Lauri Korpikoski found a way to clear his head of negative thoughts – scoring two goals in a game can do that for a player – and he’s hoping he can retain that touch on Tuesday when the Coyotes end a two-game road trip in Detroit.

“It was nice,” he said about his pair of goals scored in Saturday’s 4-2 loss at Washington. “It was a long time since I last had a couple of goals, so it was good. It creeps into your head when you’re not scoring, it’s a mental thing.”

Korpikoski has four goals this season. His other two came against Dallas in late November. In his two-goal effort against the Capitals, he was more of a presence around the net, and it paid off.

The Red Wings got off to a slow start this season, but the defending Western Conference champions have rallied and hold down the ninth spot. Still without left wing Tomas Holmstrom (broken foot), Detroit will be trying to rebound from a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

“They’ve been playing rally well,” Korpikoski said. “We’ve got to be really prepared for a hard game . . . bring it right to them, go hard on the forecheck and hang onto the pucks in their end.”

This will be the last of four meetings between the teams this season, with the Red Wings holding a 2-1 edge, including a 4-1 victory on Jan. 2 at Jobing.com Arena. The Coyotes, fighting for their first playoff spot in eight years, are desperate for a split on the road. They are fifth in the West.

“You want to get points from the road,” Korpikoski said. “In the playoffs, tough teams, tough games on the road, so it will be a good test for us.”

It wouldn’t be an NBA season if trade rumors about Amar’e Stoudemire weren’t rampant, but these feel different because the moment of truth is staring the Suns in the face.

Stoudemire can walk away this summer.

This is something those of us who struggle with the idea of a team giving up on an All-Star player have to confront, because we no longer can pretend it’s a decision that can wait.

This is the biggest decision this franchise has had to make in a long time.

Bottom line:

Are you comfortable with Plan A: Re-sign Stoudemire and remain what the Suns have become – a playoff-caliber team with no chance to win it all? Or can you live with Plan B, better known as blowing up the team? That means the team would struggle mightily for a few years before climbing on the up escalator instead of the down one, much like Oklahoma City and Memphis have done.

It’s not an easy answer.

Because as bad as this team has played lately – 16 losses in its past 28 games going into Monday night – having an All-Star forward and an All-Star point guard make it entertaining to watch.

Will it get any better than this? Steve Nash is playing well, but that window of opportunity is closing, and nothing suggests the team can put additional parts in place to get better.

Stoudemire can play with the Suns for another year at $17.7 million or leave this summer if he finds the right fit: a championship contender, a big market and someone offering an appealing long-term deal.

If the Suns don’t trade him and Stoudemire walks, they find themselves getting nothing in return. That’s the worst option, better known as Plan C.

There is also the possibility, of course, that the Suns could extend his contract. Stoudemire’s representatives have met with the Suns recently. But all indications suggest that the numbers the Suns are considering and what Stoudemire wants are far, far apart.

It almost feels like a bit of a lose-lose situation for the Suns, doesn’t it?

Clouding the picture is the way the Sun have played lately. They are 11-16 since the start of December, and their defense looks even worse than normal.

It shouldn’t be a surprise. Stoudemire and Channing Frye are not imposing frontcourt defenders, and the roster is not built with defense in mind.

It was OK, though, when their offensive productivity was enough. The Suns could outscore teams, run up and down the court and be entertaining in the process.

That philosophy doesn’t wash when the offense breaks down. Leandro Barbosa is back on the shelf with wrist surgery. Jason Richardson is averaging four fewer points than when the team was hot, and being replaced by Barbosa as a starter didn’t help.

And Frye, an offensive novelty at the beginning of the season, appears to have been solved by opposing coaches and is not as much of a 3-point threat as he was before.

Which leaves us with what to do with Stoudemire. I’m really struggling with an ESPN.com report that suggested “tension in the locker room involving Stoudemire.” He can be a lot of things – distant, mopey – but you never get the sense that he’s a divisive presence.

If anything, he still lacks leadership skills, although he’s trying in that area.

So what should happen? As a basketball fan, I’d like to see the Suns negotiate an extension – not maximum contract money but a reasonable offer. If he says no, he says no, and no one can fault them for trying.

The key is for the Suns to get a read on his plans soon.

While Plan A is good in the short term for ownership cash flow – and for die-hard Suns fans who can’t see past this spring – maybe it’s time for Plan B – take the best offer because that’s a sure thing.

The worst thing that could happen would be for the team to let Stoudemire walk and get nothing in return.

Plan C is no plan at all.

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