It appears that Red Wings players Brian Rafalski and Pavel Datsyuk both escaped major injuries in last night’s 2-0 win over Columbus.
General manager Ken Holland said Rafalski feels fine and expects to play tomorrow night in Nashville barring any setbacks. Rafalski hurt his right knee when Columbus’ Antoine Vermette slid into him in the corner of the Red Wings zone.
“Rafalski’s planning to play, unless he has a setback between now and tomorrow,’’ Holland said. "He says he feels pretty good.
News on Datsyuk wasn’t quite as optimistic, but good nonetheless. Datsyuk sustained what the team called a “lower body” injury after he was hit by the Blue Jackets’ Rick Nash. Holland didn’t rule him out but didn’t confirm his availability either:
“Pav feels a little sore, he’s day-to-day. We’ll make a decision tomorrow morning, see how he feels.’’
Both players left the game Thursday and didn’t return. Either way, Red Wings fans breathed a sigh of relief after learning Datsyuk didn’t reinjure his hand that kept him out nearly two months.