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The Red Wings' remarkable run through the first half of the season has them perched high above the rest of the NHL with 63 points and possessing a 13-point lead over the 2nd-place Stars in the Western Conference standings and a nine-point lead over the Ottawa Senators in the NHL's overall standings.
The first-half (30-8-3) run even bested the previous franchise-best mark of 29-9-4 set during the 1995-96 season. That 1996 club went on to lose just four games in regulation over the final 41 games of the regular season to finish with an NHL-record 62 victories.
The Red Wings grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first period when Dan Cleary scored his 13th goal of the season from the left faceoff circle. Cleary had his initial shot from the point blocked but jumped on the loose puck to blast it past a partially screened Marty Turco.
Detroit extended the lead to 2-0 in the second period when Aaron Downey registered his first point as a Red Wings when he sprang Johan Franzen on a breakaway.
The rout was on in the third period following goals by Dallas Drake and Pavel Datsyuk pushed the score to 4-0.
Rookie forward Loui Eriksson spoiled goaltender Chris Osgood's shutout bid with 6:01 remaining.
Osgood was again stellar in net for Detroit and stopped 23 of 24 shots. Turco continued his career-long struggles against the Red Wings and turned away just 22 of 26.
LGW.com's 3 Stars
1. Chris Osgood (DET) - 23 Saves, .958 SV% Red Wings Lines
Filppula - Datsyuk - Cleary |
NHL.com Stats Pack
· Game Summary |
