Tomas Tatar

DETROIT – The Red Wings have placed forward and Westland, Mich., native Chris Conner on injured reserve and called up 21-year-old center Tomas Tatar from Grand Rapids.

It’s expected that Tatar (tah-TAHR) will be available for tonight’s game against the Predators at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Conner, who suffered a hand injury in the Wings' 4-1 win at Pittsburgh Tuesdy night, is the third Wings’ player currently on IR, joining forwards Jan Mursak (fractured left ankle) and Patrick Eaves (broken jaw).

It's expected that Conner will be sidelined for two weeks, at which point he will have the hand re-evaluated by the team's medical staff.

Conner joined the Wings’ roster earlier this month, playing in six games as a replacement for Eaves. Conner’s grit and speed served the Wings well on the third forward line and particularly on the penalty kill. He was riding a three game point streak, collecting a goal and two assists.

As for Tatar, he is currently third in Griffins’ scoring this season with seven goals and 14 assists in 26 games. He announced his call-up with a simple 22-character posting on his Twitter account, “Called up.:) #Redwings”.

The Wings recalled Tatar twice last season. He had a goal with an even plus/minus rating while averaging just over nine-minutes of ice-time in nine NHL games. He made his NHL debut on New Year’s Eve, scoring the game-tying goal that force overtime in the Wings' 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders.

Follow Bill Roose on Twitter | @RooseBill