Red Wings: Notebook

Dan Cleary is stuck at 99 career goals

Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

Detroit -- Who knew that his 100th career goal would be so elusive?

Danny Cleary is off to his slowest start since joining the Red Wings in 2005-06. He has one goal in 13 games and is a minus-6. He got his 99th career goal in the second game of the season in Sweden and has been scoreless with three assists since.

"Getting antsy?" Cleary said after practice Wednesday. "That is an understatement."

Cleary has been playing catch-up all season, thanks to a groin injury that sidelined him for most of training camp. He still doesn't appear to have his legs under him.

"The big thing is, when you miss training camp and you're hurt, your legs don't move," coach Mike Babcock said. "It takes you a good while to catch up. He's a guy that has to really skate and be physical at the net. He's a good player and it's just a matter of time, but the skating is the biggest thing for him. The pace of his game has to keep improving."

Babcock continues to send Cleary out on the second line with Henrik Zetterberg and, most recently, Jason Williams. He's averaging more than 18 minutes of ice time a game, more than every other forward not named Zetterberg or Pavel Datsyuk.

Babcock also continues to use Cleary on the second power-play unit (now as a center between Todd Bertuzzi and Ville Leino) and on the penalty kill unit.

So he certainly hasn't lost any faith in him.

"I just have to stay positive," Cleary said. "Once you get frustrated things really go downhill. The team is playing well right now. I just have to make sure I do things other than score to help. I am not overly concerned. I believe it will come. I just have to keep working."

Sick bay

Both Jonathan Ericsson and Brian Rafalski were back at practice after missing the Tuesday's 2-0 victory over the Bruins with the flu. Clearly, Rafalski is in better shape than Ericsson, though both could play against the Sharks tonight.

"I was giving it to E today," Babcock said of Ericsson. "He got his appendix out last year and missed two games. This year he's got a cold and he's out a month."

Ericsson, who had to wear a mask on the flight home from Calgary on Saturday to protect his teammates, struggled at practice.

"Today was tough," he said. "I hadn't been on the ice in four days. It felt like the air tank was pretty low; hard to breathe. Hopefully it'll be better."

The Wings returned defenseman Doug Janik to Grand Rapids on Wednesday, so if Ericsson can't play, Derek Meech would take his spot.

"I just watched a great big kid out there skating," Babcock said of Ericsson. "If he's not ready to play then I don't know what's wrong with him."

Sharks bite

Not only do the Sharks have the second-best record in the Western Conference (10-4-1), but their goals for and against also are off the charts -- 52 for and 38 against.

"They were a good team last year, but adding Dany Heatley gives them a goal scorer to play with Joe Thornton ," Cleary said.

"They are pretty lethal."

Thornton has 16 assists and Heatley has nine goals. Patrick Marleau , the second-line center, has 11 goals and 10 assists.

"This is a good measuring stick for us," Cleary said. "They are at the top of the West and they have some players that are really hot.

"We are going to have to tighten our defense more than we have the last couple of games, that's for sure."

The Wings are 4-1-1 against the top six teams in the West this season.

chris.mccosky@detnews.com (313) 222-1489