Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk said he'll return to the lineup Saturday against the Minnesota Wild.
"I'm good to go," Datsyuk told the Red Wings website Friday.
Datsyuk has missed the past two games and seven of the past nine with a lower-body injury. He has 24 goals and 60 points in 59 games.
"Pavel will be a game-time decision, or a tomorrow-morning decision," coach Mike Babcock said. "We played him on a line (at practice) today like he was playing, but we don't know how it'll react so we'll decide tomorrow morning."
Goalie Jimmy Howard will start for the Red Wings, who have lost three in a row and are 4-9-2 since March 6. They are in third place in the Atlantic Division with 93 points, tied with the Boston Bruins. Detroit has one game in hand.
Howard hasn't started a game since March 26.
"I feel good," he said. "I worked with Jimmy Bedard pretty much every single day, a half hour before guys even got on the ice too. So we worked on some things and I feel good about the game, and I’m excited to be playing again."
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