Austin Czarnik made a favorable impression in his earlier stint with the Detroit Red Wings, earning another opportunity.
With Robby Fabbri nursing a lower-body injury and two games on the slate this weekend, the Wings on Friday called up the 30-year-old from Washington Township. Czarnik (5 feet 9, 170 pounds) appeared in 12 games with the Wings in November and December, posting two goals and an assist. He’s a defensively sound forward who can play center or wing. Dating to the 2015-16 season, Czarnik has played in 154 NHL games, also dressing for the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, at Seattle Kraken.
The Wings (29-26-9) play in Boston on Saturday, then Sunday host the NHL-leading Bruins (49-9-5) at Little Caesars Arena.
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Fabbri was hurt in the first period of Wednesday’s 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks when he was hit along the boards by Tyler Johnson. Coach Derek Lalonde said Fabbri is day-to-day, but with his status in question, the Wings were down to 11 forwards. That means Czarnik was recalled on an emergency basis, still leaving the Wings with three regular call-ups on the table.
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The Wings have had to patch their lineup over the past two weeks. Michael Rasmussen suffered a season-ending injury when he took a puck off his right knee cap Feb. 25, and in the days leading up to the March 3 trade deadline, general manager Steve Yzerman flipped forwards Tyler Bertuzzi (to the Bruins), Oskar Sundqvist, Jakub Vrana, and defenseman Filip Hronek.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: With Robby Fabbri ailing, Detroit Red Wings recall Austin Czarnik
