Red Wings at Hurricanes
After booking their 24th consecutive playoff appearance, the Detroit Red Wings look to clinch third place in the Atlantic Division when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday in the regular-season finale for both teams. Detroit, which holds a one-point lead over Ottawa, will lock up the spot by collecting at least one against the Hurricanes.
Pavel Datsyuk has recorded seven points (three goals, four assists) in his last five games but could sit out against Carolina as he deals with a lower-body injury that has sidelined him for seven of the last 13 contests. With Justin Abdelkader expected to miss his fourth straight game due to a hand injury, coach Mike Babcock could elect to rest some of his stars heading into the playoffs. "Our biggest thing is I'm hoping we're gonna get some guys back," Babcock said. "I'm hoping a couple days off for (Datsyuk) and he can feel himself. Get Abby back. I think that would really help, obviously." The Hurricanes skated to a 3-1 triumph over Philadelphia on Thursday but are set to miss the playoffs for the sixth straight season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, City, FSN Detroit, FSN Carolinas
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (42-25-14): Datsyuk has collected two goals and three assists versus the Hurricanes this season - including the winning tally midway into the third period of Detroit's 3-2 triumph on Tuesday. The veteran Russian recorded a goal and an assist in his second straight contest as the Red Wings suffered a 4-3 overtime loss to Montreal two nights later. Captain Henrik Zetterberg notched a pair of assists against the Canadiens to increase his point total to five over his last four games.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (30-40-11): Cam Ward secured his fourth win in six outings by making 27 saves against the Flyers. The 2006 Conn Smythe Trophy winner has struggled versus Detroit, posting a 2-5-1 career record with a 2.75 goals-against average when battling the Red Wings. Ward yielded three goals on 22 shots in his lone meeting with Detroit - a 3-1 loss on Dec. 7.
OVERTIME
1. Detroit LW Tomas Tatar, who leads the team with 29 goals, tallied twice in the first meeting with Carolina.
2. Hurricanes LW Chris Terry collected a goal and an assist in the teams' last encounter on Tuesday.
3. The Red Wings recalled D Alexey Marchenko from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League on Friday.