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Red Wings-Ducks Preview

Jan 5, 2010 - 4:04 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Detroit (21-14-6) at Anaheim (16-19-7), 10:00 p.m. EDT

While it's unlikely the Detroit Red Wings will lead the league in scoring again this season, they're starting to find the back of the net with more regularity.

The Red Wings look to continue their scoring surge Tuesday night when they face the struggling Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center.

Detroit (21-14-6), which led the NHL with 3.52 goals per game in 2008-09, has been held to an average of 2.56 this season. The Red Wings failed to score more than three goals in any game during a 6-5-2 stretch from Dec. 3-28, but they have four goals in each of their last two contests - both wins.

Tomas Holmstrom tipped in two of Nicklas Lidstrom's deflected shots as Detroit opened a five-game trip with a 4-1 victory over Phoenix on Saturday.

"He's just determined," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said of Holmstrom, who has one more goal this season (15) than he did in 2008-09. "He's going to go there. It doesn't matter what they do to him, he's going to go back there. The thing about him that makes him good is he can tip the puck, he can score."

Holmstrom scored a power-play goal in a 3-2 overtime victory over the visiting Ducks (16-19-7) on Dec. 11.

Henrik Zetterberg, who notched two assists in that game with one coming on Todd Bertuzzi's game-winner, recorded his fourth career hat trick and added two assists in a 7-4 win over the Ducks on Nov. 14 at Joe Louis Arena.

Zetterberg, tied with Pavel Datsyuk with a team-high 22 assists and 32 points, is questionable Tuesday after missing the last seven games with a shoulder injury.

While Detroit is looking for its sixth consecutive victory over Anaheim, the Ducks are trying to win four straight at the Honda Center for the first time since a five-game run from Nov. 24-Dec. 14, 2008.

Anaheim, though, closed an 0-3-0 trip with a 5-2 loss to Chicago on Sunday. The Ducks outshot the Blackhawks 21-18 through two periods but did not score until Petteri Nokelainen found the back of the net twice in the final 3:21.

"We had our fair share of chances," said coach Randy Carlyle, whose team is averaging 2.0 goals during its three-game slide. "We had 2-on-1s, hit the posts and had scoring opportunities. (Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi) made some big stops, but we didn't do enough to force him."

Anaheim is 1 for 20 with the man advantage in its last seven games, but the possible return of Ryan Getzlaf could help the Ducks improve that mark.

Getzlaf, tied with Corey Perry with a team-high 41 points, has missed the last four games with a leg laceration.

"Things are just starting to feel a little better here and there," Getzlaf told the Ducks' official Web site Monday. "Overall, the cut is healing up really nice. It's been progressing every day. Hopefully, tomorrow morning it's the same way."

Getzlaf, who had a goal and three assists in the Nov. 14 loss to Detroit, has three goals and 12 assists in his last six home games against the Red Wings.

Jimmy Howard, who has started Detroit's last five games, is 2-0-0 with a 2.98 goals-against average versus the Ducks this season. Chris Osgood, who hasn't started since Dec. 20, is 5-1-1 with a tie in eight career starts in Anaheim.

The Ducks' Jean-Sebastien Giguere, 0-3-1 with a 4.23 GAA in his last four starts, is 0-2-1 with a 3.56 GAA in his last four appearances versus the Red Wings, while Jonas Hiller is 0-2-0 with a 5.43 GAA in two lifetime starts against Detroit.

Anaheim's last victory over the Red Wings was a 5-4 overtime win at home on Oct. 29, 2008.