Red Wings put captain Dylan Larkin on IR after cross-check that knocked him unconscious
DALLAS (AP) — Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was put on injured reserve Monday, two days after being knocked unconscious when he was cross-checked in the back of the head and neck by Ottawa’s Mathieu Joseph.
The Red Wings also placed left wing J.T. Compher and center Klim Kostin on injured reserve with undisclosed injuries before their game Monday night at Dallas. Zach Aston-Reese, Jonatan Berggren and Austin Czarnik were recalled from Grand Rapids of the AHL under emergency conditions.
Larkin was motionless face-down on the ice for about a minute after the hit in Detroit's 5-1 loss on Saturday, though he was able to get up and leave with assistance.
“I think it was a positive that he was able to get up and be helped off the ice rather than on the stretcher,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said Monday.
Asked if Larkin had a concussion, Lalonde said “that's not my category” and that the captain would be listed with an upper-body injury. Larkin will be unavailable for at least a week.
“No timeframe on it. ... we'll know more in the next few days,” Lalonde said. “Unfortunate to lose a player of that caliber for an extended period of time.”
Lalonde said he spoke to Larkin for about 20 minutes Sunday night and that the 27-year-old center was in good spirits. Larkin has 11 goals and 14 assists in 24 games this season.
Red Wings forward David Perron was suspended for six games by the NHL for cross-checking Ottawa defenseman Artem Zub in the aftermath of the hit on Larkin. Perron was given a match penalty for intent to injure for cross-checking Zub as he stood next to the prone Larkin.
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