Red Wings 3 - 2 Blues
Final - 2OT
  for this game

Bertuzzi lifts Red Wings to shootout win over Blues

Apr 5, 2012 - 3:47 AM St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Todd Bertuzzi scored on the final attempt of the shootout to give the Detroit Red Wings a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues.

The result gives Detroit 101 points on the season, its 12th straight 100-point campaign, and a one-point lead over Nashville for fourth place in the Western Conference. Both team have two games to play.

St. Louis has 107 points and sits in second place in the Western Conference. The team has already clinched the Central Division, but sits two points back of Vancouver for the top spot in the conference as both clubs have two games left.

Johan Franzen scored both goals while Jimmy Howard made 27 stops for the Red Wings, who have won their past two.

"It was almost a playoff atmosphere out there," said Howard. "For us to get down by two late in the third and to be able to tie it up then win in the shootout is a huge win for us."

Andy McDonald and David Perron each had goals for the Blues, who have lost their last three. Brian Elliott, who came into the game riding three consecutive shutouts, gave up two goals on 28 shots.

Bertuzzi was the final skater of the shootout and he faked to the backhand and lifted it high over Elliott.

The first two periods passed scoreless, but St. Louis scored shorthanded as Perron got the puck in the neutral zone after Valtteri Filppula lost it and faked to the backhand before lifting it high on a breakaway 7:18 in.

St. Louis took a 2-0 lead three minutes later when McDonald grabbed a turnover at the right boards and skated down low before roofing the puck over Howard.

Detroit, though, got one back with 6:05 to play as Pavel Datsyuk fired a pass from the deep left boards to the front where Franzen one-timed it home.

The goal broke a shutout streak of Elliott's that went 240 minutes and 28 seconds.

It didn't take long for him to let in another, as again it was Datsyuk and Franzen hooking up. This time, Datsyuk sent a pass from the left side to the right where Franzen wristed it home with 3:50 to play.

"For the most part it was my fault, on the second goal I had the wrong people on the ice," said St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock. "Got caught on a line change and it ended up in our net."

Game Notes

Detroit hosts New Jersey on Thursday. Detroit finished the road portion of its season 17-21-3...St. Louis hosts Phoenix on Friday...Detroit won four of six against St. Louis this season...Detroit was 0-for-4 on the power play while St. Louis was 0-for-2.






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