Alexander Radulov

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Several hours passed before Alexander Radulov was aware of his involvement in the injury that knocked Darren Helm out of the Stanley Cup playoffs Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena.

“I didn’t know, I just saw it this morning,” said Radulov, the Predators’ forward, who accidentally cut Helm’s right forearm with a skate blade.

Helm rushed off the ice moments after the two players collided in the Wings’ zone during a Predators’ first-period power play. Helm finished his check on Radulov and as he fell backwards to the ice, his right skate came up and slashed Helm as he was falling forward.

“It’s obviously awful, I didn’t mean to do anything,” Radulov said. “He came into hit me, it’s hockey and it’s awful. A bad injury and hopefully he will be OK.”

Helm was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in downtown Nashville, where he underwent surgery to repair severed tendons in his right arm. He was expected to be released from the hospital later today and will rejoin the Wings at the team hotel.

“I made a pass and I see that he’s coming, so I was ready for the hit because I was open,” Radulov said. “He hit me, it was a clean hit, a big hit, but I just fell down. I didn’t even feel anything. Even at the end of the game I didn’t know (about the injury), I saw and read about it this morning. I saw that he wasn’t playing anymore, but I didn’t think that anything serious like that happened.”

The Wings finished Game 1 with 11 forwards and plenty of double-shifting for guys like Henrik Zetterberg. Moving forward, the Wings have depth at the forward position with veteran Chris Conner, who has playoff experience with the Pittsburgh Penguins last spring, and speedy rookie Gustav Nyquist, who has proven to be an outstanding offensive weapon.

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