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Lidstrom may return when Red Wings aim for third straight

Mar 9, 2008 - 12:46 PM Nashville (35-26-8) at Detroit (44-18-6) 3:00 pm EDT

DETROIT (Ticker) - Five-time Norris Trophy winner and All-Star defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom may make his return to the lineup on Sunday when the Detroit Red Wings face the Nashville Predators in a battle of the Central Division rivals.

Detroit, which leads the league with 94 points, has won two straight contests after posting a 1-8-2 record in its previous 11 games.

Injuries to their blue line played a significant role in the Red Wings' woeful stretch. None was bigger than the loss of Lidstrom, who has missed the last six games due to a sprained knee ligament, but still leads all defensemen with 57 points.

The Red Wings dropped the first four games they played without Lidstrom.

"It felt a lot better today," Lidstrom said on Friday. "I'm able to go backwards to forwards, open up my hips."

Detroit can choose to be cautious with Lidstrom considering that it has a comfortable seven-point lead on the Dallas Stars (41-25-5) for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Pavel Datsyuk scored twice and Dominik Hasek stopped 18 shots as the Red Wings posted a 4-1 win over St. Louis on Wednesday.

While Detroit is comfortable with its playoff positioning, the Predators are currently tied with the Vancouver Canucks (34-24-10) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

Dan Ellis stopped 29 shots and J.P. Dumont scored in the extra session as Nashville posted a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Friday. The Predators, who are 3-2-0 on their current six-game road trip, have lost five straight here.