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Red Wings host Wild, aim to clinch Central crown

Apr 3, 2011 - 3:33 PM (Sports Network) - The Detroit Red Wings rallied for a playoff-clinching win yesterday and will try to claim yet another Central Division title today, when they host the Minnesota Wild at Joe Louis Arena.

The Red Wings punched a ticket to their 20th consecutive postseason by recording an overtime victory Saturday in Nashville. The win was also big in the division race, as Detroit extended its lead atop the Central to five over the second-place Predators.

The Wings can claim their ninth division title in 10 seasons with a win over Minnesota, or if they get a point and Chicago, which is eight points behind Detroit with five games left, loses tonight in regulation against Tampa Bay. Detroit could also win the division if it gets a shootout win versus the Wild and the Blackhawks lose today or defeat the Lightning in a shootout.

Minnesota, meanwhile, will play its remaining four games in the regular season as a spoiler after getting officially eliminated from postseason contention following Saturday's regulation loss against visiting Tampa Bay.

The Red Wings have claimed two of the three meetings with Minnesota this season and Detroit has also taken four of five and six of the last eight encounters between the clubs.

The Wild have also been defeated in seven of their previous nine trips to Motown, although Minnesota won its only game in Detroit this year, posting a 4-3 overtime victory on Nov. 19.

Detroit picked up a huge victory in Nashville on Saturday, as Danny Cleary's deflection goal with 2:02 remaining in overtime sent the Red Wings to a 4-3 victory at Bridgestone Arena.

After a left-circle faceoff win by Henrik Zetterberg, Brian Rafalski gathered the puck at the left point and shot to the net, where Cleary used the shaft of his stick to redirect it home.

Justin Abdelkader notched a pair of goals for the Red Wings, who came back to win Saturday despite facing an early 3-0 deficit.

"We were fighting for our lives," Abdelkader said of his club, which was trying to erase the memory of a 10-3 home loss to St. Louis earlier in the week. "It was a battle, and it was a huge road win for us and a big division win."

Jimmy Howard made several key stops en route to a 31-save victory, but Detroit remained No. 3 in the Western Conference after San Jose beat Anaheim later Saturday. The Red Wings have 100 points, one fewer than the idle Sharks.

Detroit is 20-13-6 as the host this year and hopes to have forward Pavel Datsyuk back on the ice today. Datsyuk, who has 22 goals and 57 points this year, has missed the last seven games with a lower body injury.

The Wild are coming off Saturday's 3-1 defeat against the Lightning. Steve Downie scored the eventual game-winner midway through the second period for Tampa.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored the lone goal for the Wild, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Niklas Backstrom made 20 saves in the loss.

The Wild have a bunch of injuries on the blue line to deal with today, as Cam Barker is questionable with a back issue, while fellow defensemen Nick Schultz (concussion) and Marek Zidlicky (lower body) will miss this evening's game. Schultz's head injury could cause him to miss the rest of the season.

Minnesota is 19-16-3 as the visiting club this year and is kicking off a three-game road trip tonight. The Wild will complete the regular season with a home test against Dallas next Sunday.