Notebook: Pearson's 'special' NHL debut; Red Wings' depth put to the test

With Filip Zadina and Givani Smith both out for Thursday's game against the New York Islanders, the Detroit Red Wings recalled center Chase Pearson from the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins to add some forward depth.
The 24-year-old provided just that in his NHL debut at UBS Arena, finishing with a plus-1 rating in 7:40 of ice time on Detroit's fourth line.

"I guess you could say stereotypical dream come true," Pearson said. "I grew up wanting to play in the NHL and I finally get a chance."
Prior to his call-up, Pearson had 17 points in 47 games for the Griffins this season.
"You wanna make the team out of camp, but when they do send you down you gotta work and hopefully you get a chance," Pearson said. "I think I was able to do that a bit."

At first, Pearson wasn't sure when his NHL debut might occur but immediately shared the news with his father, 12-year NHL veteran Scott Pearson.
"It was great," Chase Pearson said about the moment when he told his father. "He was in the sauna, his shirt off and all that good stuff. I called him, he shouted and was excited, just like me. Right away he booked the flight. I never said I was going to play or not, but he knew he was going to come anyway. It'll be nice to be able to play, especially in front of him."
Chase Pearson described the opportunity to face the Isles, the franchise his father played two games for during the 1999-2000 season, as "special."
"It's pretty cool," he said. "To play my first game against the team he played for, that's pretty neat."

Red Wings lineup battling injuries and illness

As the Wings enter the final stretch of the 2021-22 regular season, the injury and illness bugs are starting to take their toll.
After Friday's practice, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill announced that goalie Thomas Greiss (upper body) will be out through the weekend at the earliest. Greiss did not return in Thursday's game after colliding with Oliver Wahlstrom late in the second period.
Marc Staal (undisclosed), Danny DeKeyser (undisclosed) Smith (undisclosed) and Michael Rasmussen (illness) all did not practice on Friday. Blashill said he anticipates Rasmussen will be available Saturday.
"When you get to this time of year, some guys don't feel 100 percent," Blashill said. "We're working through some of that and trying to see what the right mix is with the pairings."
Zadina participated in Friday's practice after battling illness earlier this week.

Blashill provides update on Stephens

Mitchell Stephens practiced without a non-contact jersey on Friday, another step forward in his recovery since suffering a lower body injury on Nov. 13 against the Montreal Canadians.
"I think we gotta keep measuring his ramp-up in terms of where he's at," Blashill said. "He hasn't been able to run or jump so off the ice, he hasn't been able to fire those fast-twitch muscles at all."

While Blashill doesn't have an exact timeline for Stephens, Detroit will continue monitoring Stephens' progress.
"He's getting closer," Blashill said. "But what does that mean? It just depends how quickly he can get his body back into a spot where he'd be ready to play a hockey game. That isn't any time in the near future."
The 25-year-old center has appeared in 16 games for Detroit this season and has four points.