The Wings were already without Andreas Athanasiou (knee), Darren Helm (shoulder), Alexey Marchenko (upper body) and Jimmy Howard (lower body).
Detroit also was playing without veteran defenseman Niklas Kronwall for maintenance reasons due to his chronic knee issues so he isn't playing in both ends of back to-back games.
1. Brendan Smith /Tyler Bertuzzi: At 11:59 of the second, Brendan Smith went down after going knee to knee with Montreal forward Phillip Danault. Smith was favoring his right knee as he was helped off the ice. At 16:47 of the second, defenseman Alexei Emelin hit Tyler Bertuzzi in the Montreal end and Bertuzzi couldn't even get back on his feet without assistance. His left leg couldn't support weight as he was helped off the ice. The Wings announced early in the third that neither player would return to the game. Detroit has lost at least one player to injury in each of the last four home games and in five of their past eight games overall. Emelin also hit Dylan Larkin in the Montreal end at 10:43 of the third. Larkin did go to the Wings' dressing room but was eventually able to return. Wings coach Jeff Blashill said he would have more information Monday after both players undergo some tests.
Quotable: "I just saw it live. It looked a little dangerous. Sometimes you have to have a little respect for the other players on the ice and it didn't look like he had that there." - Henrik Zetterberg on Emelin
Quotable, II: "No one likes to see things like that. The way Bert fell into the boards, it's not fun to see. Obviously, seeing a guy like Emelin who does it all the time, it kind of gets into your head a little bit. Maybe we should have done something about it. I don't know." - Xavier Ouellet
2. Justin Abdelkader: Playing in his 500th game, as was defenseman Jonathan Ericsson, Abdelkader scored the Wings' only goal at 3:20 of the third. Abdelkader went to the mid-slot and got a pass from Frans Nielsen, shooting past Montreal goaltender Carey Price. Abdelkader has four points in his past four games. The goal also snapped the team's scoring drought against Price at 138:33, which dates back to Oct. 17, 2015.
Quotable: "It's kind of cool that E and I shared that moment on the same night. Obviously that's a huge milestone, especially in a league that's gotten younger and younger. It's been a blessing I think for both of us just staying with one organization, which you don't see a lot either. We're very fortunate. We've had some great times here, starting with '08, when I first came in, we were part of that Stanley Cup championship team, were around a lot of great players and learned a lot from them. It goes by quick but it's a grind, too. Five hundred games is a lot and you think back of all the bumps and bruises, injuries, different things you play through. It's a special moment for sure. Very fortunate." - Abdelkader
3. Petr Mrazek: Mrazek had to relieve Howard in Friday night's overtime win and faced a tough task in the league-leading Canadiens Saturday. While the Wings were finding their legs in the first period, Mrazek robbed Arthur Lehkonen on the right doorstep at 5:01 of the first period. Mrazek had 22 saves in the game.
Quotable: "It helps me with the confidence. If it would be 1-0 that early in the first period it would be really difficult for us. It was a lucky save. I'm really happy that he put it in my glove." - Mrazek
