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If this is the end, Datsyuk's going quietly

Dave Reginek / National Hockey League / Getty

It's hard to believe, but Pavel Datsyuk might have played his final game in Detroit.

The Red Wings lost 3-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, and are headed back to Florida down 3-1 in their first-round series. Datsyuk has said he's likely headed back to Russia after this season, so his NHL career may wrap up Thursday night.

Detroit's scored two goals in each of the series' four games, and part of the issue is a lack of production from Henrik Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Zetterberg has one goal in the series, while Datsyuk remains pointless through four games.

Datsyuk had four shots Tuesday, and played only 16:21. He has 15 shots in four games, and is a plus-2. If the Red Wings hope to travel back to Detroit for another game, the "Magic Man" is going to have to find some of it.

Darren Helm and Gustav Nyquist scored for the Red Wings on Tuesday, their first points in the series. Tomas Tatar leads Detroit in scoring with three assists.

Petr Mrazek is doing his part in goal. He stopped 30 of 33 shots in Game 3, but the Red Wings need to figure out how to solve Ben Bishop.

Datsyuk's been a playoff performer, with 113 points in 155 career games. With potentially only one more to go, it will be interesting to see if the 37-year-old can prolong his NHL career for at least one more game.

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