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Red Wings finally get past Blackhawks

Jan 7, 2008 - 4:14 AM By Rory Spears PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CHICAGO (Ticker) - The Detroit Red Wings finally got the monkey off their back by beating the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-1, on Sunday.

Detroit entered the games as the NHL's winningest team with 31 wins, eight regulation losses and three defeats in shootouts.

Despite their success, the Red Wings were 0-3-1 in the first four meetings with the Blackhawks. Detroit was outscored 15-10 in those games, by their division rival and original six foe.

"We wanted to get the (losing) streak against them over with," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "It was one of those things where we had opportunities and let games get away from us. Now we have exercised the demon."

Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood stopped 19 shots, in recording his 19th win of the season. Osgood recorded career win number 355 which tied him with Rogie Vachon for 15th on the NHL's all-time goalie wins list.

"For me the win means a lot," Osgood said. "I would like to keep climbing and see if I can make the top 10, then see how high I can get from there. At this point of my career winning games is something I know how to do."

Detroit wasted little time jumping on a shorthanded Chicago team, that has seven players out of the lineup with injuries. Even the surprise return of right wing Martin Havlat one week ahead of schedule from a strained groin couldn't keep the Blackhawks from losing their fifth straight.

"Over the last week I started feeling better," Havlat said. "I was skating on my own with the team out of town. It was nice to be back, but I made a mistake that gave them their first goal

Henrik Zetterberg scored his 26th goal of the year, just 50 seconds into the game to give Detroit a 1-0 lead.

Taking a cross-ice pass from Andreas Lilja on a 3-on-2 break, Zetterberg faked an immediate shot then cut across the front of the crease from right to left, and lifted a wrist shot over Chicago goalie Nikolai Khabibulin.

"We knew we needed to go out and have a great start," Zetterberg said. "Once we got going tonight, we didn't look back."

Former Blackhawk Dan Cleary netted his 15th goal of the year at 14:06 to put Detroit up 2-0. Driving the slot, Cleary took a drop pass from Pavel Datsyuk and beat Khabibulin with a high wrist shot just under the crossbar.

"Pavel made a great play driving the net," Cleary said. "He took two guys to him, I read the play and was able to move in and beat Nik (Khabibulin)."

The Red Wings made it 3-0 on their first power play attempt of the game, when Samuelsson blasted a one-timer from the left circle through traffic inside the far post for his seventh goal of the year.

"I don't know why we have some bad first period starts lately," Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook said. "We had some lapses and they got some goals and jumped out on us."

Chicago ended Osgood's attempt for his third shutout of the year when Rene Bourque scored his fourth goal of the season, making it 3-1 with only nine seconds left in the second period.

"We came to work and battled," Blackhawks coach Denis Savard said. "The goal gave us a bit of a lift, but they really clamped down on us in the third."

Cutting across the slot, Bourque deflected Tuomo Ruutu's slap shot from the right point past a screened Osgood.

The game was played in front of 21,869, the largest home crowd of the year for Chicago.