• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Datsyuk delivers as Red Wings top Canadiens

Dec 5, 2007 - 4:12 AM MONTREAL (Ticker) -- Pavel Datsyuk didn't do Carey Price any favors Tuesday.

Datsyuk scored two goals on the rookie goaltender, who was battling the flu prior to the game, as the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 4-1, in a battle of "Original Six" teams.

The Russian star scored Detroit's first two goals - both unassisted - and added an assist to pace the Red Wings to their fourth straight victory.

Datsyuk opened the scoring by capitalizing on a Montreal miscue with 3:30 remaining in the first period.

Showing great anticipation, Datsyuk intercepted an attempted clearing pass by Steve Begin, skated in and wristed a shot from 20 feet past a screened Price to give Detroit a 1-0 lead.

"I had a lot of shots, a lot of chances to score and I wanted to score a hat trick," Datsyuk said. "(It would be) my first, it is my dream."

Christopher Higgins leveled the score at 5:17 of the second period.

After Saku Koivu blasted a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle, the former Yale star backhanded the rebound past an out-of-position Dominik Hasek for his 11th goal of the season.

That was all Montreal could muster against Hasek, who was facing the Canadiens for the 42nd time in his career. He finished with 15 saves.

"We had a better defensive game," Higgins said. "Our focus before the game was two things - not to turn pucks over in the neutral zone and to get shots on net from anywhere we could. That's two things we didn't do tonight.

"We have a game plan Guy (Carbonneau, Montreal coach) was saying in between periods we have to stick to it and all 20 guys have playing the exact same way. We didn't have that tonight."

Datsyuk's second goal of the night and seventh in five games regained the lead for the Red Wings.

Datsyuk wristed a shot over Price's right shoulder with just under nine minutes remaining in the second period for his 11th goal of the season.

Niklas Kronwall gave Detroit a two-goal cushion just 2:37 later.

The defenseman ripped a shot past a screened Price from the left point, beating the netminder just inside the left post to give the Red Wings a 3-1 lead.

Henrik Zetterberg blasted a shot from the high slot which beat Price to give Detroit a three-goal bulge with 6:10 remaining in the contest. It was his 18th goal of the season.

"You do things and things happen," Zetterberg said. "Tonight he (Datsyuk) carried us for the first two (periods), scoring two great goals."

The Montreal fans expressed their displeasure with a chorus of boos after Tuesday's performance.

"That's tough getting booed in your own building," Higgins said. "That hurts every hockey player's pride.

"I think it's tough to play that way. It's not as if we weren't trying. It may not have seemed that way to the fans, but we are trying hard and we are trying to win games. To get booed out of your own building hurts when you're trying."

Carbonneau is looking for a way to get the team headed in the right direction again.

"In the first 15 games, we played as a team, we were fresh on the ice, passes were crisp," Carbonneau said. "Now the confidence is not there. There's a lot of hesitation in our game and it takes a lot of time to react to the play.

"We have to rebuild that confidence. There's 21,000 people behind us for every game, if you can't get pumped up to play. We had a good day off on Sunday, a good practice on Monday - we should have been ready and that's what worries me."

Price, who was playing because Cristobal Huet was sidelined with a groin injury, finished with 30 saves.