Red Wings lose Mantha again for a long time

The news on Detroit Red Wings top forward Anthony Mantha isn’t getting any better on Friday. 

The team, who placed Mantha on injured reserve on Dec. 22nd, has confirmed that Mantha will miss four weeks of action after sustaining an upper-body injury on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

During the contest, Mantha was slammed to the ice by Maple Leafs’ defenseman Jake Muzzin. While many fans considered the move to be a dirty one, the NHL did not take action against the Leafs’ blue liner. 

The decision seems more painful now that Detroit will be without Mantha’s services for a long time. 

It is the second time this season the Red Wings have to do without Mantha. He had just returned for four games, after being out with a knee injury suffered Nov. 30. He has 12 goals and 12 assists in 29 games with a minus-9 rating.

If there is a silver lining in the Red Wings’ update it might be this one: Goaltender Jonathan Bernier (groin), who was also injured Saturday and was not in the lineup against the Coyotes, is expected to be ready for Sunday’s contest.