Johan Franzen has scored seven goals in his past seven games for the Detroit Red Wings.

"It's great to see the Mule dialed in and playing real well for us," Babcock said of Franzen. "He's a huge man with great hands. He's become a leader on this team. He's really emerged that way this year. That's positive for all of us."

There you have it. Babcock said that Franzen was going to be a game-time decision, but Franzen says he is in. This means Bertuzzi will not play.

Johan Franzen expects to play against Nashville, so we'll list him as active for Thursday night's tilt.

He didn't play in the last few minutes of Wednesday's 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings due to an undisclosed in injury but he downplayed it as "a little rest." Franzen, who has been red hot this month with six goals and five assists in his last 11 games, said, "No need to play those last minutes. I thought I'd get off and use the rest. That's it." He's a tough customer and Detroit is battling for a playoff spot, so it shouldn't be surprising that he's projected to play.