NHL Playoffs 2012: Predators' Shea Weber Fined $2,500 For Henrik Zetterberg Hit, No Suspension

It looks like Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators will have to pay for his actions on Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings. Weber has been fined by the NHL $2,500 for grabbing Detroit forward Henrik Zetterberg and slamming his head into the glass. The $2,500 is the maximum allowed as per the NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement, but at the same time, it does seem a little low given the fact that intent is unquestionable here.

Rather, the lack of a suspension of any sort is the curious part. A total of 46 games were missed due to players suspended during the regular season and preseason for "illegal hits to the head." That's not including 71 games missed for things like boarding, charging and checking from behind - which can often result in hitting one's head. Another note: it also doesn't include multiple games missed due to players suspended for head-butting.

Then you have the fact that the hit to the head fines are much lower than, say, fines you can get for questioning the NHL, yelling at officials or being "insensitive." At any rate, Weber has been fined and Zetterberg is likely good-to-go for game two, so in the end, minimal harm was actually done.

For more on the Detroit Red Wings, check out Winging It In Motown. You can check out more hockey news from around the league at SB Nation's NHL page.

Darren Helm Injury: Red Wings Center To Miss Remainder Of NHL Playoffs

The Detroit Red Wings announced on Thursday that center Darren Helm had successful surgery to repair lacerated tendons in his right forearm, following a nasty cut from a skate in the first period against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday. Helm was cut was cut badly in a collision and immediate skated quickly to the bench, tossing off his glove, and did not return to the game, which ended in a 3-2 loss for Detroit.

You can see how it happened here, courtesy of Travis Hughes of SB Nation.

Helm is expected to make a full recovery, but the team also announced that he would be out for the remainder of the playoffs, regardless of how far the team happens to make it. The injury is worse for Helm as it was his first game back since suffering an MCL sprain against the San Jose Sharks in the regular season that made him miss a handful of games. He was only on the ice for 3:08 against the Predators on Wednesday night.

It's going to hurt the Red Wings, who are now behind in the series and without the solid depth that Helm provided. Still, they've got back to being healthy in most areas, which is a relief given how injury plagued they were over the second half of the regular season.

For more on the Detroit Red Wings, check out Winging It In Motown. You can check out more hockey news from around the league at SB Nation's NHL page.

VIDEO: Shea Weber Goes All WWE On Henrik Zetterberg

NHL Playoffs 2012, Red Wings Vs. Predators Final: Detroit Thwarted By Nashville In Game 1

After decades of dominance that afforded them a primrose path through the postseason, the Detroit Red Wings found out how exceedingly difficult it is to open a playoff series away from home on Wednesday and fell to the Nashville Predators 3-2 in a tight game.

The night marked the return of Red Wings forward Darren Helm, who was expected to provide a major boost to both Detroit's power play and penalty killing units after missing time with a knee injury. But a freak injury that saw an errant skate slash Helm's wrist ended his evening after just 3:08 on the ice, and he was immediately transported to a nearby medical center for tests. He might miss a significant amount of time.

A Tomas Holmstrom goal with 2:07 remaining in the final period gave the Red Wings plenty of hope by making it a one-goal game, but Detroit could not beat a top-form Pekka Rinne despite having the puck in the zone with a man advantage for essentially the entire final minute.

The two least penalized teams in the NHL during the regular season combined to commit a whopping 15 penalties throughout this game and routinely allowed their opponent a man advantage.

The series will pick back up again on Friday at Bridgestone Arena for Game 2, a game that Detroit will desperately need to win to avoid falling into a 0-2 hole.

For more on the Red Wings, head over to Winging It In Motown. For more on the Predators, check out On The Forecheck. And for more 2012 NHL Playoffs coverage, be sure to check out SB Nation's NHL hub.

NHL Playoffs 2012, Red Wings Vs. Predators: Detroit Finds Net, Still Behind 2-1 After Two

The Detroit Red Wings finally broke through on the scoreboard, but are still behind by one goal to Nashville after two periods on Wednesday evening.

Henrik Zetterberg evened the game with a power play tally just 2:29 into the period to pull the Wings into a 1-1 tie. A fluke goal that flipped over the shoulder of a screened Jimmy Howard from the stick of Matt Halischuk gave Nashville a 2-1 advantage, one that it will now take into the third period on its home ice.

Detroit netminder Howard, beaten by a pair of flukey goals, remains a strong point for the Wings, and has continued to shut down a handful of odd man rushes from the Predators. Howard has sent away 17 Nashville shots, but only saw five during a second period that was largely dominated by the Wings on offense (15 to 5 shots).

For more on the Red Wings, head over to Winging It In Motown. For more on the Predators, check out On The Forecheck. And for more 2012 NHL Playoffs coverage, be sure to check out SB Nation's NHL hub.

