Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk might not be as close to returning as he thought.
Datsyuk, who broke his hand Dec. 22, was initially aiming for a return Wednesday against Ottawa, but wasn’t quite ready just yet. Two days later, it appears not much has changed as Datsyuk will sit tonight against Columbus.
The question for Datsyuk is if not now, then when will he return? Detroit plays at home tonight against the Blue Jackets, but will travel to Nashville to play the Predators tomorrow. If nothing improves, Monday at home against the New York Rangers looks to be a solid candidate for a Datsyuk sighting.
Tomas Holmstrom also practiced, but he’s going to sit tonight as well as he recovers from his own broken hand.