Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk left Wednesday’s game near the end of the first period and won’t return with what the team is calling an upper-body injury.
Datsyuk fell awkwardly on his right arm after being tripped up by a Vancouver defender in front of Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo. Datsyuk was seen on Fox Sports Detroit cameras being attended to by Red Wings staff on the bench. He didn’t return to the bench after the first intermission.
After the rash of injuries the team went through last season, losing Datsyuk for an extended period would be devastating to say the least. Detroit is already missing Mike Modano long-term after he severed a tendon in his wrist.
Datsyuk leads the team with 39 points this season on 12 goals and 27 assists.