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DETROIT (Ticker) -- Revenge came quickly for the Detroit Red Wings. Curtis Joseph recorded his 40th career shutout and Igor Larionov had his most productive night of the season with a goal and two assists, leading the Red Wings to a 4-0 blanking of the Minnesota Wild and a split of their home-and-home series. Minnesota clinched the first playoff berth in team history and ended Detroit's six-game winning streak Sunday with a 4-0 whitewash. After watching that contest from the bench, Joseph returned the favor as the Red Wings ended the Wild's four-game unbeaten streak. "Not revenge, just something we want to do," Detroit coach Dave Lewis said. "We want to accumulate points and play well. There's no revenge in the regular season. You want to play well and try to win hockey games." In extending his personal winning streak to five games, Joseph had to make only 18 saves. His best came in the opening period, when he stopped Marian Gaborik on a breakaway and kicked out his right pad to deny Darby Hendrickson's wrist shot from the top of the slot. "Cujo was huge once again for us," Red Wings center Kris Draper said. "He's playing well and deserves to get some shutouts. So it was nice for him to get that tonight." By the time Joseph stopped Gaborik and Hendrickson, Detroit had a 1-0 lead. Just 1:57 into the game, Larionov got a pass from defenseman Mathieu Schneider and fired a slap shot from the top of the left faceoff circle past goaltender Dwayne Roloson. "I had a good start, quick goal, and it got everyone going," Larionov said. "Had to win this game tonight. ... We got a 1-0 lead, so they had to attack. And when they attacked, there was room and we could move the puck." Larionov, at 42 the oldest player in the NHL, also set up goals by Sergei Fedorov and Tomas Holmstrom for his first three-point night since March 13, 2002. "I think he lies about his age," Lewis joked. "He enjoys the game, he loves the game of hockey. You could tell when he plays like he played tonight. I think he had three points. So intelligent, just a smart player. Great guy to be around for the young guys, for the old guys, everyone." The Red Wings have won 15 of their last 17 games and lead Dallas by two points for the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Roloson stopped 29 shots for Minnesota, which also had a three-game road unbeaten streak stopped. The Wild remained one point behind sixth-place Anaheim in the West. "The Red Wings are one of the best teams in the league. We have to prepare ourselves before the game. You have to be ready," Minnesota defenseman Andrei Zyuzin said. "If you're not going to be in their face the first shift, they're going to kill you and be on top of you." Detroit also struck quickly in the second period, taking a 2-0 lead on Fedorov's power-play goal at the 88-second mark. Larionov sent a pass to the left faceoff circle that Fedorov corraled before snapping a shot into the top right corner of the net for his 31st goal. Rookie Henrik Zetterberg got his 21st just 27 seconds into the third period. Roloson stopped a shot by defenseman Mathieu Schneider, but Zetterberg put in the rebound. Holmstrom finished the scoring with 10:16 remaining, reaching the 20-goal mark for the first time. "It seemed like it's a whole number, reaching 20," he said. "It's a little bit of recognition. Reaching 20 is something you want to do. I've been here for seven years and never done it before." "There's a reason why a team finishes first overall," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. "This is a bunch of guys, a lot of talent, moves the puck well. That's what they did tonight. They were just too much for us. Last game, we had a couple breaks, which gave us a lot of life." |
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