Kopecky to play Tuesday
Kyle Calder will not be playing in Tuesday’s game and Tomas Kopecky is in. Kopecky has been ready since April 25th to play after suffering a broken collarbone earlier in the season on December 14th. Calder has only played 7:57 minutes in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals. While it hasn’t been confirmed, it’s believed that Calder has been playing with a broken hand.
I think that head coach Mike Babcock believes that Kopecky is finally healthy enough to play and Calder’s broken hand has made him pretty ineffective. He was getting limited ice time anyways so can it really hurt to inject a now healthy Kopecky who is more physical than certain other forwards on the team? I like that Babcock is taking Calder out of the lineup because he looks like he has been playing hurt and at least we’ll get someone healthy to replace him. I still think Kopecky will get limited ice time as well, but at least he’s big and healthy.
“We’re putting ‘Kopy’ in because we think he can skate, we think he can take the body, and we think he can generate the forecheck for us,” Babcock said.
Kopecky hasn’t played since suffering a broken clavicle in Chicago in early December.
“What we did in that spot the last little bit isn’t helping us, so we’re going to go at this this way,” Babcock said. “We think Kopy is a good player.”
Kopecky was excited to hear the news.
“It was getting to the point where I’d love to play and get out there, and hopefully I can bring that energy to the lineup,” Kopecky said.
Kopecky practiced on the line with Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby today.
I wonder how Jiri Hudler feels that Kopecky is essentially getting his spot. I guess that Hudler’s smaller size hurt him against a big team like the Ducks (and last series against the Sharks).
In other injury news, the Anaheim Ducks’ Chris Kunitz has suffered a broken hand requiring surgery. I doubt he’ll return this postseason even if the Ducks make it late into the SCF.
Anaheim top-line forard Chris Kunitz will miss the remainder of the Western Conference final. He’ll have surgery on his hand. Kunitz missed Game 2 with the injury.
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