NEW YORK – Joakim Andersson barely got off the bench Saturday for the Detroit Red Wings, logging just four shifts and 1:42 of ice time.
The Red Wings recalled Andersson Friday from the Grand Rapids Griffins and inserted him into the lineup ahead of Tomas Jurco and Anthony Mantha.
Coach Jeff Blashill said he opted for Andersson over the younger players in case they needed him as a penalty killer. He wasn't sure how Justin Abdelkader was going to feel after suffering a lower-body injury on Thursday.
"I knew Abby was going to play, but I didn't know how he was going to respond and we wanted to make sure we didn't get caught without (another) penalty killer on the bench," Blashill said following his team's 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.