(Sports Network) - The Detroit Red Wings will aim for a third straight victory tonight, while the visiting Anaheim Ducks will try to win consecutive games for the first time this season.
Tonight's test at Joe Louis Arena already marks Anaheim's second stop in Detroit this season. The Red Wings hosted the Ducks on Oct. 8 in the season opener for both clubs and Jimmy Howard posted a shutout in the easy 4-0 victory for Detroit.
The home team has actually won six straight and eight out of nine in this series and Detroit has taken six of eight overall from the Ducks. Anaheim has dropped five in a row and 14 of its last 15 games in the Motor City.
The Red Wings have posted consecutive victories since suffering their only regulation loss of the year on Oct. 14 in Dallas. Detroit's most recent victory came Thursday in a 4-2 decision over visiting Calgary.
Johan Franzen supplied the go-ahead goal in his return to the lineup to lift the Red Wings. Franzen, who missed one game with what was deemed a mild concussion, broke a tie at the 7:55 mark of the third period.
Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom and Todd Bertuzzi also tallied for Detroit. Pavel Datsyuk recorded two assists for the Red Wings, while Howard made 34 saves.
The Red Wings kicked off a four-game homestand with the victory over the Flames and are 2-0-1 as the host this year. Detroit will welcome Phoenix on Thursday before capping the residency next Saturday against Nashville.
While Detroit is aiming for its first three-game winning streak of the season tonight, the 3-4-1 Ducks will try to post consecutive victories for the first time this year.
Anaheim recorded a 3-2 win in Philadelphia on Thursday, as captain Ryan Getzlaf scored the game-winning goal with 1:46 remaining in regulation to lift the Ducks.
There was some confusion surrounding the decisive goal, but a replay ultimately confirmed that it was a good score. Getzlaf poked at the puck while bearing down on Philadelphia goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and the disc trickled into the front right side of the net, just barely over the goal line.
"It doesn't matter how it goes in, it went in. We are desperate for wins," said Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle.
Lubomir Visnovsky and Jason Blake also scored for Anaheim, which evened its mark to 1-1 on the club's current four-game road trip. Curtis McElhinney allowed two goals on 40 shots in the victory.
No. 1 netminder Jonas Hiller is expected to get the start tonight. Hiller is 2-3-0 with a 3.04 goals-against average in his career against the Red Wings and surrendered all four goals in the loss to Detroit earlier this month.
Rookie defenseman Cam Fowler is questionable for tonight's game after missing Anaheim's the last two games with a broken nose. The 18-year-old has one goal and two assists in six games.