Red Wings hopeful Alfredsson will be a go

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Daniel Alfredsson skated with the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday at Michigan Stadium, one day after missing a game with back spasms and one day before the Bridgestone 2014 NHL Winter Classic against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Alfredsson joined his teammates on the ice for the an early afternoon workout, but left the stadium without speaking to reporters.

"I'm sure he'll wake up tomorrow morning and make a decision," Detroit general manager Ken Holland said. "He's got some spasms. It is nothing significant. Hopefully he feels better tomorrow and he's ready to go.

"We're hoping he's going to play."

Alfredsson was a late scratch for the Red Wings in a 6-4 loss to the Nashville Predators. He has 10 goals and 29 points in 35 games this season, his first with the Red Wings.

He missed five games earlier this season with a groin injury before the contest Monday night against Nashville.

"All I said to [Alfredsson] was, 'Alfie, you're not 20. You play in tomorrow's game if you are ready to play in tomorrow's game. You don't play in tomorrow's game because it is an opportunity of a lifetime.' That makes no sense to me," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "We're about winning. We still think we have a good group here. We need to get our group together and get some traction and show how good we can be. I think we're very capable of doing that. We don't want players playing when they shouldn't be playing."

Another of Detroit's injured players is forward Johan Franzen, who was with the team at the Big House and on the ice for the morning skate. He has skated on his own, but this was his first time with his teammates.

Franzen has been out since Dec. 15 because of a concussion.

"He's a ways away," Holland said of Franzen. "I think he's getting better every day. I talked to him on the Father-Son trip, but until you see him practice with us every day for three or four days, I don't know that he's that far away but he is away."