• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Datsyuk's goal lifts Red Wings over Ducks

Mar 27, 2007 - 3:55 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- Pavel Datsyuk stayed hot and gave the Detroit Red Wings a paramount victory.

Datsyuk scored the lone goal early in the second period as the Red Wings posted a 1-0 triumph over the Anaheim Ducks.

Goaltender Dominik Hasek made 25 saves to record his seventh shutout of the season and the 75th of his career for the Red Wings (46-19-11), who moved into a first-place tie with the Nashville Predators (48-21-7) in the Central Division and the Western Conference.

"We played hard the entire 60 minutes and we got an important two points," Hasek said. "We didn't give them too much."

The Red Wings snapped a four-game winless streak in which they had scored just four goals. The triumph was a solid bounce-back effort for Detroit, which lost its last two contests to non-playoff clubs Columbus and St. Louis.

"Lately we've had problems with the teams that are out of the playoffs," Detroit defenseman Mathieu Schneider said. "You don't want to say meaningless because obviously everything is meaningful in the standings right now, but we're playing better against the better teams right now. That's a good sign. We've got to get ready to play every single night."

Netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 27 shots for the Ducks (44-20-12), who remained four points ahead of the Dallas Stars (45-24-6) and the San Jose Sharks (46-26-4) in the Pacific Division.

"Giggy (Giguere) gave us the chance to win the game," Anaheim right wing Teemu Selanne said. "But obviously, if you don't score any goals, it's tough to win in this league. We were a step behind and we were just cruising. Giggy kept us in the game in the second period, and third period he gave us a chance to come back."

The Ducks, who have won just two of their last six games, play six of their seven contests on the road.

Datsyuk scored his fourth goal in his last five games by being in the right place at the right time.

Schneider blasted a slap shot from the right point which Giguere initially saved, but the rebound squirted out to Datsyuk, who banged it home from the doorstep for a 1-0 lead at 4:50 of the second period.

"I tried to get my shot through, there was a lot of traffic in front," Schneider said. "We had two guys there just trying to squirt it loose. Pavs (Datsyuk) was right there and it was an easy pop in. We have a lot of guys going to the net and really that's what made it happen."

"I don't know what happened," Anaheim right wing Corey Perry said. "We made a mistake on the faceoff and, before you know it, the puck is in the net."

Datsyuk, who scored Detroit's only goal in three of its last four losses, has six goals and 13 assists in his last 14 contests.

"He (Datsyuk) is just a flat-out good player," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "Whether you're killing a penalty or protecting a lead, he's dangerous offensively."

The tally also gave the center consecutive 80-point seasons, the first Red Wing since longtime captain Steve Yzerman in 1995-96 and 1996-97 to record back-to-back 80-point campaigns.