Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

Pavel Datsyuk went through a good, long practice today and could be back in the lineup by week's end.

The Detroit Red Wings don't play again until Friday, when they host the Chicago Blackhawks. Datsyuk, 36, hasn't played since Wednesday, as he was pulled from the lineup Friday after tweaking his groin during the morning skate.

After an hour on the ice today, he said he "feels good. We see. Hopefully, I can play Friday."

The Wings aren't practicing Tuesday, as they're taking advantage of the four-day break in the schedule. One guy who is going to have a little bit busier of a week is goalie Petr Mrazek, who said he's probably going to play with the Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday before returning to Detroit to serve as Jimmy Howard's backup.

Datsyuk missed the first two weeks of the season because of an injured shoulder, but he already has packed 10 points into eight games. Groins usually are a week-to-10-days injury, so if Datsyuk plays Friday, he'd fit right into that picture

His sense of humor is intact, under any circumstance. As he came into the locker room following practice, rookie Andrej Nestrasil asked Datsyuk, "How you feeling, Pav?". Datsyuk smiled and replied, "You media now?"

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.