The Detroit Red Wings suffered a 3-2 loss to the Rangers on Wednesday night in New York. They went up 2-1 during the second period but surrendered two goals in the third to let the New York march right back into it.
On top of that, there was more bad news regarding defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. The Detroit Red Wings defender left the game early during the third period after taking a really tough hit in the corner on a play that deserved a penalty call, but the referees felt otherwise.
Gostisbehere had his back turned, and Will Cuylle stepped in and boarded him. He got the hands high, and whether it looked like he was trying to play the shoulder or not (as the lovely TNT cast mentioned many times), he caught Gostisbehere off guard, and it made for an ugly hit.
Here’s the hit for reference, courtesy of WWP’s Ryan Hana on X, formerly Twitter:
Cuylle boards Gostisbehere, Kostin immediately jumps in and feeds Cuylle. Offsetting penalties on the play. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/YdrBWwADgi
— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) November 30, 2023
There was no call on the play, and the Red Wings got their answer when Kostin took exception and dropped the mitts. But, on the flip side, Gostisbehere left the game and did not return, missing most of the third period.
Detroit Red Wings defender Shayne Gostisbehere undergoing further evaluation.
The news got a bit grimmer when the update from head coach Derek Lalonde was released on Wednesday night during the postgame. Lalonde said that there was no update on Gostisbehere and that the league concussion spotter pulled him.
Derek Lalonde did not have an immediate update on Red Wings D Shayne Gostisbehere, who left in 3p after hit from behind: “He’s still get evaluated. He was hit from behind into the boards, the spotters pulled him and they were still evaluating him.”
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) November 30, 2023
He also mentions that Gostisbehere will continue to be evaluated. This likely means that they may be without Gostisbehere for tomorrow’s game and maybe even further if he is placed in concussion protocol.
It’s tough news for the Red Wings, who have seen Gostisbehere excel in his time with Detroit, especially as of late. He’s stepped up and been great for Detroit, so losing him will be a tough blow for the defense core.
Gostisbehere’s got five goals and 13 assists for 18 points over 19 games played in 2023-24, with nine points in his last five games going into Wednesday night’s loss. It’s undoubtedly not the news that the Red Wings wanted to hear, but they will have to adjust and keep on trucking along.
For the Red Wings’ sake, hopefully, Gostisbehere will be able to rejoin the team quickly and jump right back in, picking up where he left off.