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Red Wings go for series sweep of Avalanche

May 1, 2008 - 1:46 PM Detroit at Colorado 10:00 pm EDT Western Conference semifinals Red Wings lead, 3-0

DENVER (Ticker) - The Detroit Red Wings aren't interested in a repeat of their Western Conference quarterfinal.

The top-seeded Red Wings go for a series sweep on Thursday when they visit the sixth-seeded Colorado Avalanche for Game Four of the conference semifinals.

After winning the first two games of their quarterfinal series against the eighth-seeded Nashville Predators, Detroit dropped Games Three and Four at the Sommet Center before putting away the series in six games.

The Red Wings were not about to make the same mistake against a tougher Avalanche team, forging a 4-3 victory in Game Three.

"We try to keep it simple," said Detroit Johan Franzen, who on Tuesday netted his league-leading eighth goal of the playoffs - and sixth of the series. "Throw pucks at the net and go for the rebounds. We don't try to do too much fancy stuff. That's the best way to play in the playoffs."

Pavel Datsyuk scored two goals and set up another while Henrik Zetterberg also tallied and recorded an assist for the Red Wings in Game Three.

"They are elite players coming into the prime of their careers," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "They have great will and determination. That to me is what separates you from being a regular player to being a star ... how much drive you have and how much heart you have. They're elite in that way."

Babcock attributes Datsyuk's and Zetterberg's success to their versatility and ability to control the rhythm of the game.

"We try to get the tempo as high as possible," Babcock said. "Every time something went wrong (in Game Three), they went out and turned the game the right direction for us. They're so good defensively, and yet so scary offensively you can play them against anybody in all situations."

The Avalanche have a long climb ahead of them, as only two teams have overcome a three-games-to-none deficit in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs accomplished the feat against the Red Wings in the Finals, while the 1975 New York Islanders rallied to top the Pittsburgh Penguins in the quarterfinals.

"We just have to try to win one game and go from there," said Andrew Brunette, who notched two goals for Colorado during Game Three. "Try to take some of the good things we did (Tuesday) into the next game and try to get a win. Who knows what happens after that."