Red Wins rally for fifth straight win
DETROIT (AP) – Nicklas Lidstrom’s goal with 7:28 left completed a comeback and lifted the Detroit Red Wings to a 3-2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday night. It was NHL-leading Detroit’s fifth straight win.
Lidstrom also had two assists, and Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom scored the other goals. Pavel Datsyuk had three assists and Chris Osgood made 32 saves, including stopping Shane Doan on a breakaway with 30 seconds left.
Martin Hanzal and Ed Jovanovski scored for Phoenix and Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 36 shots.
Lidstrom beat Bryzgalov, who was screened by Holmstrom, with a slap shot from the point in the middle of the ice with 7:28 left.
The Coyotes led 2-1 after two periods, but Holmstrom tied it 9:09 into the third period. Lidstrom’s shot from the point deflected in off of Holmstrom’s knee for his 20th goal.
Jovanovski gave the Coyotes the lead 8:31 into the second period, when he beat Osgood with a one-time slap shot from the left point for his seventh goal.
Zetterberg scored just 3:54 into the game after missing Detroit’s last two games and the NHL All-Star Game on Sunday because of back spasms.
He missed the last 19 games of the regular season last season and five games in late December this season because of back problems.
Zetterberg’s 29th goal came when his attempted pass from the left corner went in off of Bryzgalov.
Hanzal tied it for Phoenix at 9:57, when he beat Osgood from the slot for his sixth goal. It was the result of a giveaway by Red Wings’ defenseman Niklas Kronwall beside his own net.
Notes: Detroit D Brett Lebda missed the game because of a left wrist injury. … Walter Gretzky, the father of Phoenix coach and Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, attended the game. … Kronwall left the game with a left shoulder injury in the middle of the third period after being checked along the boards by the Coyotes’ Craig Weller.
Copyright Associated Press 2008