• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Zetterberg scores twice as Red Wings beat Blackhawks

Feb 22, 2007 - 4:47 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- It was only a matter of time before Henrik Zetterberg struck again for the Detroit Red Wings.

Zetterberg scored twice and Pavel Datsyuk added a goal and an assist as the Red Wings won their 13th consecutive home game with a 4-2 triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Detroit raised its record to 11-0-1 in its last 12 meetings against its "Original Six" rival and moved past the Nashville Predators for the best record in the Western Conference (39-16-6).

"We're a good home team," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "I think we have 17 road wins. We're not terrible on the road either. We've got a pretty good hockey club. On most nights, when we're prepared, we're pretty hard to beat."

Zetterberg, who entered by recording a point on eight straight goals for Detroit, registered his sixth multi-goal game of the campaign and fourth in his last seven contests. He has 13 goals and 13 assists in his last 11.

"Somewhere back in your mind, you know that we're strong at home, especially in the third (period)," Zetterberg said. "The team that comes in here ... knows that we're strong at home. It's good to have that strength. Even when we don't play our best, we find a way to win."

"He's scoring right now," Babcock said. "It's not like at the start of the year (when) he wasn't playing well."

With the score tied, 2-2, Datsyuk made a cross-ice pass to Zetterberg, who scored his 31st goal of the season from the left doorstep past goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin with 6:32 left. He added an empty-net tally with 38 seconds to play.

"I think we're creating a lot of chances." Zetterberg said. "And lately, it's been going in a little bit more than we expect it to. It was a tough game. It took all the way until the third period until we took over."

Datsyuk broke a 1-1 tie with his 100th career goal midway through the third period by stealing the puck at his own blue line to create a breakaway before slipping the puck past Khabibulin's right pad.

"For some people, (it) isn't a big number," Datsyuk said. "For me, it's big. I cheated. It was hard (for Khabibulin) because he had to take the puck out of the air. He didn't see me. I had an extra second."

"It's great to watch Pavel and Hank," Detroit goaltender Dominik Hasek said. "I know from practice, know what they are able to do. It's nice to see it every night, especially when the game is on the edge. Henrik, he's probably the hottest player in the NHL right now."

Bryan Smolinski netted his 13th goal on a power play 89 seconds later with a bad-angle shot that glanced off a defender's skate to beat Hasek.

Kris Draper scored his 10th tally in the second period and Hasek made 26 saves for Detroit, which is 22-3-3 at home.

Radim Vrbata opened the scoring in the first session and Khabibulin stopped 31 shots for the Blackhawks, who have lost four in a row.

"It (has) been the story of our season," Chicago right wing Martin Lapointe said. "We've been close every game, just mental mistakes that cost us the games. I don't know if it's youth or inexperience, but it seems we get the worse end."

"They know how to finish," Blackhawks coach Denis Savard said. "They're a very experienced team. They know how to play in situations that keep them in the game. They'll hang on enough to finish it. It's a learning process. We'll learn from it."