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Red Wings try to bounce back vs. Coyotes

Jan 12, 2012 - 4:03 PM (Sports Network) - The Detroit Red Wings will try to put a rough loss against the lowly Islanders behind them when they host the Phoenix Coyotes tonight at Joe Louis Arena.

A return to the Motor City could help the Red Wings rebound, as Detroit has won 12 straight on home ice and is 15-2-1 as the host this season. The Red Wings, who are just 11-13-0 on the road, are kicking off a three-game homestand tonight and haven't lost at the Joe since getting beaten by Calgary Nov. 3.

The Red Wings entered Tuesday with 19 more points than the Islanders, but New York dominated Detroit that evening in a 5-1 victory at Nassau Coliseum. It was Detroit's fourth straight loss in the series and the fifth setback in six encounters against the Isles.

Matt Moulson scored two goals with one assist and John Tavares also had three points to help lift New York to the lopsided win over the Wings. The Isles torched Detroit goaltender Ty Conklin for five goals on 20 shots. New York scored three goals on four shots against Conklin in the second period to take a 4-0 lead.

Justin Abdelkader scored the lone goal for the Red Wings, who went 2-2 on a four-game road trip.

"I thought we were going to have a bit more jump than we did," said Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, responding to his team's effort in the second period. "They were out-skating us, especially in the neutral zone."

The Red Wings played without forward Pavel Datsyuk on Tuesday and the Russian star is questionable for tonight with a lower-body injury. Datsyuk is leading Detroit this season with 30 assists and 43 points.

Detroit is just two home wins away from tying the franchise record of 14 straight victories as the host, a mark that was set during the 1964-65 season.

Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock is also after his 400th career victory tonight. With 399 victories in 698 games, Babcock will become the third- fastest coach to reach the 400-win mark with a victory tonight. The legendary Toe Blake is currently the third-fastest, as he posted his 400th career win in his 724th game behind the bench.

Phoenix has not played well lately, losing three of four and seven of its last nine outings. The Coyotes rode goaltender Mike Smith to a shootout loss Tuesday in New York, as the netminder turned aside 31-of-32 shots and stopped Marian Gaborik on a penalty shot in overtime.

However, the Rangers eventually earned the 2-1 victory when Derek Stepan scored on Smith in the sixth round of the shootout.

Radim Vrbata lit the lamp for the Coyotes, who fired just 19 shots at New York goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

"It was disappointing to lose," said Smith. "But we found a way to get a point."

The Coyotes began a three-game road trip with the loss in New York, but they still have a respectable 12-9-3 record as the guest this season.

Detroit posted a 5-2 home win over Phoenix on Dec. 8 and has taken five of the last eight regular-season meetings in this series. The Coyotes have also dropped two in a row and nine of 11 in Detroit.

The Red Wings have also eliminated the Coyotes in the first round of the playoffs in each of the past two springs. Detroit needed to win a road Game 7 to defeat Phoenix in 2010, but the Coyotes were swept in four games last year.