Jonathan Ericsson (lower body) may return to the lineup on Friday night. He has been sidelined with a lower-body injury, which was reported as a thigh contusion.

Jonathan Ericsson is dealing with a thigh contusion. Ericsson firmly stated that it's not serious, but Red Wings coach Mike Babcock was less enthusiastic. "You get in there day-to-day - and I've been here a long time - they get in there, they have a hard time getting out," Babcock said. Ericsson won't play Wednesday.

Jonathan Ericsson is heading into the final season of his three-year contract. The defenseman has little fantasy value in traditional pools but at the age of 29, Ericsson is a solid defensive defenseman. He had three goals and 10 assists in 45 games with Detroit last season and the Red Wings will likely get his name on a new contract before he is eligible for free agency next summer. He is not worth looking at in traditional pools.

The Red Wings took too many penalties in their 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday night and must both reduce them and kill them off better in Game 6 tonight in Detroit, according to defesneman Jonathan Ericsson. "We took too many penalties," said Ericsson, the only active Wings' player not to take a penalty in the postseason. "We know they've got a good power play. That hurt us. We had chances to get the pucks out but couldn't execute. We've got to be more on our toes. . ." The Blackhawks took advantage of the Wings' penalties to score a pair of power-play goals 2:39 apart in the second period to break a 1‑1 tie in Game 5. The Red Wings are now 2-5 when allowing a power-play goal in the playoffs, including a 0-3 mark when yielding multiple scores. Detroit has allowed 10 power-play goals in the postseason, the most of any playoff team.

Jonathan Ericsson stressed the value of getting under the Blackhawks' skin. "If we can get them frustrated, that's almost 1-0 for us right away," Ericsson said. "So that's what we want to do." The Blackhawks are denying that the Red Wings have succeeded in frustrating them, but they have suffered back-to-back rough losses against Detroit. They'll enter Game 4 on Thursday with the goal of evening this series, but if the Red Wings get off to a strong sstart, it could be a big blow to Chicago's confidence.

Jonathan Ericsson wasn't too happy with Detroit's defense in Game 1 of their second-round series. "I think it took way too long for us to get out of our own zone and when we get out we don't have any energy to attack. . We have to do a much better job in the D-zone and the D's got to do a better job of getting the pucks up and the forwards have to do a better job in being open," Ericsson said. Over the past few seasons, several Red Wings defensemen have either left the team or retired and that's pushed Ericsson into the position of being one of the team's veteran blueliners. He ranks second on the team with 18 hits and fourth with eight blocked shots.

Jonathan Ericsson might be the biggest goat in the Detroit Red Wings' brutal 7-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. At least the statistics argue that point. Ericsson was a whopping -5 during the game. Even with that, his season total (-3) isn't that bad, although he hasn't exactly endeared himself to Red Wings fans this season. The big Swede might be a little out of his element on a thinning Detroit D corps.

Jonathan Ericsson's becoming a bit of a scapegoat for Detroit Red Wings fans. The blueliner has developed a reputation (fair or not) for gaffes and bad penalties, with Sunday presenting a glaring example. His delay of game minor opened the door for Patrick Kane's game-tying goal in a 2-1 shootout win for Chicago. Tomas Tatar was Detroit's lone goal scorer.

Jonathan Ericsson returned to action on Sunday January 27.

Jonathan Ericsson (shoulder) is probable for Sunday's game versus the Chicago Blackhawks. Ericsson sustained the injury during a practice on Jan. 20. He took part in Saturday's skate. "A little bit better," Ericsson said, referring to his shoulder. "No steps back yet, so that's good. I'll rest the rest of the day here and we'll see tomorrow."