DETROIT – A dozen games into the season, Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde might have his first lineup decision at forward. Tyler Motte is close to returning and might be available Wednesday at Chicago (8 p.m.
, TNT). If he draws into the lineup, who comes out? That shouldn’t be a difficult decision for a .500 team (5-5-1), but there is no obvious choice to sit, despite the lack of production from the bottom six.
“I like the fact we have 13 forwards we’re very comfortable with,” Lalonde said. “(Motte) is unique in that he’s done a really good job checking in his career. We’re also coming off a game that was arguably one of our more complete games (2-1 win over Buffalo Saturday).
He’ll likely be available for Wednesday. We’ll get a feel for that the next couple of days. We haven’t had this luxury all year of having 13.
” Jonatan Berggren could be the odd-man out, but he’s played better than his statistics indicate (no goals, one assist in 11 games), driving offense and generating chances. Scratching Joe Veleno (also no goals, one assist in 11 games) would leave them thin at center. Christian Fischer (one goal, one assist) is needed for a penalty kill that ranks 29th in the league.
Motte also kills penalties, though, and has been missed on that unit the past seven games due to a hit to the head on Oct. 17. “He’s obviously not an overly big guy (5-10, 194), but he plays with energy and pace,” Lalonde said.
“He’s a guy that can give us some e.
