from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,
A depleted lineup is a positive for the Wings. Goaltenders Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Bernier, who is slated to start against the Blues, have put the Wings on a two-game winning streak, but it’s better for the organization’s draft lottery odds if they start losing again, and the next three opponents — St. Louis, Vegas and San Jose — are all jockeying for playoff positioning.
More: Detroit Red Wings extend Jimmy Howard, hope to pay him playoff bonus
De la Rose is in Detroit undergoing testing, which means both college free-agent signings Taro Hirose and Ryan Kuffner are penned in to play at St. Louis. So is defenseman Brian Lashoff, who has crafted himself a decade-long career with the Wings by being a consummate professional in the AHL and occasional fill-in in the NHL. He was called March 15 and was supposed to make his first appearance of the season Tuesday at Madison Square Garden (Lashoff, 28, is a New York native), but he drew into the lineup the next day because Daley couldn’t finish the morning skate.
Now Lashoff is slated to make a third straight NHL appearance this season (126th of his career). The Wings called Lashoff up over prospect Dennis Cholowski because they believe Cholowski is best off in his development right now playing with the Griffins, and to reward Lashoff.
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