Darren Helm Injury: Red Wings Forward Leaves Game 1 Against Predators

For as hard as he worked to ensure that he was back on the ice for the postseason, Detroit Red Wings forward Darren Helm had a scary moment before he could even get situated, and left Wednesday's game with Nashville in the first period with an apparent arm injury. The Detroit Free Press' Helen St. James tweeted the official report that Helm would not be coming back, playing just 3:08 of ice time before the injury bug big again.

Announcer Ken Daniels revealed that Helm was taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center immediately for tests, as it appeared that he was sliced on the wrist by an errant skate in a collision along the boards. Helm reached for his hand and wrist area right away after the contact, and went directly into the locker room. Stay tuned with SB Nation Detroit as we await word on Helm's condition.

For more on the Red Wings, head over to Winging It In Motown. For more on the 2012 NHL Playoffs, check out SB Nation's NHL hub.

NHL Playoffs 2012, Red Wings Vs. Predators: Detroit Behind 1-0 After Penalty-Filled 1st Period

Playoff hockey is finally underway, and the Detroit Red Wings trail 1-0 after one period to the Nashville Predators in the opening game of the NHL playoffs' first round.

The two least penalized teams in the league during the year, the Wings and Predators, combined for a mind-blowing six penalties in the first period, in a game that rarely saw the two teams play at even strength. Defensively, the Wings have been quite suspect through 20 minutes, and a handful of errors on the back end have directly translated to Nashville scoring opportunities.

The Predators broke the scoring open on a Paul Gaustad shot that deflected off Detroit defender Brad Stuart's skate at the 6:59 mark. From then on, however, the story was Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard, who finished the period with 12 saves, with many of them coming in key situations. Howard's play in net has been able to keep the Wings in the game, but the continuous sound of whistles has hindered Detroit's ability to get anything going offensively.

For more on the Red Wings, check out Winging It In Motown. For more on the Predators, head to On The Forecheck. And for full coverage of the 2012 NHL Playoffs, be sure to check out SB Nation's NHL hub.

NHL Playoffs 2012: Darren Helm, Dan Cleary To Play For Red Wings In Game 1

The Detroit Red Wings are getting set to kick off their playoff series against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday, and there's some interesting and pertinent injury news prior to game one. According to a Tweet from John Niyo, Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said that Darren Helm will be playing in the game.

That's a contrast to what's been said for the last week or so, with all indications being that Helm wouldn't be ready for game one, but possibly good-to-go for game two. His presence will be good for the Red Wings, who struggled mightily with injuries over the second half of the season.

It also looks like Dan Cleary is good for game one, according to another Tweet from Niyo. Recent reports suggested that Cleary would be ready in game one, but the conformation is now there. With Cleary in, and Riley Sheahan, Jan Mursak and Chris Conner out for sure as healthy scratches, that means the last forward spot is down to Gustav Nyquist and Cory Emmerton.

As far as injury news on the flip-side is concerned, there is one significant mention for the Predators: defenseman Hal Gill. He's got a lower-body injury and missed team drills on Tuesday, and was apparently injured when he blocked a shot from Stars defenseman Sheldon Souray in a game on Thursday.

The Detroit Free Press had the news that Gill will be a game-time decision. It'd be a significant loss for the Predators if he's unable to go, even if it's just one game. Either way, we'll know the status of him shortly before the game at 8:00 p.m. eastern on Wednesday.

For more on the Detroit Red Wings, check out Winging It In Motown. You can check out more hockey news from around the league at SB Nation's NHL page.

2012 NHL Playoffs, Predators Vs. Red Wings Game 1: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The fourth-seeded Nashville Predators were able to get a higher seed than the Detroit Red Wings thanks in part to an awful month of March by the Wings, but with Detroit getting healthy they might have the better overall squad on the ice. They have been pretty mediocre on the road in recent times, though, which could give the Preds an advantage when it's all said and done.

The postseason at this point basically is the regular season for the Wings since they're an automatic team in it every single year, so the Wings certainly win the contest of playoff experience. They've got all sorts of guys who have been here before.

Matchup: No. 4 Nashville Predators vs. No. 5 Detroit Red Wings

Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN

TV: Fox Sports Detroit, CNBC, CBC

Game Time: 8 p.m. ET

For more on the Detroit Red Wings, check out Winging It In Motown. For more on the Nashville Predators, head over to On The Forecheck. For more on the NHL as the playoffs begin, go to the main SB Nation NHL hub.

Red Wings Vs. Predators: NHL Playoffs Begin As Detroit Visits Nashville

The Nashville Predators will host the Detroit Red Wings at Bridgestone Arena in the first game of their 2012 NHL Playoff series on Wednesday.