DENVER, Colorado -- 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.
Notes: 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.
Why is it on Versus? This is tortureeeeeeeee. 
While Versus is torture, the passing leading to Homer's goal was fantastic.
Wings buzzing early. Pressure drew that penalty.
Late post but a hell of a shot by Franzen to make it 2-0. Great first period for Detroit. Been missing that kind of play all season.
The Wings look awesome tonight!
Hell of a chance on the two-on-one. Great play by whoever got the puck to Cleary at center ice.
Edit: That was Bert.
That is the wrong f*cking call. Homer was way gone by the time the puck was in.
So that's legal but Detroit's goal wasn't. f*cking hell, I hate this game.
Can someone please compile all the bull crap disallowed goals for the Wings this year already and upload to Youtube so people can see that us Wings fans aren't making it up.
Avs with all the momentum since the called off goal.
Versus guys even praising the Colorado goal celebration.
i have 97.1 the ticket on, with no sound on the Versus broadcast so I didn't catch it.
i have 97.1 the ticket on, with no sound on the Versus broadcast so I didn't catch it.
Did they think the called off goal was as good of a call as the Versus guys did?
no the commentator on 97.1, sorry can't recall his name right now, thought it was a bad call and a good goal.
BS call on homer in front of the net again.. call based on assumption that he made contact, goalie flopped
That was a f*cking dive. Anderson fell like he was hit high and Homer didn't do that.
Eaves is still a PK pimp.
this is looking like a typical '09 '10 Wings regular season game. Already a non-goal call that changes the game.
I could be mistaken but I swore I saw Ericcson and Lilja paired together.... Please. No.
I could be mistaken but I swore I saw Ericcson and Lilja paired together.... Please. No.
Yeah. A little bit of terror on seeing those lines before the game. Lilja looks slow but solid so far. Ericsson has only screwed up a few times.
That period was dumbdumbdumbdumbdumb. Considering it's probably going to be like this for the rest of the game, I'm going to sleep now haha. I hope to see better news in the morning.
I don't even need to comment on the called off goal.
I don't even need to comment on the called off goal.
But it'll make you feel better if you do.
Oh my. That was nice.
Not entirely thrilled with what it took but the outcome is enough.
Can someone please compile all the bull crap disallowed goals for the Wings this year already and upload to Youtube so people can see that us Wings fans aren't making it up.
Great idea!
I could be mistaken but I swore I saw Ericcson and Lilja paired together.... Please. No.
Yeah. A little bit of terror on seeing those lines before the game. Lilja looks slow but solid so far. Ericsson has only screwed up a few times.
It occurred to me that it's been so long since we've seen the Wings that I'd forgotten, in some cases, who was on the team!
I, too, thought Lilja looked solid, but Ericsson continues to be a work in progress....
Very, very good to see those great Datsyukian passes....
The Avs are an exceptionally fast team (am I right?), so I won't be too hard on some of the guys/Wings who looked like they were having trouble keeping up....I just thought that having everyone back (however briefly) did cast a bright light on "those who don't belong".
Back under my rock....
It was good that I left, see? I must be bad luck.
And I yelled a lot of obscenities last night because of the goal, and you're right, it DID make me feel better haha.
Nicklas Lidstrom
Credit: Clark Rasmussen
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