(Photo by Dave Reginek/Detroit Red Wings)







In the 6,000th game in franchise history, Detroit will try to close the gap between the teams to three points, while Tampa Bay will be without its top two centers as Valtteri Filppula joins Steven Stamkos on the injured list.Detroit was in danger of falling behind a bushel of Eastern Conference teams in the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the Red Wings have rallied with points in seven of eight games (5-1-2) and entered Friday in the second wild card spot. Pavel Datsyuk returned Thursday, playing on the wing, but could return to his traditional spot at center on Saturday."It's first game I played in one month, it's a little easier to play on the wing. But I'm hoping I play at center," Datsyuk said."It was great to have him on board again," Henrik Zetterberg said. "I thought he played real well his first game and is just going to get better."Welcome to the Detroit Red Wings Game Day Blog, where you can get behind-the-scenes information, thoughts from players and staff, and up-to-date news on anything and everything Red Wings on game day.You can watch tonight's 7:00 PM matchup on Fox Sports Detroit, or listen in with Ken Kal and Paul Woods on AM 1270.