Alexey Marchenko’s absence will afford Brendan Smith the opportunity to get back into the Detroit Red Wings lineup.
Head coach Jeff Blashill said Monday that Smith will play when the Red Wings are at Buffalo on Wednesday. General manager Ken Holland told the Free Press that Marchenko is “out for a couple of weeks” with an upper-body injury sustained in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames.
Smith has been scratched the last two games as Niklas Kronwall was available and as Ryan Sproul found favor because he shoots right and shoots a lot (in just eight appearances, he has amassed the second-best shot-per-game average at 2.