Tomas Holmstrom appeared to have injured his back after tangling with Penguins’ defenseman Hal Gill last night. He slid into the net and remained there, in obvious pain, long enough for the refs to stop play. He was helped up and skated off under his own power, but did not return to the game.
Holmstrom and Gill had been going at each other all game, with Holmstrom suckering Gill into a couple of key penalties, including one during which Johan Franzen scored. Holmstrom’s presence around the net is his main contribution to the Red Wings, and if his back is bothering him he will not be able to be as menacing as he usually is.
There was no mention of Holmstrom’s injury by the Detroit Red Wings, other than Coach Mike Babcock’s admission that after the game Holmstrom wasn’t feeling great. The Wings did not practice on Thursday, but will skate on Friday, so it will be interesting to see if Holmstrom skates.
