DENVER – Perhaps the key to getting Johan Franzen to move his feet on a consistent basis and be more involved in the game is to play him at center.

That's where Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock used the big forward in Friday's 3-2 overtime victory at Colorado. And both were pleased with the results.

“I thought Mule was fantastic in the middle, dominated the faceoff circle, really played well, went head-to-head against (Matt) Duchene all night long and was very good,'' Babcock said.

Babcock paired Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg together in an effort to energize the team following Thursday's 4-2 loss at Phoenix. He had Franzen center the second line with Valtteri Filppula and Gustav Nyquist.

Franzen, who won 8-of-13 faceoffs, enjoyed the change of pace.

“Little bit more involved in the game,'' Franzen said. “Got some more pucks, a lot more skating, so it was fun.

“Try something new and get a little boost maybe.''

Franzen has been too inconsistent the past three seasons. He can score goals in bunches, but he experiences long stretches of ineffectiveness, when he's not skating hard and having little impact.

Babcock knows Franzen must be a force for this team to flourish.

“I just wanted Mule to be dominant,'' Babcock said. “I've said it to Mule, I think Mule is the X Factor on this team. He's big, he's a good player. If we can get him going at the highest possible level …

“We said to him grab a line and take it. With Fil, gives him real good speed, and Gus makes good plays. I thought they were good.''

Franzen welcomes the challenge of being “The X Factor.''

“That's definitely a good thing,'' Franzen said. “It would be bad if he didn't think I was one. I'm happy about that, trying as hard as I can.''

Franzen is a natural center who has played almost exclusively on the wing since he arrived in Detroit in 2005-06 due to the club's depth down the middle.

“Usually when you're playing the wing you have a designated spot, you know where you're going to be,'' Franzen said. "Pretty much every time you go back and forth, up and down, you don't leave that.

“As a center, you can use your, what do you call it … a little more freedom. You try to find openings and you go there. It's a lot more skating and less stopping.''

Franzen has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in his past 11 games. But, the team needs more goals from him. He has seven goals and 15 assists in 31 games.