Jonathan Ericsson the latest one hurt in brutal string of injuries for Red Wings

Jonathan Ericsson is the Red Wings' sixth player in six games to go down with an injury. (Paul Sancya/AP)

By Nick Stoico

Another one down in Detroit.

Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson left Tuesday night's game against Toronto early after suffering what the Red Wings disclosed as an upper-body injury. He had recorded just over 13 minutes on ice and did not return for the third period.

Ericsson is the latest in a string of injuries for the Red Wings, who continue to limp along in hope of grabbing a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and extend their string of consecutive playoff appearances to 23 years. With his loss (at least for the immediate future), Detroit has had seven players sidelined by injury this month. The wounded include forwards Justin Abdelkader (lower body), Tomas Jurco (rib), Joakim Andersson (foot), Darren Helm (upper body) and Daniel Cleary (knee) plus goalie Jonas Gustavsson (groin) and now Ericsson.

The only good news for the Red Wings on Wednesday night was the final score: a 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs that gave them 75 points in the standings.