Wild at Red Wings
THE STORY: The Detroit Red Wings are looking to regain their edge on home ice. After winning an NHL-record 23 consecutive games at Joe Louis Arena, coach Mike Babcock's club has dropped its last two contests in Hockeytown. While that's hardly a reason to throw a tantrum, Detroit will look to return to its winning ways and claim sole possession of first place in the Central Division when it hosts the Minnesota Wild on Friday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSNO, FSD
ABOUT THE WILD (28-26-10): Minnesota benefited from a spirited effort late in regulation to secure a point in its 5-4 shootout loss at Montreal on Thursday. The Wild tallied three times with under four minutes to play to extend the contest. G Niklas Backstrom made an early exit with a leg injury, forcing Josh Harding into action. GM Chuck Fletcher told CBC that Backstrom's absence will not be a short-term thing. Minnesota still sits five points back of eighth-place Dallas in the ultra-competitive Western Conference standings.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (42-19-3): Detroit was able to overcome the losses of leading-scorer Pavel Datsyuk (knee) and captain Nicklas Lidstrom (ankle) to post a 5-2 win over woe-begotten Columbus on Tuesday. Lidstrom has been ruled out for the team's weekend contests as well. All-Star G Jimmy Howard will vie for his first win in four games since returning from a broken finger. C Henrik Zetterberg has collected a goal and four assists in his last two games, but has just one helper in three contests versus the Wild this season.
OVERTIME:
1. Minnesota signed C/RW Charlie Coyle to a three-year deal worth almost $2.5 million on Thursday. The 28th overall pick of the 2010 draft, Coyle was acquired as part of the D Brent Burns deal with San Jose.
2. Red Wings C Valtteri Filppula has recorded a goal and an assist in his last two games overall. The 27-year-old Finn has just one goal in 22 career matches versus the Wild.