Coach Mike Babcock soon hopes to see what Henrik Zetterberg, Todd Bertuzzi and Dan Cleary can do together against opponents other than against teammates.

The three Red Wings are slated to be linemates, but getting them into an exhibition game has been impossible. Zetterberg has been sidelined since last week by a sore groin; Monday, Cleary and Bertuzzi experienced tenderness, too.

"Babs says it's embarrassing," Cleary said, smiling.

He expects to be ready by the weekend, as does Zetterberg. Bertuzzi skated Monday, so there's a chance he might play tonight at Philadelphia.

Odds are all will be ready for the start of the season and, for now, the most important thing is that Bertuzzi is learning how to play within the Wings' structure. He never really got that chance when they acquired him at the trade deadline in 2007, partly because of when he arrived and partly because he wasn't healthy. A sore groin aside, that's different now.

"He's in way better shape," Babcock said. "He's way quicker than he was last time here. So now we need a big-time effort each and every night, and I think we're going to get that."

What's so intriguing about Bertuzzi, whom the Wings signed to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million in August, is that he has so much upside. He's big and has a great set of hands, and with Zetterberg passing him the puck, Cleary screening goaltenders, and the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski and Niklas Kronwall on the back end, who knows how many goals Bertuzzi can score.

"They play a different style than anyone else -- they play different defensively and different in the neutral zone, different offensively," Bertuzzi said of the Wings. "You've got to be in the right position at the right time, because you're expected to be there. So it's just a matter of paying attention and having some reliable guys on your line to kind of get you through the first couple (times), and then it starts coming more naturally and you can do things at a lot higher tempo.

"It's pretty evident why they've been successful the past 10 years. Their system is high tempo, high speed and puck possession. And I think as an offensive player, that's the kind of style you want to play."