdyk missed several shifts after blocking a shot from a teammate.
Despite returning later in the game, he has not been in the Detroit lineup for either of their subsequent games, a 5-2 setback against the Carolina Hurricanes followed by a 3-2 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
van Riemsdyk was back on the ice at the BELFOR Training Facility inside Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday morning, and according to head coach Todd McLellan, things are trending in the right direction for a return on Wednesday evening.
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As van Riemsdyk would indicate following practice, he feels better and is getting to make a return to the lineup.
"I've been skating the last couple of days, and it's good to get back out there, getting ramped up and ready to play," he said.
As far as how he's feeling, it was a much more optimistic outlook.
"I'm feeling much better, but I was a little limited for sure, especially the last few days," he said of missing the last two games. "Definitely much better today, and trending in the right direction; we'll see where it goes from there."
van Riemsdyk has scored nine goals so far in his first season with the Red Wings, six of which have come in December alone. During that span, he tallied in four straight games, a new career-high.
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