Will he or won't he?

That's the question Red Wing watchers are pondering as the club prepares for Monday's Game 6 against the suddenly red-hot Kings in L.A. Those watchers are especially nervous these days after seeing the seventh-seeded Kings win three straight games to push Hockeytown's heroes to the brink of playoff extinction.

The "he" they're asking about, of course, is Wings captain and future Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman, who hasn't played in the series since leaving Game 1 with an ankle injury. The degree of that injury has been the subject of much debate. Is it sprained? Is it broken? And, does he also have a broken finger? Only Stevie -- and several key management types -- know for sure.

This much we do know: the Red Wings are 1-3 without Yzerman and facing a very early playoff elimination. We also know that Yzerman skated briefly with the team on Sunday in Los Angeles. Afterward, he walked to the team bus with a noticable limp.

Over the course of his great career, Yzerman has evolved from a one-way offensive player into the consummate team performer on a back-to-back Stanley Cup championship team. At 35, Yzerman still works both ends of the rink, plays on the power play and penalty killing units, blocks shots, takes a bunch of key faceoffs and provides leadership in the room. In other words, his skates are hard to fill.

Yzerman says he'll only play on Monday if he can be an effective player. He says it'll be a game-time decision.

Will he or won't he? Says here, he will.

E.J. Hradek covers hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.