Robby Fabbri has given the Detroit Red Wings a spark.
Fabbri has scored in three consecutive appearances, and the Red Wings will look to finish off a successful homestand with another victory when they host Columbus on Saturday.
Fabbri made his season debut on Jan. 4 after recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee that he injured last March. He didn’t get a point that night but has since scored every time he’s been in the lineup.
He had a goal in a loss to Florida last Friday, then sat out the second game of a back-to-back. He contributed a goal in Detroit’s 7-5 victory over Winnipeg, the opener of a three-game homestand. He scored again on Thursday as the Wings topped Toronto 4-1, Detroit’s first regulation victory over the Maple Leafs in the last 16 meetings.
Fabbri is even a little surprised at how quickly he’s made an impact after the third serious knee injury during his career.
“Goals are coming and I’m not going to complain about that,” Fabbri said. “But getting them in wins definitely feels much better.”
The Wings dropped three straight prior to the short homestand, scoring a total of four goals in those losses.
“He was kind of the forgotten, injured guy because it was projected he’d be back in the new year, but as a coaching staff we were anxiously awaiting him back,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “He has bite, he’s brought energy and just helps our depth throughout our lines. He’s pitched in three goals on a team that struggles to finish (offensively).”
Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond have also been major contributions in the last two games. Seider, who won the league’s Rookie of the Year award last season, had a career-high four assists against the Jets, then added a power-play goal against the Maple Leafs.
Raymond has contributed a goal and two assists in each of the victories after failing to notch more than two points in any other game this season.
Lalonde was also impressed by how his team’s defense tightened up after playing loosely against Winnipeg.
“We didn’t give up a ton, a more complete game,” he said. “We had a five-on-five game, we won the special teams, and we flipped a tight game. A very good win for us.”
Detroit has already defeated Columbus twice in the three-game season series, with Ville Husso giving up a total of just three goals in those contests.
The Blue Jackets have lost 12 of their last 14 games, including their last three outings. They were thumped at home by Carolina on Thursday, 6-2.
Columbus was outshot 29-11 and outscored 4-1 in the last two periods.
“For us to play that way for two periods, you just can’t win,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “We’ve got to simplify things. The second period was just way too cute again, the turnovers, especially against that team.”
The Hurricanes scored a short-handed goal in the second period, which proved pivotal.
“The power play is supposed to create momentum,” forward Johnny Gaudreau said. “Whether you score or don’t score, you want momentum.”
Columbus has a 1-5 record this month.
–Field Level Media