Wings' Jurco gets first shot to impress Blashill
Detroit — Career game No. 100 had a bit more meaning for Tomas Jurco Tuesday against Tampa Bay. Jurco was a member of the Red Wings lineup for the first time this young season, after being a healthy scratch the opening two games.
“It’s a chance for me to get back in the game, I’m real excited about it,” said Jurco, who started the game on a line with Brad Richards and Tomas Tatar. “I’m looking forward to playing.
“It was tough (watching and not playing). I want to be out there and playing but that’s how it works. I have to wait for my chance and work hard in practice to get back in the lineup. I’m happy to get back.”
Jurco played 11 minutes, 17 seconds in Tuesday’s 3-1 Red Wings victory, and was credited with four hits and one shot on net.
At 6-foot-2, 203-pounds Jurco, 22, has certain attributes, such as size and speed, which could seem to help him attain NHL success.
But it hasn’t worked out that way yet in Jurco’s brief career. He had three goals in 63 games last season, never getting on any sort of offensive rhythm.
As he's out of minor league options, the Red Wings need to get a good read on Jurco this season as to whether he can be a productive player.
“I’ve got a lot of belief in Jurco, I’ve seen him be great for me at times,” Wings coach Jeff Blashill said of a player who was a key piece in Blashill’s Grand Rapids Griffins winning the 2013 Calder Cup. “He’s 6-foot-2, he can skate. The No. 1 thing he has to do is skate and pressure on the forecheck and be a physical presence.
“In the most simplest form, do a real good job of skating and if you’re going to make a mistake, make it out of skating.”
Friday return for Helm?
Darren Helm looked to be on the brink of returning to the lineup. But now it looks like it might take a couple more days.
Helm hasn't been able to completely shake off some concussion symptoms and now is aiming to make his season debut Friday against Carolina.
Helm was involved in a violent collision the first 10 minutes of training camp during a practice drill and has yet to play in a game this season.
"We decided the best thing would be to wait a couple more days and go from there," said Helm, who also suffered a slight shoulder separation in the collision, although that's been cured. "It's more the head (than the shoulder).
"There have been a few symptoms that have kind of plauteaued. I don't know if that was a mental thing or other stuff going on. We're just going to give it a couple of days and make sure it doesn't get worse, and hopefully I'll be good to go for Friday."
Helm skated on the fourth line during Monday's practice before seeing the doctors later in the day.
Helm said he passed the baseline concussion test, but it will take several games to get into the conditioning he wants to be at after missing the entire training camp and exhibition season.
Ice chips
Danny DeKeyser (foot) participated in Tuesday's morning skate and impressed Blashill.
"He looked good out there," Blashill said. "I haven't had an upate from our training staff and we haven't really spoken because he was inside of the window where we thought he'd be out, but he looked real good."
DeKeyser strained ligaments in his left foot Sept. 30 against Pittsburgh and was expected to miss approximately a month.
... Blashill will reunite Dylan Larkin with Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader, while putting Johan Franzen with Brad Richards and Tomas Tatar, and placing Gustav Nyquist with Riley Sheahan and Teemu Pulkkinen.
"We're just looking for the best combintations," Blashill said.
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