It turned out to be better than it looked.
Moritz Seider, the Detroit Red Wings‘ top defenseman, was on the ice for practice Friday, after leaving Thursday’s game in pain from suffering a blocked shot.
Seider didn’t put any weight on his right leg when he limped off the ice at T-Mobile Arena in the third period of Thursday’s 5-2 loss at Vegas. But it’s not uncommon for blocked shots to sting really badly right away.
Seider looked back to his normal self at practice.
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Seider, 20, is the Wings’ go-to guy in all situations.
“He’s huge for us,” veteran forward Sam Gagner said. “The confidence and the poise he plays with, the aggressiveness — he’s been unbelievable for us and he’s a guy that is eliding for us even as a young guy. He has huge importance to our team.”
The Wings (8-9-2) play the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. It’s the last stop on a four-game trip.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.