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Red Wings Vs. Blues NHL Preview: Detroit Riding Hot, But St. Louis Is Surging

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After a six-game losing streak in which the Detroit Red Wings scored just six points, they've now won four straight at home, with 18 goals in that time span. Detroit also have recorded two shutouts in their last four games, and on the four-game streak have outscored their opponents 18-4 altogether. Now they'll hit the road and play five of their next six games on the road, including their next four straight. They'll kick that road trip off against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

The Central Division showdown will be the first of six meetings between the teams this season. Detroit took four of the six last season, though the Blues dominated Detroit 10-3 in their last outing. 

Detroit did suffer a big injury in their last outing, losing defenseman Ian White after suffering a broken cheekbone from a blocked shot. White could miss up to two weeks with the injury, and Jonathan Ericsson will be paired with Nicklas Lidstrom, as he was on Monday during team practices. Johan Franzen is riding hot once again, with nine points in the last four games, with two game-winning goals out of his five in that time span as well.

The Blues have won two of their last three, all under head coach Ken Hitchcock, who replaced Davis Payne last week. Both of the team's wins in that time have been 3-0 shutouts, while the lone loss was a shootout loss to the Maple Leafs sandwiched between the two wins. Hitchcock has the team playing well, and calling them a resurgent team is certainly apt. The team has two power-play goals in ten chances over three games under Hitchcock, which is a stark contrast to their three goals with the man advantage in 40 chances over 13 games under Payne.

It's set for 8:00 p.m. eastern on Tuesday, and can be seen, as usual, on Fox Sports Detroit.