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Red Wings 3, Coyotes 2
Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) -The Detroit Red Wings didn't play well, just well enough.

Dan Cleary's power-play goal completed Detroit's third-period comeback, and Henrik Zetterberg had a goal and an assist to lift the Red Wings to a 3-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night.

Pavel Datsyuk also scored for NHL-leading Detroit, and Brian Rafalski had two assists. Chris Osgood made 24 saves.

"We started fine, but we got casual," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said.

Daniel Winnik and Fredrik Sjostrom scored for Phoenix, and Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 36 shots.

"They're a good team," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said of the Red Wings. "Our guys worked real hard and we cycled well down low."

Zetterberg tied it 2-2 just 39 seconds into the third period when he chipped in a loose puck from a goal-mouth scramble for his 17th. It fluttered over Bryzgalov and landed in the net.

"I tried to get it on net, and it took a funny bounce and bounced into the net," Zetterberg said.

Cleary broke the tie at 9:04 when he beat Bryzgalov high to the glove side with a one-timed shot from the left circle. It was Cleary's ninth goal and second in two games.

Jiri Hudler made the pass from along the goal line.

"Me and Jiri have been practicing that play all season," Cleary said. "It kind of popped out to him and he made a nice little pass and I wanted to get it on net and high. Bryzgalov's a big goalie, he takes up a lot of the bottom of the net."

He also said Detroit got back to the way it normally plays in the third period.

"We all know what we're capable of if we stick to the game plan and do what we're told and work our system," Cleary said. "We did that in the third period."

Phoenix scored twice in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.

Winnik made it 1-1 at 5:17 of the second period when he capitalized on Detroit defenseman Andreas Lilja's giveaway deep in the Red Wings zone. Winnik took the puck, skated in on Osgood, made a fake and put a forehand shot high into the net for his third goal.

Sjostrom gave the Coyotes the lead with 5:40 left in the second period when he put the rebound of a carom off the backboards past Osgood.

"We played OK 5-on-5," Coyotes captain Shane Doan said. "We got beat on specialty teams."

Detroit took a 1-0 lead on Datsyuk's power-play goal 7:46 into the game. His attempted pass deflected in off the skate of Phoenix defenseman Keith Ballard for his ninth of the season.

Bryzgalov, in his seventh consecutive start, dropped his third straight decision after winning the first four once he was claimed off waivers from Anaheim. He was pulled on Friday night after allowing five goals on seven shots in the Coyotes' 6-1 loss at Chicago.

In his first five games with Phoenix, Bryzgalov was 4-1 with a 1.58 goals-against average, and had allowed eight goals on 137 shots.

Notes: Phoenix D Ed Jovanovski returned after serving a one-game suspension for hitting Minnesota's Marian Gaborik in the head. ... Detroit C Kris Draper (sprained knee), and LW Kirk Maltby (back) both missed their second games. ... Coyotes RW Radim Vrbata didn't play because of a groin injury. ... Detroit LW Matt Ellis returned after missing three games due to headaches. ... Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky's father, Walter, attended the game.


Three star selections
1st:   HENRIK ZETTERBERG
2nd:   SHANE DOAN
3rd:   BRIAN RAFALSKI
Winning Goaltender
Chris Osgood

Losing Goaltender
Ilya Bryzgalov

SCHEDULE

HOME
AWAY
PROMOTIONAL

STANDINGS

WESTERN CONFERENCE
  TEAM GP W L OT GF GA PTS
1 p - CHI 48 36 7 5 155 102 77
2 y - ANA 48 30 12 6 140 118 66
3 y - VAN 48 26 15 7 127 121 59
4 x - STL 48 29 17 2 129 115 60
5 x - LAK 48 27 16 5 133 118 59
6 x - SJS 48 25 16 7 124 116 57
7 x - DET 48 24 16 8 124 115 56
8 x - MIN 48 26 19 3 122 127 55
9 CBJ 48 24 17 7 120 119 55
10 PHX 48 21 18 9 125 131 51
11 DAL 48 22 22 4 130 142 48
12 EDM 48 19 22 7 125 134 45
13 CGY 48 19 25 4 128 160 42
14 NSH 48 16 23 9 111 139 41
15 COL 48 16 25 7 116 152 39

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