Power Play Goal Lifts Red Wings over Avalanche

Nicklas Lidstrom scored a power play goal with 9:03 remaining in regulation Monday night, carrying the Detroit Red Wings to a 3-2 win over the host Colorado Avalanche.

Pavel Datsyuk set up the game winner. He carried the puck off the right wing boards and gave it to Tomas Holmstrom down low before getting it back to cut across the slot. Drawing the defense and goalie Craig Anderson to him, Datsyuk dropped the puck to Lidstrom for a blast into the open side of the net.

The goal put Detroit back in front after they had lost a two-goal lead in the second period.

T.J. Galiardi scored at 8:29 of the second, driving the net and banging the puck past Detroit netminder Jimmy Howard.

Chris Stewart tied the game 2:45 later, beating Howard from an acute angle on the left wing.

The Red Wings had opened the scoring with a pair of first period goals.

Holmstrom took a centering feed from Datsyuk and beat Anderson stick-side to put Detroit on the board at 6:06 of the period.

Johan Franzen added a power play goal with 7:20 left in the frame, faking Anderson into dropping down before roofing a shot from the right side of the net over him.

Franzen appeared to give Detroit a three-goal lead early in the second period but the goal was waived off by referee Kerry Fraser, who determined that Holmstrom had interfered with Anderson on the play.

Detroit’s two power play goals came on four chances with the extra attacker. Colorado was scoreless on two power plays.

Howard finished the night with 22 saves on 24 Colorado shots. Anderson made 27 saves on 30 chances.

---

Detroit defenseman Andreas Lilja played in his first game in 366 days, returning from post-concussion symptoms… Red Wings defender Brian Rafalski was in the Detroit lineup despite having played the day before in the Olympic gold medal game.