Henrik-Zetterberg-1-23-14

Henrik Zetterberg hasn't appeared in a game for the Red Wings since Feb. 8 but appears to be getting closer to a return.

(AP File Photo)

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg skated fast and hard on Wednesday and was quite elusive off the ice.

Following his first good, hard practice since undergoing back surgery on Feb. 21, Zetterberg wouldn’t confirm if there is a chance he could play Thursday in Game 4 against the Boston Bruins at Joe Louis Arena (8 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit), but he also didn’t rule it out.

He replaced Pavel Datsyuk (whose wife delivered a girl) on a line with Justin Abdelkader and Todd Bertuzzi.

“I’m going to have a good morning skate (Thursday),” Zetterberg said. “I appreciate that Pavel took the day off so I could actually have a skate today. It was the first real practice with the team, with the lines, so it felt good.”

He said he has “no idea” if he will play Thursday.

“I can’t really say anything now,” Zetterberg said. “I’m just happy I had my first real skate and now we’ll see how I feel in the morning.

“It’s out of my hands. Today was a good day. I’m happy with that. Hopefully tomorrow is a better day.”

He hasn’t been cleared by the medical staff.

“The good thing is it’s not in my corner. I’ve got to be cleared by the doctor,” Zetterberg said. “I’ve got to do all those exams. I’m just preparing myself to get into better and better shape, try and get as much game like situations as I can in practice.”

He added, “I think this day because Pav was out I skated on a line and you guys (media) got a little happy. If Pavel would have been here today I probably wouldn’t have skated on a line and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

He said he’s still taking it “day by day.”

“I still have to do some skating,” Zetterberg said. “This was nice. In the playoffs you rarely have any practices, game-like practices. Hopefully I can get some more of those in here.”

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock sounded as if he is not preparing for Zetterberg’s return on Thursday.

“We have doctors here that decide that so they’ll let us know,” Babcock said. “If he’s available, he’ll be going.”

But, he added, “We haven’t talked about this at all. I put him in there because I thought his number looked real good where Pavel was supposed to be.”

Zetterberg is anxious to see how he feels the day after a good workout.

“The more I amp stuff up in the gym and on the ice now we just have to wait and see the reactions,” Zetterberg said. “If I don’t feel any setbacks or don’t feel anything bad that’s when I’ll probably start that conversation (with doctors), but still this was the first practice I’ve really had where I’ve been in all the drills and skating on a line.”

Ideally, he could use a few more practices before playing.

“That would be optimal, but at the same time it’s tough to find good practices in the playoffs,” Zetterberg said. “You don’t practice, you only play games. So one of these days you just have to make a decision.”

He must guard against returning too soon.

“That first game, when that game will be, will be tough anyway, whether it’s in five days or two weeks, it’s going to be tough,” Zetterberg said. “But it’s all about being healed enough. As soon as I get the go-ahead that I’m healed and the disc is good then I’ll think about coming back.”

Teammates said Zetterberg looks good on the ice.

“I skated with him for about four or five days now,” Bertuzzi said. “He looks good, he looks strong. Only he can tell whether it’s ready or not. The back is a pretty crucial part of your body and I know he’s put a lot of time and work in and months to be back, so obviously if he’s available he would be a huge part of our team coming back.”

Drew Miller said just having Zetterberg on the ice for practice is a boost for the team.

Justin Abdelkader said, “It would be a great addition, but we can’t count on Zetterberg planning on coming in during the series; we’ve got to get it done with the guys we have here.”