Red Wings rout Blue Jackets to maintain west lead

The Detroit Red Wings were firing on all cylinders Sunday afternoon, building a quick 2-0 first period lead and coasting to a 4-0 shutout victory over the host Columbus Blue Jackets.  Chris Osgood, who has struggled at various points this season, played a perfect game and got a big assist from his defensemen who limited the Jackets to only 23 shots on goal.  With the victory the Red Wings became the first team in NHL history to top the 100 point mark for 9 consecutive seasons and allowed Detroit to maintain a narrow one point lead over the San Jose Sharks at the top of the Western Conference.

Marian Hossa scored his 35^th goal of the year just over five minutes into the game (assisted by Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall) and Kronwall himself lit the lamp just over four minutes later on the powerplay.  Kronwall’s goal was set up by Jiri Hudler and Johan Franzen and gave the Red Wings a 2-0 lead heading into the locker room at the end of the first.  Mikael Samuelsson would score unassisted late in the second period to give the Wings a 3-0 lead, and Johan Franzen capped the scoring midway through the third from Pavel Datsyuk and Brad Stuart to produce the final 4-0 margin.

After the game, Wings coach Mike Babcock commented on the franchise’s record run of 100+ seasons:

"Obviously, to set an NHL record, it's phenomenal. I've only been part of it for four years, but I'm proud of the fact that for four years we've been over the century mark.  That's beyond impressive. When you look at that, I'm proud for those people. For us, we're just trying to get better and get prepared for the playoffs."

The Red Wings also clinched a playoff berth with the victory, and have now reached the postseason 17 consecutive times.  Chris Osgood shared his thoughts on the milestone:

"It seems like every year we end up in the same spot. We've got a good core, a good group of guys. We know how to fight through adversity. We know how to deal with the pressures of playing in Detroit. We always know in the end that we're going to be there and give ourselves a good chance to win in the end."

Detroit returns to the Joe Louis Arena for a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday before heading south for a game against the Atlanta Thrashers on Friday. They’ll travel to Western Canada on Monday to play the Calgary Flames.  Columbus hosts the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday before a two game Florida swing with games in Miami against the Florida Panthers on Saturday and in Tampa on Tuesday.