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Mathieu Schneider thinks Henrik Zetterberg is capable of making the kind of splash in the playoffs that Peter Forsberg made for Colorado in the 2001-02 playoffs.
Ansar Khan - MLIVE
It could be difficult for Zetterberg to pick up where he left off when he returns for the playoffs, but Wings defenseman Mathieu Schneider noted that a precedent has been set — by a player whose skills and style are comparable to Zetterberg’s. Peter Forsberg took the entire 2001-02 regular season off after surgery to remove his spleen but returned in the playoffs and was dominant, with 27 points in 20 games for Colorado.
“I think Hank’s that same type of athlete that can do the same thing,'’ Schneider said. “You watch him in practice and it looks like he hasn’t missed a day. But, it’s going to be a challenge for him. The intensity level’s up so high right now going into the playoffs.”
Khan reports that Zetterberg has been skating hard for two weeks, but when it comes to injuries the back is a little more tricky than healing after having your spleen removed. It sounds like Hank will center Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom on the top line. That was the line that was the hottest line in the NHL for a couple months prior to Zetterberg getting injured.
If Zetterberg looks like his old self it will certainly make it a little more difficult for Robyn Regehr to defend Pavel Datsyuk.
Henrik Zetterberg Red Wings1 Comment(s)
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[…] Like Dave of Gorilla Crouch wrote, returning from a back injury of the type Hank has is a little different from returning from spleen surgery (at the very least, his back is a serious threat for reinjury), but I’m with Schneider on this one. He’s been skating for two weeks and all reports say he looks “he hasn’t missed a day.” Even accounting for the difference between practice and games, I think that’s an indicator that he’s going to be an impact player this series. […]