Detroit Red Wings

Los Angeles Kings vs. Red Wings When: 1 p.m. Saturday Where: Staples Center On the air: TV: Fox Sports West. Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 10-6-3. Red Wings 9-7-1. Update: Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, who will start against Detroit, has been putting in his time — and then some. He has played in 16 of the team's 19 games. Quick started 10 of the last 11 games and went to overtime three times during that stretch, which included the seven-round shootout win against the Ducks on Wednesday.

Mike Modano announced Wednesday that he is retiring after 21 seasons in the NHL, a career that includes a Stanley Cup championship along with 561 goals and 1,374 points — both records for U.S.-born players. Modano ended his career as a banged-up player who had lost a step and his shot during his one-season stint with his hometown Detroit Red Wings. A skate sliced a tendon in his right wrist and limited him to 40 games. He had four goals and 15 points with the Red Wings. In his prime, Modano was among the best hockey players in the world — he was shifty, speedy and had a dangerous wrist shot.

Rank; Team; Record 1. Detroit; 2-0-0; Red Wings spoil Blackhawks' Stanley Cup banner raising and blank Ducks. Fine start. 2. Toronto; 2-0-0; So Brian Burke is a genius after all. 3. Edmonton; 2-0-0; Don't tell kids like Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle they're not supposed to be this good so soon. 4. Carolina; 2-0-0; Hurricanes sweep two-game set from Wild in Helsinki. 5. Philadelphia; 2-0-1; Rookie goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky fills in capably for injured Michael Leighton.

DENVER — Nicklas Lidstrom scored a power-play goal with 9:03 left in the third period and lifted the Detroit Red Wings past the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2, on Monday night. Tomas Holmstrom had a goal and two assists, Pavel Datsyuk had two assists and Jimmy Howard made 22 saves for Detroit. It was the first NHL game since Feb. 14 when the NHL took a two-week break for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Chris Stewart had a goal and assist, T.J. Galiardi also scored and Craig Anderson had 27 saves for the Avalanche.

The first Kings team to win eight consecutive games was a rugged fan favorite anchored by goalie Rogie Vachon and legendary defenseman Terry Harper. The second time it happened, the roster included future Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille. On Saturday afternoon at Staples Center, the current Kings have a chance to erase their predecessors from the record book by winning a franchise-best ninth in a row. But whether that will also win these Kings a special place in team lore may take longer to sort out. "We're trying to find out what kind of team we're going to be," said Kings Coach Terry Murray, whose squad faces the Detroit Red Wings in a 1 p.m. matinee.

Shane Doan's goal 3:50 into overtime capped Phoenix's comeback from a two-goal deficit to give the Coyotes a 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. With goalie Ilya Bryzgalov off, Phoenix got goals from Ed Jovanovski and Keith Yandle in the last 1:30 to tie it at 4-4. Doan also had three assists, Yandle scored twice and Scottie Upshall had a goal and an assist. Bryzgalov stopped 33 shots. Nicklas Lidstrom scored twice, Pavel Datsyuk had a goal and an assist and Patrick Eaves also scored for Detroit.

Cristobal Huet made 20 saves for his second straight shutout, and Duncan Keith had a goal and an assist to lead the Chicago Blackhawks to their fourth victory in a row, 3-0, over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night. Brian Campbell and Dustin Byfuglien also scored to help Chicago move back into first place in the Central Division. Detroit, shut out for the fourth time in its last 15 games, has lost two straight. Huet got his third shutout this season, 23rd overall and first against Detroit.

Steve Yzerman has the best and worst job in sports. Yzerman, executive director of the Canadian Olympic men's hockey team for the Vancouver Games, is blessed with the deepest talent pool but faces enormous pressure to win a medal in the sport that's a national obsession. Yzerman spent most of last week in California scouting the Ducks, Kings and San Jose Sharks against the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Calgary Flames, picking up nuances he can't get on TV. "I think it helps to go out and see everybody live, see what they're doing, see what situations they're playing in," he said.

Revived by a day's rest and the return of Pavel Datsyuk, the Red Wings reduced the Penguins to a bunch of petulant 2-year-olds Saturday while moving to within one victory of claiming the Stanley Cup for the second successive season. Capitalizing on a series of bad Pittsburgh penalties during the second period, Detroit turned Game 5 of the finals into a 5-0 rout before a happy and Cup-craving crowd at Joe Louis Arena.

They had superstars block shots and support players score goals, meaning that the Pittsburgh Penguins essentially turned themselves inside out Tuesday to defeat the Detroit Red Wings and claw their way back into the Stanley Cup finals.