Red Wings 4, Blackhawks 1

DETROIT (AP) - Despite missing one of their top defensemen and then losing their starting goalie, the Detroit Red Wings found a way to get their longest winning streak in nearly 10 years.

Chris Osgood made 23 saves after replacing the injured Manny Legace, and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 Tuesday night for their ninth straight victory.

"Tonight wasn't one of our better games, but we managed to find a way," said Osgood, who played his first game at Joe Louis Arena as a Red Wing since April 21, 2001.

Detroit has its longest winning streak since 1995-96, when it had two nine-game streaks on the way to setting the all-time NHL record with 62 wins.

Jason Williams had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings (12-1-0) and Kirk Maltby, Brett Lebda, and Brendan Shanahan also scored in the third straight game between the teams. Nicklas Lidstrom had two assists.

Detroit was without defenseman Mathieu Schneider, a last-minute scratch due to a sore groin, and then Legace left the game with a slight knee sprain with 3:23 remaining in the first period after Chicago's Matthew Barnaby fell on him. Legace, who made eight saves, was expected to undergo precautionary X-rays on Wednesday.

Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer retaliated against Barnaby and both players got 5-minute fighting penalties.

"I felt that it was an unnecessary play, falling backwards (on Legace)," Fischer said. "That's just what I saw."

Adrian Aucoin scored the only goal for Chicago (3-9-0), which lost its fourth straight despite outshooting Detroit 32-20.

"I thought we outplayed them, for the most part," Chicago goalie Nikolai Khabibulin said. "We played well enough to win, but a couple of mistakes."

Maltby scored the lone goal of the first period when he put in his own rebound with 4:01 remaining.

Lebda had a power-play goal at 7:34 of the second period as his shot from along the goal line deflected in off Khabibulin's pads. Shanahan's eighth score of the season, with 4:50 left in the period, made it 3-0.

"Detroit takes advantage of our mistakes," Blackhawks coach Trent Yawney said. "If it's one thing we're lacking, its not finishing off the (opponents') mistakes."

Aucoin's power-play goal, a shot from the point with 1:37 left in the second, got Chicago on the board.

Williams added a power-play goal with 8:20 remaining in the third period.

"These guys are professional," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "They know how to win, even when they don't have it."

Notes: Legace was named the NHL Defensive Player of the Month for October. He set an all-time record for most wins in October (10-1), had a 1.81 goals-against average, .925 save-percentage and two shutouts. ... Chicago C Tuomo Ruutu returned after missing six games with a sore back . ... D Jason Woolley (groin) was also scratched for Detroit. ... Robert Lang got his 300th career assist on Shanahan's goal. ... Lang was also stopped by Khabibulin on a penalty shot four minutes into the second period. It was the Red Wings' seventh consecutive missed penalty shot. They last scored on a penalty shot on Nov. 22, 1995, when Igor Larionov beat San Jose's Arturs Irbe.