Detroit Red Wings Press Release:

Detroit, MI…Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson today underwent successful surgery on the middle finger of his left hand. Surgery was required to stabilize a fracture in the finger and repair a partially torn tendon. Ericsson is expected to be out of Detroit’s lineup for the next 4-6 weeks.

Ericsson has appeared in 48 games for the Red Wings this season, posting 11 points (1-10-11), 34 PIM and a +2 rating while averaging 21:14 of ice time per game. The Karlskrona, Sweden, native was injured during the second period of last night’s 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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So cool. What was to be a 10-14 day stint off the roster is now a 4-6 week recovery process thanks to the nature of the fracture that Ericsson sustained in Tuesday's game against the Maple Leafs. Ericsson left the game in the 2nd period after the puck struck him on the left hand.

Initial reports were that he'd be back in a short time, but the surgery for the partially torn tendon is the likely culprit for the extended time away. That's just another great piece of news for a team fighting for their playoff lives.

UPDATE from Ansar Khan's Story here

Coach Mike Babcock said he’ll pair Smith with Kronwall for Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Joe Louis Arena (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit). They they figure to see a lot of minutes against Sidney Crosby’s line, with Chris Kunitz and Lee Stempniak.