NHL Tuesday Preview: Detroit vs. Calgary

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NHL Tuesday Preview: Detroit vs. Calgary

The NHL playoffs are all about positioning for the playoff stretch and that makes the game between Minnesota and Colorado very important.

The NHL is back after an All-Star break with a full schedule and one of the many great games I Detroit vs. Calgary.

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Calgary has won two of three, including a 3-2 win in the most recent matchup, Dec. 22 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Red Wings defenseman Ian White has 2 goals and 5 points against his former team to lead all scorers, while Flames captain Jarome Iginla has 3 goals and 4 points in the series.

Minnesota comes out of the All-Star break holding down the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth with 55 points, but Calgary is one of four teams within three points and in hot pursuit. The Flames have played the Red Wings tough, and are one of only three teams to have won a game at Joe Louis Arena this season. And despite leading the race for the Presidents' Trophy, Detroit is under .500 (13-14-0) on the road.

: This is the continuation of a five-game road trip in which Detroit will have to start turning around its fortunes away from the Joe if it wants to hang on not only to the overall NHL lead, but first place in the Central Division. On the first stop prior to the break, the Red Wings got routed 7-2 by the Canadiens, falling behind 6-0 after 40 minutes. Jimmy Howard lasted just one period before he was pulled. Jiri Hudler scored twice within a six-minute span early in the third, but overall it was a game coach Mike Babcock couldn't wait to forget.

It's not an easy road ahead, as Calgary faces Detroit and Chicago to finish off a three-game homestand before hitting the road for three against Pacific Division foes. The Flames have to hope Iginla comes back energized from Ottawa, where he scored a goal and added a pair of assists in the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Game. The offense was stymied in the Flames' final game prior to the break, a 1-0 loss to the Sharks. Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 26 shots, but a Benn Ferriero goal with 8:25 remaining proved decisive.

Calgary wants to start off the second half of the year with a big win, but it will be a tall order against a very good Detroit team.