NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Detroit center Darren Helm will miss the rest of the playoffs after surgery to repair tendon damage in his right arm after being hurt in Game 1 against the Nashville Predators.
The Red Wings announced Thursday that Helm had successful surgery Wednesday night to repair the tendons.
Helm's right arm was sliced by the left skate of Nashville forward Alexander Radulov with more than 8 minutes left in the first period with the Red Wings on the penalty kill. Helm dropped his glove and skated immediately to the bench before being taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Detroit coach Mike Babcock said after practice they are very thankful Helm had no nerve damage.
"Tough for the kid," Babcock said. "He's a great kid. He's an important part of our team. The same thing as the (Shea) Weber incident. What do you do? You move on and get ready for another game. We have to win a game here tomorrow. That's where our focus has to be. I feel bad for Helmer. He's an important part of our club, an important part of our team."
The center missed the last 10 games of the regular season after hurting a ligament in his left knee. He is a key player on Detroit's penalty kill unit.
"It's a big loss," Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. "We've been without him for about a month now, and he came back and played his first game and got hurt again. Just his speed and what he can do on both ends of the ice will affect us a bit. But we have other guys that are going to get a chance to play now and play more."
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