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DETROIT -- Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan was healthy enough to lace up his skates and briefly hit the ice at Joe Louis Arena on Monday afternoon.
But whether he's capable of playing in Tuesday's crucial Game 4 of the best-of-seven series with the Phoenix Coyotes is still a serious question mark.
Doan, who suffered what appeared to be a shoulder injury in Game 3 on Sunday afternoon, skated briefly prior to his team's practice and will continue to be evaluated and treated by team staff.
"He was better today, but we'll list him as day-to-day," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "We'll get a good indication (Tuesday) morning of whether he's going to play. He was in good spirits, so that was a positive."
The team rallied without Doan in the lineup with arguably their two best periods of the series on Sunday when they took a 2-1 series lead after a 4-2 victory.
A win Tuesday here would sent the series back to Arizona with the Coyotes holding a commanding 3-1 lead.
"The guys around here will rally around him, pick up a little bit of the slack," Coyotes defenceman Derek Morris said. "We can all be a little more physical and do some of the things Doaner does. Obviously you can't replace him."
The Coyotes expect to have first line centre Vernon Fiddler back in the lineup for Game 4 after missing Sunday's win. A key to the Phoenix penalty kill, Fiddler was out with what the team described as a lower-body injury.
The team received some good news when goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was named as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy honouring the league's top goaltender.
"It's a big honour for me and for all of my teammates," said Bryzgalov.
The Red Wings, meanwhile, are well aware of the desperation factor that awaits Tuesday.
"Oh, I feel pressure because I want to win," Babcock said. "That's what we do here, we win. The reason we win is we 'out determine' you in the end and we just keep on coming.
"So far in this series, they've done a better job of that part of the game than we have. I think they've been better than us in two of the games."