SB Nation Detroit - Brian Rafalski Records Assist In Return From Knee Surgeryhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48919/detroit-fave.png2010-11-09T00:37:35-05:00http://detroit.sbnation.com/rss/stream/15114632010-11-09T00:37:35-05:002010-11-09T00:37:35-05:00Brian Rafalski Records Assist In Return From Knee Surgery
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<p>Red Wings defenseman <span>Brian Rafalski</span> made his return from knee surgery on Monday night against the Coyotes. In his first game since Oct. 9, Rafalski recorded an assist and 15:18 of ice time. His assist actually came on a goal scored by <span>Dan Cleary</span> only 1:40 into the game, so it didn't take long for Rafalski to make an impact.</p>
<p>Rafalski was forced to miss almost a month of action after having arthroscopic knee surgery back on Oct. 12. He finally was able to return to practice last week and then obviously got into game action on Monday, playing in a little more than 15 minutes of the game.</p>
<p>Rafalski was paired with <span>Jonathan Ericsson</span> on the third line for Monday's game against the Coyotes, which the Wings won in overtime, 3-2. <span>Jakub Kindl</span> was a healthy scratch with Rafalski coming back. Mike Babcock opted to put <span>Nicklas Lidstrom</span> with <span>Brad Stuart</span> on the first defensive line and <span>Niklas Kronwall</span> with <span>Ruslan Salei</span> on the second line. I would imagine Rafalski will work his way up the pairings pretty quickly, as he was only on the third line on Monday because it was unclear just how much he could play. As he gets back into playing shape, I'd expect Babcock to move him to the second line, if not the first line with Lidstrom.</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-red-wings/2010/11/9/1802904/brian-rafalski-records-assist-in-return-from-knee-surgerySean Yuille2010-11-04T22:35:41-04:002010-11-04T22:35:41-04:00Brian Rafalski Could Return From Knee Surgery On Monday
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<p>Red Wings defenseman <span>Brian Rafalski</span> <a href="http://redwingsfront.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/ericsson-ready-to-go-rafalski-back-monday/">hit the ice earlier this week</a> for the first time since he had arthroscopic knee surgery back on Oct. 12. Rafalski got on the ice prior to the Wings' practice and made the trip to Western Canada with the team.</p>
<p>Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said that he hopes Rafalski will be able to return from his injury on Monday when Detroit hosts the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/teams/phoenix-coyotes">Phoenix Coyotes</a>. The Wings have played well despite being without one of their top defensemen, but you can bet they will be glad to get Rafalski back. They actually just got <span>Jonathan Ericsson</span> back on Wednesday, so barring any injuries this weekend, the Wings could be back to full strength defensively on Monday.</p>
<p>For what it's worth, Rafalski joined Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond for commentary during part of Wednesday's game against the Flames and reiterated Babcock's comments, saying he hopes to return on Monday. Barring a setback, that is the plan.</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-red-wings/2010/11/4/1794896/brian-rafalski-could-return-from-knee-surgery-on-mondaySean Yuille2010-10-12T16:42:50-04:002010-10-12T16:42:50-04:00Red Wings' Brian Rafalski Has Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
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<p><a href="https://www.wingingitinmotown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Detroit Red Wings</a> defenseman <span>Brian Rafalski</span> underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee Tuesday afternoon. According to general manager Ken Holland, the procedure was done to "<a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20101012/SPORTS05/101012030/1053/sports05/Red-Wings-Rafalski-(knee)-out-3-4-weeks">clean out some loose particles</a>." Rafalski is expected to be out three to four weeks. </p>
<p>Wings coach Mike Babcock believes Rafalski's knee troubles stem back to offseason back surgery which prevented him from doing strength work on his legs.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2010/10/red_wings_brian_rafalski_to_ha.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+mlive_sports+(MLive.com+Sports)&utm_content=Twitter">From MLive.com</a>:</p>
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<p>"He had a little pain and it hadn’t reacted the way it had in the past,'' Babcock said. "He had the back surgery this summer and the quads probably aren’t as strong, so his knee, which he hurt when he was 18, suddenly there’s more wear and tear."</p>
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<p>Rafalski also had surgery on the same knee when he was 18, perhaps leaving it a bit more vulnerable to injury under the circumstances. He struggled with the knee throughout the preseason, even having <a href="http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2010/09/red_wings_brian_rafalski_has_k.html">fluid drained from it</a> at one point. </p>
<p>The need for a defenseman further explains why the Wings <a href="http://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-red-wings/2010/10/12/1746793/kris-draper-injured-reserve-doug-janik-red-wings">chose to recall</a> Doug Janik from Grand Rapids and place Kris Draper on injured reserve. </p>
<p>Janik will be in the lineup on Tuesday night for the Wings' game versus the Colorado Avalanche. He'll be <a href="http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2010/10/red_wings_brian_rafalski_to_ha.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+mlive_sports+(MLive.com+Sports)&utm_content=Twitter">paired up</a> with Niklas Kronwall. </p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/2010/10/12/2322461/red-wings-brian-rafalski-has-arthroscopic-knee-surgeryIan Casselberry