• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Red Wings blank Stars behind Hasek

Jan 5, 2008 - 11:06 PM DALLAS (Ticker) -- The Detroit Red Wings started the second half of the season with a victory - something they did quite frequently over their first 41 games.

Dominik Hasek recorded 22 saves for his second shutout of the season and 78th career as the Red Wings blanked the Dallas Stars, 3-0, on Saturday.

Defenseman Brian Rafalski scored his seventh goal of the season 3:44 into the first period and Daniel Cleary provided insurance with his 14th midway through the third.

Johan Franzen's empty-net goal with 20 seconds remaining - his eighth - capped the Red Wings' victory.

"The shutout is special," said Hasek, who is 9-10-2 lifetime against the Stars. "I don't know if I've had one here. I know I haven't had too many wins here, so this is nice."

Detroit ended the first half with a league-best 30-8-3 mark, reaching 30 wins quicker than at any point in franchise history, and won again Saturday behind strong defense and goaltending.

The 42-year-old Hasek did not face a lot of sustained pressure, but he did make a number of difficult saves to earn his 375th career win, breaking a tie with John Vanbiesbrouck for 11th place on the all-time list.

"We see him every day in practice and know how competitive he is", Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom said of Hasek. "He hates to be scored on, and he carries that competitiveness into every game."

Rafalski remained hot, registering his eighth point in as many games when he took a pass from Cleary and ripped a one-timer past goaltender Mike Smith on Detroit's first shot of the game.

Rafalski is second behind Lidstrom in scoring among defensemen with 35 points.

Smith stopped 20 shots for Dallas but allowed a soft goal by Cleary with 9:52 left in the contest.

Valtteri Filppula gathered a loose puck along the left wing boards, then skated into the faceoff circle, where Cleary snapped a seemingly harmless shot that sneaked between Smith's legs.

Lidstrom, who has captured five of the last six Norris Trophies as the NHL's top defenseman, picked up an assist on Cleary's goal for his 39th point of the season.

"They're a good team," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "They didn't give us very much. It was hard to generate offense."

Still, the Red Wings completed a sweep of their home-and-home series with the Stars, having posted a 4-1 victory in Detroit on Wednesday.

The Red Wings were content to protect the lead in the third period, registering only three shots.

"At home (on Wednesday), we played a solid game," Lidstrom said. "Here, we had to be patient. There weren't too many scoring chances and we just waited for the opportunity."

Dallas has dropped four straight - all in regulation - after winning eight of its previous nine contests. It marks the first time the Stars have lost four in a row in regulation since December 2003.

"We didn't have a lot of time with the puck, not a lot of possession," Stars center Mike Modano said. "They back-check well and pressure the puck well. We need depth and contributions from more people."

The Stars, who had only two power-play opportunities, have scored just four goals during the losing streak, including a pair of shutouts.

"Our power play isn't doing much and we're not creating enough chances, which is frustrating," Dallas center Mike Ribeiro said.

The Red Wings have only four losses in their last 20 games (16-2-2).