(My Sportsbook) - The Detroit Red Wings will try to halt a rare losing streak tonight, as they welcome the Atlanta Thrashers to the Joe Louis Arena.

Detroit has dropped back-to-back contests for just the third time this season and for the first time since November 22nd and 24th. After losing a shootout against Minnesota on Thursday, the best in the west fell to the Eastern Conference's best team on Saturday.

Daniel Alfredsson had two goals, including the game-winner with 2:56 to play, as the Ottawa Senators downed the Red Wings, 3-2.

Brian Rafalski and Jiri Hudler each scored in the third period to erase a two- goal deficit before Alfredsson's game-winning tally. Pavel Datsyuk had an assist to run his point streak to six games (2 goals, 4 assists).

Dominik Hasek made 29 saves for the Red Wings, who still lead the NHL with 70 points on the season. If Detroit continues its goaltending rotation, All-Star Chris Osgood will be net tonight. Osgood leads the league with a 1.82 goals- against average.

Detroit plays the first of back-to-back home games tonight, and is 18-3-2 as the host this season. The Red Wings host Vancouver on Thursday.

For Atlanta, Mark Recchi's resurgence continued against his former team on Saturday. Recchi scored in the fourth round of the shootout to life the Thrashers over the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-2.

The first three rounds of the shootout were scoreless, but Recchi gave his team the advantage as he deked to the backhand and lifted the puck over Ty Conklin.

Evgeni Malkin was the next skater for Pittsburgh and he had Kari Lehtonen beaten, but his backhand did not get enough height and Lehtonen made a right pad save to preserve the win.

Ilya Kovalchuk and Bobby Holik each scored a goal while Lehtonen made 29 saves in the win for the Thrashers, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

Kovalchuk leads the league with 37 goals on the season, as he has lit the lamp in four straight games while posting eight goals and seven assists over a nine-game point streak.

However, he is getting excellent support from Recchi, who turns 40 on February 1. The winger has seven goals and nine assists in 17 games with Atlanta after being claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh.

Atlanta wrapped up a five-game homestand 2-2-1 and are two points back of first-place Carolina in the Southeast Division. The Thrashers come into this contest 10-11-1 on the road this season.

Atlanta has won just one of its eight all-time meetings with Detroit, though that victory came the last time the clubs met. The Thrashers posted a 7-6 win in Atlanta on December 13, 2005.

The two teams haven't clashed in Detroit since New Year's Eve of 2003, and Atlanta is winless in four trips to Motown all-time, getting outscored 17-8 there.