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Red Wings post convincing win behind Lidstrom, Hasek

Apr 13, 2007 - 6:24 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- Judging by the play of captain Nicklas Lidstrom and Dominik Hasek, the Detroit Red Wings have no plans of making an early playoff exit this year.

Lidstrom had a goal and an assist and Hasek came within five minutes of a shutout as the Red Wings recorded a 4-1 victory over the Calgary Flames in the opener of their Western Conference quarterfinal series.

Pavel Datsyuk and defenseman Mathieu Schneider each scored a goal and set up another for Detroit, which hosts Game Two on Sunday afternoon.

Having failed to advance past the conference semifinals four of the last five years, the Red Wings made an early statement against the Flames, who ended the regular season with four straight losses.

"We took the game over early and got an early lead and took it from there," said Detroit defenseman Brett Lebda, who recorded an assist. "We've got to keep on them. We've got to play the same way we did, we can't let down. We've just got to keep going and keep the pressure on them."

"You want to keep up the momentum," Schneider added. "We've been in this situation before, so we know Game Two is huge. It's as big for us as it is for them because we need to win to keep home-ice advantage that we worked all year to get."

Valtteri Filppula opened the scoring at 4:51 of the first period and Lidstrom doubled the lead less than four minutes later during a power play. It was the 36th career playoff goal for Lidstrom, who trails Hall of Famer and former teammate Larry Murphy by one for fifth place on the all-time list among defensemen.

"That was our goal," Filppula said. "Right away in the game, go hard. It worked today."

"I thought we had a great team effort," Lidstrom said. "We played the way we wanted to. We were playing smart, we didn't have too many turnovers. Against a good team like that, they can hurt you, so I thought we played real well in the neutral zone."

Datsyuk and Schneider tallied 3:01 apart in the first half of the middle session, staking Detroit to a commanding 4-0 advantage.

Seeking his 13th career postseason shutout, Hasek turned aside the first 19 shots he faced before Alex Tanguay broke through with 5:05 to go in the third.

"For me, the biggest satisfaction is the game won," Hasek said. "We won the game, and that's most important. From my point, I don't count the shutouts in the playoffs or any numbers. It's all about the win."

Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios set an NHL record by appearing in his 22nd postseason. The 45-year-old, who passed Hall of Famer Ray Bourque in appearances, has missed the playoffs just once during his career - 1998 while with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Beginning a postseason series at home for the 10th straight time, the Red Wings jumped in front less than five minutes in as Filppula converted a pass from along the left wing boards by Johan Franzen for his first career playoff tally.

"Franzen cleared me an unbelievable pass in the middle," Filppula said. "I just tried to shoot right away and it went in."

"You could see how excited Fil was when that went in," Detroit's Kris Draper said. "He's been playing great hockey for us down the stretch. He's a real strong kid down low and strong on the cycle. It was certainly a big goal."

Lidstrom made it 2-0 at 8:36, when his shot from the high slot hit the skate of defenseman Brad Stuart and got past goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff.

"Goalies have to be ready for everything," Kiprusoff said. "We all know we can be better. We just have to play our best game. Next game, for sure, we're all going to be better."

"Obviously, the start is huge," Calgary coach Jim Playfair said. "It's really important to get the first goal and it's really important to put yourself in a position where we can push back. ... It's playoff hockey and it's about being a lot more competitive. And they certainly were that tonight."

Last season's Vezina Trophy winner, Kiprusoff made a fantastic glove save on Tomas Holmstrom during a 2-on-1 rush early in the second period. But he was unable to do the same against Datsyuk, who picked up a loose puck in the left faceoff circle after Holmstrom's attempted pass caromed off the skate of Calgary blue-liner Andrei Zyuzin and fired it by Kiprusoff at 6:45.

"For me, it was huge," said Datsyuk, who entered with just three goals in 42 career postseason contests. "I just need to keep shooting and going to the net."

"I'm sure he's very relieved to get that goal," Lidstrom said. "He had some great chances besides scoring the goal. He set another one up and he had some great chances to score another one. It was great to see him contribute."

Hasek was more impressed with the way in which Datsyuk scored.

"It was a nasty move," he said. "I was glad it wasn't me on the other side. When I saw the replay, his quick hands, exactly like those goals he's able to score. It's tough to stop a goal like that."

Schneider extended the lead at 9:57, when he beat Kiprusoff with a slap shot from the top of the slot. The Red Wings posted a 21-5 advantage in shots in the period and 46-20 overall.

"They had important power-play goals, they drew the penalties," Flames captain Jarome Iginla said. "They played a Detroit game. They moved the puck, they got their shots. They played very well and we weren't good enough."

Things got chippy in the latter stages of the third, when Daniel Cleary bumped into Kiprusoff and was pounced on by several Flames.

"They were very frustrated, you could see on their faces," Hasek said. "They were talking to us, they were yapping, they were trying to hit us everywhere. Maybe we didn't play as physical as they did, but we played much smarter."