BREAKING: Defenseman Returns

The Detroit Red Wings will look forward to welcoming back young veteran defenseman Alexey Marchenko as they ready themselves to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at the Joe Louis Arena. 

Marchenko told reporters earlier today that he is ready to return after being sidelined with an upper-body injury for approximately three weeks now. 

The 24-year-old blue-liner has five assists in 19 games played this season, and his size will be welcomed back as he will provide a sort of steadiness on the back end for the Red Wings. 

Initially, he believed that he would be ready either tonight or on Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers, but his return to action tonight is good news for a team that has had a very hard time defensively. 

As it stands, the Red Wings are 15th overall in the NHL in goals-against with an average of 2.67 allowed per game, while their 2.41 goals per game average has them sitting at 21st. Moreover, their power play is 23rd overall in converting 14.6% of their chances, while their penalty kill seems to be doing just fine at 84.2%, good for 10th.