Red Wings captain set for return to lineup

The Red Wings will activate captain Dylan Larkin off injured reserve before Monday's game against the Ducks, head coach Derek Lalonde said Monday morning.

Larkin landed on injured reserve last Monday with a head injury sustained on Dec. 9 against the Senators. The 27-year-old center took a cross-check from Senators winger Mathieu Joseph during a net-front scrum late in the first period and was briefly unconscious on the ice.

Thankfully, Larkin didn’t sustain a severe injury on the play and is ready to return to game action just over a week after the incident. However, Detroit is still without winger David Perron, who has two games left to serve in a six-game suspension assessed for cross-checking Senators defenseman Artem Zub in retaliation after Larkin went down. Perron will be eligible to return for Friday’s game against the Flyers.

Larkin’s return comes at a crucial time for the Red Wings. The team went 1-3-0 in their captain’s absence and has undone most of the standings gain created by a late November hot streak. Their 15-11-4 record is a .567 points percentage, which still puts them fourth in the Atlantic Division but behind the Islanders (.600) and Devils (.569) for the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference.

The Waterford, Michigan-born center remains the only point-per-game player on the roster and has 11 goals and 14 assists through 24 contests, leading Red Wings forwards by averaging 19:24 per contest and winning a team-high 52.7% of faceoffs. His 52.8% Corsi share at even strength is the highest among any Red Wings forward to suit up this season.

Monday marks the second full game with both Larkin and Patrick Kane in the Red Wings lineup. Kane’s Detroit debut came December 7 against the Sharks, Larkin’s last full game before exiting with injury. The two are expected to be line mates tonight, with 23-year-old Joe Veleno riding shotgun at left wing.

Larkin is in the first season of an eight-year, $69.6M extension with trade protection inked last March. His 462 career points in 608 games rank 18th in Red Wings franchise history.