--Center Henrik Zetterberg is out for Game 1 of the playoff series against the Phoenix Coyotes with a "lower-body injury."

Zetterberg, 30, wore a left knee brace when he arrived at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday morning, and he rode to the dressing room on the back of a cart.

Third-seeded Detroit hosts No. 6 Phoenix in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs Wednesday night. Game 2 is Saturday, so Zetterberg could return then.

"He's not playing (Wednesday)," Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock told NHL.com. "The good thing about it is we've got a couple days before the next game. So he'll continue to be day-to-day till he's back."

Zetterberg, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP three years ago when Detroit hoisted the Stanley Cup, said he wasn't sure if he'd be ready for Saturday. He was hurt April 6 on a check by Carolina's Bryan Allen, and missed the final two games of the regular season. He still led the team with 80 points.

--Center Mike Modano, who turns 41 on June 7, said he will retire if the Wings make a long playoff run. Modano missed 40 games this season after suffering a lacerated wrist. He has struggled keeping pace in the 20 games he's played since returning. He will start the playoffs as a regular in the lineup but is in danger of becoming a healthy scratch if he doesn't play better.

--The Wings have struggled at home since December, going 11-13-4. Their aura of invincibility at Joe Louis Arena has vanished. But they are delighted to have home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs against Phoenix, after starting last year on the road against the Coyotes. Last year, the Wings finished the regular season in Chicago on a Sunday, returned home for one night and flew to Phoenix on Monday night. They will have a chance to rest a little this time.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"We've had a few games recently where we've just come out flat, the intensity level's not there, so tonight we all had to prove to ourselves that we can bring it. It wasn't perfect by any means, but definitely our emotional level was up." -- Wings defenseman Brad Stuart.

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