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Red Wings welcome Coyotes for Game 1 of playoff rematch

Apr 13, 2011 - 3:22 PM (Sports Network) - For the second straight spring the Detroit Red Wings and Phoenix Coyotes will meet in the Western Conference quarterfinals, and this year's best-of-seven series will get underway tonight in Game 1 at Joe Louis Arena.

The third-seeded Red Wings are entering the playoffs for a 20th consecutive season, the longest active streak in all of North American professional sports. They do so once again as Central Division champions after having their run of eight straight division crowns halted last year by the Chicago Blackhawks.

That isn't the only return Detroit is hoping for as it has won four Stanley Cups during its 20-season playoff run.

Interestingly, the Red Wings did not have home-ice advantage in either of its two rounds a season ago after entering as the fifth seed. They were able to win a Game 7 at Phoenix in the opening round before bowing out to San Jose in five games in the semifinals.

While Detroit will welcome the extra home game this time around, one has to wonder if it will be an advantage. The Red Wings were inconsistent at Joe Louis Arena this year, going 21-14-6 (compared to 26-11-4 on the road) to match Phoenix for the fewest home wins by a Western Conference playoff team. That included a 4-6-2 record in their final 12 games as the host.

Detroit shouldn't have to worry too much about its club faltering on home ice, not with the veteran leadership the club has with the 40-year-old Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski, 37, at the blue line and 40-year center Mike Modano up front.

Lidstrom put forth another excellent season despite the fact that he will be 41 by the end of April. That didn't stop the six-time Norris Trophy winner from ranking second among all NHL defenseman with 62 points, third with 46 assists and tied for fourth with 16 goals. Rafalski was no slouch either, ranking fourth among NHL defenseman with 44 assists.

"We're all excited again," Lidstrom told his team's web site. "It feels like you're 18 again and heading into the playoffs. We're all excited about getting going."

Detroit's leading scorer Henrik Zetterberg sat out the final two contests of the regular season with a lower-body ailment and Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock said he doesn't expect to have his winger for the opener.

Though Zetterberg led the Red Wings with 80 points (fifth in the NHL) and 56 assists (tied for eighth), the squad has plenty of depth to make up for his absence. Led by Johan Franzen's 28 goals, Detroit had 13 skaters score at least 10 goals, with eight posting at least 16.

In total, Detroit ranked second in the league with 261 goals, but was 23rd with another 241 allowed.

Goaltender Jimmy Howard returns to the postseason as Detroit's No. 1 netminder for a second season in a row. The 27-year-old will hope to improve on last year's playoff numbers after going 5-7 with a 2.75 goals-against average in 12 starts.

Meanwhile, the sixth-seeded Coyotes will have revenge on their mind when they battle the Red Wings in the opening round for the second straight season. Phoenix made it to the second season for the first time since 2002 a year ago as the fourth seed, but dropped a 6-1 home decision in Game 7 to Detroit and lost for the 17th time in its 19 all-time playoff series dating back to the franchise's days in Winnipeg.

In fact, the club hasn't won a postseason series since the Jets bested Calgary in 1987 with a roster that featured the likes of Dale Hawerchuk, Brian Mullen, Dave Ellett and goaltender Pokey Reddick.

The Coyotes used 50 wins and 107 points -- both club records -- to claim home- ice advantage last year, but dipped to 43 wins and 99 points this season. A lack of offense could have had something to do with that as Phoenix ranked 15th with 231 goals and was tied for 23rd on the power play (15.9 percent).

While the 'Yotes didn't light the lamp at a blistering pace, they did display excellent depth. Shane Doan was the club's only 20-goal scorer, hitting the mark exactly, but 10 other skaters netted at least 10 tallies. Forwards Lee Stempniak, Lauri Korpikoski and Radim Vrbata all had 19 goals.

Of course, Phoenix was able to sacrifice a bit of offense thanks to the season goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov had. He was among the league leaders in wins after going 36-20-10 with a 2.48 goals-against average and career-high tying .921 save percentage, and his seven shutouts in 68 games were just one off his career-best pace set last year.

The Coyotes don't get much offense from their blue line, but possible Norris Trophy candidate Yandle ranked third in the NHL amongst blueliners with 59 points. Adrian Aucoin ranked second among Phoenix defenseman with 22 points.

Similar to last year's playoff meeting, the 2010-11 season series was a tight matchup with each team winning twice. However, both of Detroit's victories came past regulation, while Phoenix also won a shootout over the Red Wings.

Detroit has won all three of its playoff meetings against the Winnipeg/Phoenix franchise.

This series will stay in Motown for Game 2 on Saturday before the clubs meet Monday in Phoenix.