NOTEBOOK: Fabbri ‘not likely’ for Saturday’s 2023-24 home opener

DETROIT -- Robby Fabbri did not participate in Friday’s practice at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center, and according to Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde, is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

“Don’t expect anything long term,” Lalonde said about Fabbri. “Not likely for tomorrow, but we hope to have him on Monday.”

Fabbri scored a power-play goal in the final minute of Thursday’s 4-3 season-opening loss at the New Jersey Devils. Lalonde said Fabbri’s injury happened late in the game and is different than the upper-body injury the 27-year-old forward sustained in the preseason against the Washington Capitals on Sept. 30.

“We wanted to see how he responded today and maybe even tomorrow,” Lalonde said. “But we’ll need a body either way. We’ll see who that body is and make a decision from there.”

When asked how Detroit will temporarily fill the hole left by Fabbri, Lalonde said that is still to be determined.

“Everything is on the table,” Lalonde said. “12 (forwards) and six (defensemen); 11 (forwards) and seven (defensemen); a forward from Grand Rapids (Griffins) playing. We’re comfortable with any scenario.”

Red Wings reflect on season-opening loss at New Jersey

Regardless of the final score, every NHL game is a learning experience with opportunities to improve.

That’s why the Red Wings are focused on taking the lessons learned from Thursday with them through the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign.

“We just need to figure out a way to win these games,” said goalie Ville Husso, who made 23 saves against the Devils. “We all know we have it in this locker room. We just need to find a way to turn these games into wins. We’ll keep battling. Saturday is a new game for us.”

Lalonde said rewatching Detroit’s first regular-season game showed how thin the margin of error is for his club.

“A little reflection, and I don’t mind saying this, we’re not good enough for the few mistakes we had throughout that game,” Lalonde said. “Very frustrating game to watch back because we probably warranted a point in most of our performance, but we didn’t.”

J.T. Compher, who picked up an assist in his Red Wings debut Thursday, said slowing down fast-paced teams like New Jersey requires good defensive positioning.

“Your defense starts in the offensive zone,” Compher said. “Right when the puck turns over, if you can get above their outlets and make them come through you, it’s going to make their life a lot harder. I think that’s going to be a really important detail for us this year.”