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(1) Detroit Red Wings (3-0) At (6) Colorado Avalanche (0-3), 10 P.m.

(Sports Network) - The top-seeded Detroit Red Wings will try to complete a sweep of the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals tonight, when they visit the Colorado Avalanche for Game 4 at the Pepsi Center.

After posting a 2-0 lead on their home ice with wins in the first two games of the series, the Red Wings went ahead three games to none Tuesday night in Denver.

Pavel Datsyuk posted two goals and an assist, as Detroit edged the sixth- seeded Avalanche, 4-3, in Game 3 at the Pepsi Center.

Henrik Zetterberg registered a goal and an assist for the Red Wings, champions of the Central Division and this year's Presidents' Trophy recipient as the league's best team in the regular season.

Johan Franzen also scored, while Mikael Samuelsson collected two assists. Franzen has been terrific this postseason, as he leads Detroit with 11 points and is tied for the NHL lead with eight goals. He has six goals and one assist in the Colorado series.

The Swedish forward also has notched 23 goals in his last 25 games dating back to the regular season.

Chris Osgood stopped 30-of-33 shots for Detroit and is 5-0 with a 1.44 goals against average and .938 save percentage in this postseason. Osgood replaced Dominik Hasek as the Red Wings starting goaltender after Detroit was tied with Nashville after four games in the opening round.

Detroit is one win away from advancing to the conference finals for the second consecutive season. Last year, the Red Wings made it to the West finals, but were ousted in six games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks.

Andrew Brunette tallied twice and Joe Sakic picked up two assists for the Avalanche. Cody McLeod also scored, while Jose Theodore allowed four goals on 35 shots in defeat.

Colorado welcomed back forward Peter Forsberg and defenseman Scott Hannan to the lineup, but were without forward Ryan Smyth, who missed the game with a foot injury.

Forsberg had missed Games 1 and 2 with a groin injury, while Hannan sat out the second game after blocking a shot with his foot in the series opener. Smyth, who is doubtful for tonight's test, also suffered his foot injury by blocking a shot in Game 2.

To make matters worse, Paul Stastny, the Avs leading scorer from the regular season, injured his knee in the first period of Tuesday's game and did not return. The centerman is likely out for the remainder of this series.

Stastny has just two goals and one assist in nine playoff games this year after pacing Colorado with 71 points (24 goals, 47 assists) during the regular season.

Only two teams in NHL history have come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series and the last time it happened was in 1975 when the New York Islanders pulled it off in the quarterfinals against Pittsburgh. Toronto also did it against Detroit in the 1942 Stanley Cup finals.

Colorado was an excellent home team during the regular season, going 27-12-2 at the Pepsi Center.

Meanwhile, Detroit was one of the best road teams in the NHL with a 25-12-4 mark away from the Motor City in 2007-08.

If necessary, Game 5 of this set will take place Saturday afternoon in Detroit.

Colorado Avalanche

News

Scoreboard

Thu, May. 1FINAL
Detroit (54-28) 8
Colorado (44-38) 2

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