"Red Wings center Mike Modano has been back for a week, adding speed down the middle and mobility to the power play. Modano missed 41 games after surgery to repair a lacerated right wrist suffered Nov. 26. He contributed an assist in Saturday's 5-4 shoot-out loss against the Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena -- setting up Johan Franzen's goal early in the first period -- and has three assists since returning Feb. 26 at Buffalo. "I thought Mo's been good," coach Mike Babcock said. "We haven't played him tons of minutes, but I think as his hand is coming and his timing comes, he'll be better." Modano set up power-play goals at Los Angeles and San Jose. His return means the Wings don't have to rely on Nicklas Lidstrom to be out for an entire power play, as Modano's speed and shot make him ideal to man one of the points. "It's great for us to have him back," defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "He's making the plays, and you can see his confidence getting more and more back to where it was." Modano, 40, had just adjusted to the Wings' system when he was injured. Now it's just a matter of getting his timing back, as his fitness level is as good as ever. "It's just a matter of playing," he said. "You can work on it in practice, but there's not much traffic out there and you're not bumping into people. You're trying to get all those things back into your thought process when you're playing. I think the timing is coming back quick." Modano spent the first four games centering Valtteri Filppula, who returned to play at Buffalo after missing eight games with a sprained knee, and Tomas Holmstrom. For the Phoenix game, Babcock had Modano penciled in to play between big wingers Danny Cleary and Todd Bertuzzi." Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/201103...-injury-Red-Wings-Mike-Modano-making-progress
