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Red Wings reportedly hope to get Kronwall (knee) back by end of season

Niklas Kronwall

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall (55) scores on Edmonton Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens (30) in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Detroit Monday, March 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

AP

It’s been a day of bad news for teams hoping to cement Eastern Conference playoff spots so far.

First, word came that Evgeni Malkin is likely sidelined through a round or two of the playoffs. Now the Detroit Red Wings are grappling with worries about a lower-body injury for crucial defenseman Niklas Kronwall.

While the early reports indicated that it wasn’t serious, perhaps that’s a matter of semantics; Kronwall had an MRI on his knee and the Red Wings hope he can be back by the end of the regular season, according to Sportsnet’s Damien Cox.

Perhaps it’s all about how you’re looking at it, as there were some who were concerned that it was pretty significant.

After a home game tomorrow, the Red Wings face a significant stretch of four road games:

March 15: at Flyers
March 17: at Blue Jackets
March 19: at Panthers
March 22: at Lightning

Three of those four teams have something on the line, and Columbus has at least some spoiler potential, so facing even that short-term hurdle hurts without Kronwall.

Then again, if they can slog through the season and keep their playoff streak alive, perhaps Kronwall will be there to dish out big hits and a nice bit of offense.