Gameday: Wild vs. Detroit

Last update: February 5, 2008 - 12:28 AM

Preview: The Wild, which has won three in a row and seven of 10, is coming off a 4-1 victory at Columbus. It has lost two of three to the Red Wings, although it won a 6-5 shootout in Detroit on Jan. 10. The NHL-leading Red Wings have 40 victories in 54 games (40-10-4, the same record at this point as the 1995-96 Detroit team that won an NHL-record 62 games).

Players to watch: LW Brian Rolston has scored a goal in five consecutive games, tying a Wild record and his personal best. C Pavol Demitra has three consecutive two-point games and is a plus-9 in his past nine games. RW Marian Gaborik has a 14-game home point streak (13 goals, 23 points). G Niklas Backstrom is 4-0-1 in his past five with a .949 save percentage and 1.57 goals against average. LW Todd Fedoruk is a plus-10 in his past 10 games. Detroit C Pavel Datsyuk, the NHL's First Star of the Week, has a six-game assist and point streak (nine assists, 10 points). He leads the NHL with 47 assists. D Nicklas Lidstrom leads the NHL with a plus-46. LW Henrik Zetterberg is fourth in the NHL with 65 points.

Numbers: Detroit has won seven in a row, the third time this season it has built a streak of six or more consecutive victories. It has lost only four games all season by more than one goal. ... The Wild has killed off 20 consecutive 5-on-4 power plays in the past six games. ... The Wild is 5-for-45 (11.1 percent) on power plays in the past 14 games.

Injuries: Wild RW Mark Parrish (head) practiced Monday but looked foggy and is doubtful. LW Derek Boogaard (back) is out, and D Sean Hill (sprained ankle) is available. Red Wings D Niklas Kronwall (shoulder) is day-to-day.

MICHAEL RUSSO

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