Optional skate this morning for the Red Wings before tonight's game against the Minnesota Wild, still here are a few notes ...

-- Chris Osgood will start in net tonight. Ty Conklin has started the past three games.

-- Top prospect Jonathan Ericsson is at Joe Louis Arena to have his injured wrist looked at. The injury isn't healing as quickly as the organization hoped, so Ericsson will have an MRI done on the wrist in Detroit with the Red Wings medical staff taking a look at him.

-- Darren McCarty had his first practice since having surgery on a hernia. It was the exact same surgery that Tomas Holmstrom had this week on the exact same spot. It was McCarty's third hernia operation. McCarty said that he hopes to get another week or practice in before going to Grand Rapids, then gear up for potentially helping the Red Wings come playoff time. He compared his potential late arrival in Detroit to last season.

-- When asked if he gave former Red Wing Sean Avery any advice after he was discarded by Dallas because of a bizarre television interview, Chris Chelios smiled and said, "Yah ... 'Shut your mouth and play.'"