DETROIT – Henrik Zetterberg addressed the media following Tuesday’s practice and confirmed that he will not play Wednesday when the Red Wings host the Phoenix Coyotes in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.

The star forward, who suffered a lower body injury last Wednesday in Carolina, said that it has been frustrating to deal with an injury for the first time during the playoffs.

“Yeah, you know you want to be playing this time of year and today is tough,” Zetterberg said. “It’s the first playoff that I’m not really healthy.”
 
Zetterberg won’t miss many playoff games.

“My lower body, it felt a little funny when it happened,” Zetterberg said. “So you know, we’re working on it. Making progress. Hopefully it will be shorter than what we thought.
 
“I have had similar before, wasn’t as serious. I didn’t miss that much time then.”

Wings coach Mike Babcock said that while Zetterberg will not be available for Game 1, he hopes that the forward can take advantage of the extra day off before Saturday’s Game 2.

“Yeah, he’s not playing,” Babcock said. “The good thing about it is that we’ve got a couple days before the next game, so he’ll continue to be day-to-day until he’s back.”

Zetterberg said he is unsure of when he will be able to return.

“It’s tough to say,” Zetterberg said when he was asked about the possibility of returning during the first round. “We just have to see how I react.”