After an absolutely incredible road trip picking up all 10 points, the Phoenix Coyotes return to the Valley. Since December 23, the Coyotes have earned 17 out of 18 available points by beating the top teams of the NHL.

They look to continue the trend Thursday night at Jobing.com Arena when the Detroit Red Wings come to town.

The Red Wings have had a difficult road trip only winning one of their last four games, which was on Tuesday night in a shootout victory against the Colorado Avalanche. Even though the Red Wings road trip started off poorly, they have steadily improved and gotten better as each game wore on. In the past four games on the road, the contest against the Avalanche was their best performance of the stretch.

The Red Wings handed the Coyotes their worst loss of the season back in October where they demolished the Coyotes 9-2 in Joe Louis arena. The game against the Red Wings that night started the ugly part of the season where pundits all around the National Hockey League labeled the promotional materials "Disaster" in the desert rather than "Decade."

Even though the Red Wings have struggled lately, they are a team not to be taken lightly. They are still second in their division and fourth in the Western Conference. They are a rock solid defensive team with Nicklas Lidstrom leading the league in the plus/minus category as a plus 24. Only five players have a negative rating in that category with Kirk Maltby at a minus 3.

The Red Wings score first in over 80% of their games, and when they lead, they don't let go of it that easily. Therefore, it is imperative that the Coyotes find a way to score first and stay within the system by playing disciplined hockey.

Since December 23, the Coyotes have outscored their opponents 35-16 and have outscored their opposition 11-5 in the first period converting 30% of their power play chances (12-out-of-40).

The Coyotes post a winning record at home 11-8-1, which closely matches the Red Wings away record of 12-9-2. The game, based on recent trends only, looks to be a good challenge for the Coyotes.

Georges Laraque was scratched in the last game against the Dallas Stars and was challenged by head coach Wayne Gretzky to return to his urgent style of play that he exhibited earlier in the season. Laraque has transformed his game and Gretzky knows that he is capable of much more than he was showing to him lately.

In case you missed it earlier, here is a nice write up of Laraque found at the Washington Post regarding his status as a fighter in the National Hockey League. The Coyotes need the physical play and the skills that he has shown the team to continue their successful run.

The first game back home from a road trip is always the toughest, and with the grueling nature of the past five games, the start for the Coyotes is critical. They can set the tone for the next series of games at home with a strong outing against the Red Wings.

Original post by PB and software by Elliott Back

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