St. Louis, MO (My Sportsbook) - The Detroit Red Wings seek their third straight win tonight when they visit the
St. Louis Blues for a first-place clash at the Savvis Center. The teams enter the day's action tied atop the Central Division with 28 points -- five ahead of their closest suitor, Nashville.
Detroit defeated Edmonton and the NY Islanders to close out a three-game homestand, including Friday's 6-0 pounding of New York. Steve Thomas scored two first-period goals and assisted on one in the second to lead the effort.
Pavel Datsyuk notched three assists and Kris Draper added a goal and a helper for the Red Wings, who won for the third time in four games. Manny Legace stopped all 30 shots he faced for his first shutout of the year and Brendan Shanahan, Chris Chelios and Brett Hull each scored once.
Thomas, who recently signed as a free agent, has been terrific since making his Red Wings debut on November 12. The veteran has five goals and two assists in nine games.
Hull, meanwhile, is now four tallies shy of tying Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne for third place on the National Hockey League's all-time goal-scoring list (731). He paces the club with 11 goals and 22 points on the season.
The Red Wings, who again played without goaltender Dominik Hasek (groin), are 5-6-2 on the road. They'll host Anaheim on Wednesday.
St. Louis, meanwhile, is 2-0-1 in its last three, including Friday's 2-2 tie in Tampa. Eric Nickulas and Keith Tkachuk scored third-period goals to rally the Blues to the deadlock. Brent Johnson made 25 saves in the deadlock, including two in overtime.
The Blues erased a 2-0 deficit with a pair of goals in the third period, something not easily done against the Lightning, who entered the game with an 8-0-0 record when leading after the middle frame.
Pavol Demitra posted an assist on Nickulas' tally and stretched his points streak to nine games (5g, 8a).
The Blues, a stellar 7-1-0 on home ice, begin a four-game stand tonight and will welcome Los Angeles to town on Tuesday.
St. Louis defeated Detroit, 6-5, in Motown on October 29, behind a Doug Weight hat trick. The victory snapped a five-game series losing streak for the Blues.
The Red Wings are 5-1-3 in their last nine trips to the Gateway City.
