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Red Wings-Avalanche Preview

Oct 24, 2009 - 5:42 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Detroit (3-3-2) at Colorado (7-1-2), 9:00 p.m. EDT

The Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings are two of the NHL's biggest surprises, but for different reasons.

The Avalanche are atop the Western Conference and will try to continue their impressive start Saturday night by beating the Red Wings for the second time in a week.

Colorado (7-1-2) finished last season at the bottom of the conference, while Detroit (3-3-2) lost to Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup finals after winning the title the previous year.

This season, the Avalanche seem to be early contenders while the Red Wings are third in the Central Division after winning it for eight consecutive seasons during which Detroit and Colorado were often locked in a bitter rivalry for conference supremacy.

Colorado's surprising start continued Friday as it beat Carolina 5-4 behind two goals and an assists from Paul Stastny.

The Avs, though, lost right wing Darcy Tucker in the second period when he suffered a concussion on a check from behind by the Hurricanes' Tuomo Ruutu, who was given a game misconduct and a boarding major. Tucker's face hit the glass and he fell to the ice on his back unconscious. He lay motionless for several minutes as team doctors and trainers attended to him before strapping him to a backboard.

Tucker appeared to regain consciousness as he was moved off the ice and taken to a hospital for further treatment. With four goals, Tucker is tied with Milan Hejduk for second on the team behind Wojtek Wolski's five.

"You can go two ways there," Colorado defenseman Adam Foote said. "(Coach Joe Sacco) grabbed the guys and told them to regain their composure and not go running around trying to get guys back. You can lose your whole team on a hit like that, end up in the box and lose the two points."

With Tucker likely out, Colorado will try to beat the Red Wings for the second time this season. The Avs rallied with three third-period goals before Marek Svatos and Hejduk scored in the shootout for a 4-3 win at Detroit last Saturday.

The Red Wings, meanwhile, are looking to avoid a season-high three-game losing streak.

Chris Osgood gave up a goal 1:57 into overtime Thursday in a 3-2 loss to Phoenix. The game went to the extra session after Osgood appeared to be interfered with on the tying goal by Petr Prucha with 2:40 to play in regulation.

"I thought they were pushing the goalie into the net," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "To me I didn't think that was allowed but it didn't matter. We were set up to win the game and we ended up shooting ourselves in the foot."

Osgood has been shaky, going 3-2-2 with a 3.16 goals-against average after posting a 2.01 GAA during the last season's playoffs.

He went 0-1-2 with a 3.50 GAA against Colorado last season. However, he made 18 saves in a 4-0 victory in his last start at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2008.

The Avalanche are benefiting from strong play in goal from Craig Anderson, who will likely extend his franchise record by starting his 11th consecutive game to open a season.

Anderson made 32 saves, including one on a penalty shot, to get his seventh win Friday and tie the franchise record for October victories set by Ron Hextall with Quebec in 1992 and matched by Patrick Roy in 1996 and 2000 with Colorado.

Anderson, who has a 2.25 GAA, had 28 saves and two more in the shootout against Detroit last week.