Notes: DeKeyser ready to return against the Oilers Saturday

DETROIT -- For the second straight season, Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser has been hampered by injuries at the start of the campaign.
Last year, it was an ankle injury that set him back, this year DeKeyser has been dealing with a hand injury that has limited him to five games.

But DeKeyser has been practicing with the team and now feels he is ready to get back into action Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers.
"We had a good practice, had a good skate. Did some more battle stuff in the corner and it felt good," DeKeyser said after Friday's practice at the BELFOR Training Center. "I'm going to give it a go tomorrow and take it from there. It's feeling good."

DeKeyser played in the first five games of the season and has been out since then.
"I'm definitely excited to get back in there," DeKeyser said. "I missed three weeks now. It's never fun sitting out, watching the games and stuff like that. It's good to see that the guys have been playing well as of late. I'm just hoping to come in and help out, do the little things and help us keep winning."

DeKeyser was just one of the veteran defenseman who has been limited early this season.
Mike Green returned after missing the first nine games of the season with a virus, Niklas Kronwall missed the first three games with a lower-body injury, Trevor Daley missed four games with an upper-body injury and Jonathan Ericsson missed the first seven games with an upper-body injury.
"Greener has been the key back there, he's so solid," Dylan Larkin said. "He plays big minutes and skates well, has his head up and making plays and I think him and Dennis (Cholowski) are working well together."
Just when it seemed like all the veteran blueliners would be available for the first time all season, Ericsson missed Friday's practice.
"Johnny Ericsson will be out tomorrow night," Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "He had an injury post-game. Day to day."
The Wings have been playing with 11 forwards and seven defensemen as the team lost an entire line in center Frans Nielsen and wings Andreas Athanasiou and Thomas Vanek.
Nielsen practiced fully Friday but Blashill does not think he will play.
Athanasiou did not practice so he is not available and Vanek remains out 2-4 weeks.
"Last two days I've been on the ice, since last game morning skate there, last two days," Nielsen said. "I want to say last three or four days I felt pretty good."

If he does not play Saturday, Nielsen will likely be available for Tuesday's home game against the Vancouver Canucks.
GOOD SIGNS: The Wings have won three games in a row, which has made for a happier dressing room.
"I think they're even-keeled, but I'd also say that it's always a more fun mood when you win," Blashill said. "Everybody's a little more lighter. It's more enjoyable. I think it's just the reality of it. I also think they understand that you'd better go to work. It's the relentless nature of sports. We've got a huge game tomorrow."
The players who have been out have been watching the games and have seen significant improvement.
"I definitely think we're just playing harder, from what I could see," DeKeyser said. "Obviously out watching the games but I just think our compete level is higher and we're batting a lot more. It just seems like we are winning battles more so I think that's helping. Having better determination, shooting pucks on net, getting traffic to the net and getting rebounds, stuff like that. We're also getting a little more puck luck, which is good. That always helps."
Nielsen said he also has seen the team working hard while he's been sidelined.
"It's close games but we found a way and that's really what matters right now," Nielsen said. "We got to get back in it there and hang on. Right now it's all about finding a way every night. It's going to be up and down but right now, it seems to go our way there and hopefully keep rolling that way and be strong in these home games coming up there."
Another positive is that the Wings have found a way to win two straight at home.
With nine of 13 games at home this month, it is a chance to establish a little home ice advantage.
"We struggled the last few years at home," Nielsen said. "If you want to be a playoff team, you have to be a .6-.700 team at home and we haven't even been close to that. That's one area where we can improve a lot so it's good to see we got the last two and hopefully we got three more coming now, we can keep it going."
Last season, their first at Little Caesars Arena, the Wings were 16-16-9 at home.
In the final season at Joe Louis Arena, the Wings were 17-17-7.

RASMUSSEN GAINING CONFIDENCE: Although he said he wasn't thinking about it, it had to make things a little bit easier for rookie Michael Rasmussen when the team decided to keep him after he played in nine games.
Now that he's played in more than that, it means the Wings have burned the first year of Rasmussen's entry-level contract.
Since then, Rasmussen has scored a power-play goal in two straight games.
"It was good to see him get that goal because he's getting confidence out there," Nielsen said. "He's a really quiet guy, really good guy, and you can see he's getting more and more confidence and familiar around here. He's only going to get better and better out there, I'm sure. We knew what kind of net presence he was and how good he is in front of the net, especially on the power play. So it's been good to see he's been getting some results there now and hopefully he can keep helping us in that area."
Asked if he's gotten the reserved Rasmussen, who sits next to him in the dressing room, to laugh yet, Nielsen laughed.
"Nope. I'm trying," he said.