Wild vs. Detroit gameday

Last update: December 6, 2007 - 7:49 PM

Preview: The NHL-leading Red Wings, who have scored a league-high 92 goals, are 11-2 at home and have won four in a row overall. The Wild's four-game winning streak ended with a 3-1 loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday. This is the first of a five-game trip and the front end of back-to-back games; the Wild visits Columbus on Saturday.

Players to watch: Red Wings LW Henrik Zetterberg, fifth in the NHL in goals (18) and points (37), has points in 24 of 27 games this season and 11 multi-point games. Star C Pavel Datsyuk has 31 points and D's Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski each have 23 points. Wild RW Pierre-Marc Bouchard has no points in six games and hasn't scored a goal since Nov. 11, a span of 11 games. C Pavol Demitra leads Minnesota in scoring vs. Detroit with 22 points in 44 games. RW Marian Gaborik has a point in five consecutive games.

Numbers: The Wild is 3-8-1 all-time in Detroit and 1-5-1 in its past seven visits. ... In 14 games this season, Demitra has taken 20 shots. ... Detroit has the fifth-best home power play and sixth-best home penalty kill.

Injuries: Red Wings C Kris Draper (knee) is out and LW Kirk Maltby (back) is day-to-day. Wild D Nick Schultz (throat) and LW Mark Parrish (hip) are probable. D Kurtis Foster (cheekbone) and D/W Petteri Nummelin (head, nose) are available. LW Derek Boogaard (back) and C Mikko Koivu (fibula) are out.

Michael Russo

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