SMC 4-5-2015 Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all on this pleasant Sunday morning.  The Hurricanes have some work cut out for them to be contenders next season, but they do have a good sore to build upon.  Remember that cam Ward is still only 31 years old. Claude Giroux must be playing with a nagging injury for half the season. I’ve been touting the Columbus Blue Jackets as the team to watch next season.  Well, they are ending this disappointing one with a 9-game winning streak at the moment. The Eastern Conference playoff teams should count their blessings that they won’t be facing these red-hot (and) Blue Jackets.  Congrats to Nick Foligno with his first career hattie.  He has had some breakout season. Pittsburgh has not been playing well of late but as long as they make the playoffs, everything changes. I’m thinking that David Savard is getting valuable ice time with Wisniewski gone to Anaheim.  He could be a great sleeper pick in September. The Winnipeg Jets are fighting tooth-and-nail for a playoff spot.  What city will have a blast if they make it? Bring ear plugs please. Alex Burrows-Henrik Sedin-Daniel Sedin combined for 7 points.  No, this isn’t 2009-2010. Ottawa is keeping the heat on Boston, and now Pittsburgh. The New York Islanders shut out the Buffalo Sabres but they are going to have to tighten up their game when they play against higher level talent or it will be a short ride. Zach Parise has to be the quietest 30-goal scorer in the NHL. Danny DeKeyser has been a bit of an assist-machine of late with 5 in his last 6 games.  Keep an eye on him for next year.  One of those last round picks. Steven Stamkos pretty much ended the Florida Panthers season last night with 2 goals and an assist. What was once a very intense rivalry is now just two teams heading in opposite directions as the New York Rangers trampled the New Jersey Devils 6-1 and the lone Devil goal came with just under 4 minutes remaining and the game well in hand for the Blueshirts. The Rangers are atop the NHL at this point and they have games in hand on the ones they are competing with. 3 different Rangers had a part in the scoring showing their balance. I think Tyler Johnson should be getting his deserved ‘props’ from here on out. The Predators once looked invincible but since the point Pekka Rinne got injured, they haven’t been the same team. If it weren’t for missing time due to an injury, Tyler Seguin would have won the scoring title hands down.  Boston, what were you ...

Dekeyser, 24, had four goals and 19 assists (23 points) in 65 games with the Red Wings in his first full pro season. The smooth skating defenceman was a calming presence on Detroit's blueline and should continue to develop his game as a top-4 NHL D-man.

The Red Wings can't better their spot in the standings so they will get rest some key players today vs. St. Louis. WIth DeKeyser out, Xavier Ouellet will play.

DeKeyser missed Saturday's game vs. Dallas, but is likely to return on Thursday vs. San Jose. There has been no official word from the Red Wings so monitor his status on Thursday. He has recorded 10 points (2G / 8A) in 27 games.

The injury could be a groin which means day-to-day could mean a couple of weeks. The Wings have recalled defenseman Alexey Marchenko from Grand Rapids to take his place on the blue line. He's expected to make his NHL debut Saturday in Dallas. Expect a more detailed injury update to come later in the day or on Saturday.

DeKeyser's original timetable was 3-6 weeks and he will have returned in four weeks. He has not played since November 19, but will suit up against the Maple Leafs on Saturday. There is no word on who will come out of the lineup with DeKeyser back, but he did take Jakub Kindl's spot on the second power-play unit, so it could be Kindl or Brian Lashoff.

DeKeyser has been sidelined since November 19, but is eligible to come off of LTIR for Saturday's game. He has been productive in his first full NHL season, registering two goals and seven assists in 22 games.

DeKeyser's return will be huge for the Red Wings. He was fantastic offensively and defensively in his first 22 games of the season. He has not played since November 19, but could be back in the lineup next Tuesday vs. Anaheim or Thursday vs. Calgary.

DeKeyser is on long-term injured reserve and is eligible to return between December 12-14, but he is not sure if he will be ready by then. He is aiming for a mid-to-late December return - especially with the Winter Classic on January 1. Before being injured he was averaging 25:04 TOI in his last five games and had two goals and nine points in 22 games.

DeKeyser was injured in the first period of Tuesday's contest following a hit from Patric Hornqvist. The original diagnosis was 1-2 weeks, but he was re-evaluated this morning and the doctors said he will miss 3-6 weeks. Placement on LTIR means he is out for a minimum of 10 games and 24 days. This is a tough break for a young defenseman who was playing very well in his first full season. DeKeyser had two goals and six assists in his last 11 games.