May 1, 2006

BY HELENE ST. JAMES

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
ON SUNDAY, BUT MONDAY? Captain Steve Yzerman practices at Rexall Place on Sunday afternoon, but he might not be back there tonight. "I feel better than two days ago," Yzerman said. "I'm encouraged. Hopefully, I'll feel even better for game time." He suffered a back injury last Tuesday. "If I'm ready to play then I will," he said, "and if not, then I'll have to step aside."

The Wings had just finished a short practice Sunday afternoon, possibly their last of the season. If they do not win tonight in Game 6 of their first-round series against the Oilers, the Wings are done. For the first time since they gathered at training camp, the players are in an unfamiliar situation.

"It's our real first major test of adversity of the season and it's up to us to respond to it and play well and not fall apart," Yzerman said. "I'm confident in my team, and I think guys are looking forward to playing the game."

Whether Yzerman will be able to join them will be a game-time decision. He hasn't played since he injured his back last Tuesday. But he said he felt better, and there is no question that given the magnitude surrounding Game 6, he will play if at all possible.

And the Wings need him badly. Although he will be 41 on May 9, he adds something no other player on the team brings, in the way he can set the tone simply by blocking a shot or wining a face-off. There is also a feeling among his teammates that Game 3 shouldn't be, if he decides to retire, the last one of his career.

"You want Stevie to be able to go out and play and play the way he can and go out on his own," Kris Draper said.

The Wings do not have an easy task ahead of them. The Oilers are 9-1 when leading a series 3-2, and while this Edmonton group had nothing to do with that record, this group has shown incredible patience and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win. It's the Wings who have to respond.

"It's an easy thing to say, but you really have to try and stay poised and stick with what you're trying to do regardless of what happens, whether it be a goal or a penalty call against you," Yzerman said. "You really have to concentrate on what you're trying to do and not get distracted."

The Wings have talked about doing the same thing after nearly every game: Get to the net, score ugly goals. Open up a lead, render the trap moot. But at some point in the playoffs, tomorrows dry up, and the Wings are nearing that point.

"We're not doing as well as we expected to or wanted to and now we're behind," Kirk Maltby said. "You can say everything you want to do and need to do, but until you go out there and do it, I guess it doesn't mean anything."

So what can they do to extend their run past this week? Look at film from Game 4: That was as spirited a start as the Wings have had, and even when the Oilers scored first, the Wings didn't relent. In Game 5, they started great, but after they failed to capitalize on four power plays in the first period, and then saw the Oilers score three straight goals, they faltered. Now they face their first elimination game since losing in Game 6 at Calgary in 2004.

"The key to this is to relax and go out and play hockey," Draper said. "Be a confident group. We've had some guys that have had some things to say, basically drawing from previous experience of being in this situation."

Tonight the Wings have to outwork the Oilers, or accept a third straight early playoff exit. The players appeared loose and confident they would see a Game 7, and their coach, Mike Babcock, all but guaranteed it.

"It's hard to win," he said. "People don't understand how hard it is to win. But that's why it feels so great when you do it. And that's why we'll be talking about Game 6 in Edmonton in years to come, 'cause that's when we turned the tide."

Contact HELENE ST. JAMES at 313-222-2295 or hstjames@freepress.com.