Detroit Red Wings Lose Robby Fabbri to Lower Body Injury: ‘You’re Crossing Your Fingers’

Robby Fabbri, a top six forward and power player, left in the first period of the game at Little Caesars Arena after a hit on the boards by Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson. Fabbri went down to the bench and down the tunnel to the locker room.

“We’ll know more (Thursday),” coach Derek Lalonde said. “When he first did it, he went and tried to skate on the other page.

“Obviously, his past history, what he’s been through – you cross your fingers on that one.

Fabbri missed the first three months of the season recovering from a third knee surgery, playing his first game on January 4. He has seven goals and nine assists in 27 games.

“You don’t like to see guys hurt,” forward Dominik Kubalik said after scoring the winning goal in the 4-3 win. “We’ve been through a lot, especially Fabs. It was long when he was out and he has been playing very well and he was part of our leadership group. That’s not what you want to see.

“I feel like we really wanted to win it for him, so I’m glad we did.

It’s the second time in two weeks that the Wings have seen a forward off the ice: Michael Rasmussen, in the midst of a career year, was injured in the Feb. 25 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning when a puck shot by Zach Bogosian hit Rasmussen in the right knee, ending his season.

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The Wings lost three forwards and a defenseman at the trade deadline. Top forward Tyler Bertuzzi was sent to the Boston Bruins (who the Wings play in a home-and-home this weekend), and top-six forward and play presence Oskar Sundqvist power, traded to the Minnesota Wild. Top defenseman Filip Hronek was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, and forward Jakub Vrana, who appeared in only five games, was sent to the St. Louis Blues.