Red Wings coach Mike Babcock called Nicklas Lidstrom a once-in-a-generation player. Already one of the greatest defensemen in the history of the NHL, Lidstrom reached another milestone Saturday in Washington, playing his 1,500th NHL game.

He is the fourth player to appear in that many games as a Red Wing, joining Gordie Howe (1,687), Alex Delvecchio (1,549) and Steve Yzerman (1,514).

"Time's been flying by the last few years, and the games have been adding up," Lidstrom said. "It's something that I'm proud of, to be able to play at a high level for a long period of time and reach 1,500 games."

He was disappointed, however, that his team laid an egg in the milestone game, getting pounded 7-1 by the Capitals. Washington jumped out to a 3-0 lead, weathered a storm in the second period and got better goaltending from Tomas Vokoun than Detroit did from Ty Conklin.

The Red Wings and Lidstrom will try to purge this disappointment from their system Tuesday at Columbus, which remains the league's lone winless team (0-7-1).

Babcock planned on trimming Lidstrom's minutes slightly, not using him on the penalty kill, and playing Niklas Kronwall more. That plan changed quickly.

"Last year we (cut Lidstrom's ice time) a little bit and he told me in the spring he didn't like it, so we fixed it," Babcock said. "He says he plays better when he's playing (more). Last year, we didn't penalty kill him as much. This year we are, got a little different rotation."

The minutes likely will be reduced once the schedule gets busier, but Lidstrom feels he still can handle a heavy load.

"I still take a lot of pride in playing a lot of minutes, and playing against top lines, and being on special teams," Lidstrom said. "When you're used to it, it's harder to play less and stay in a good rhythm."

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