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Zetterberg, Hasek help Red Wings tame Wild

Dec 8, 2007 - 5:22 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- Henrik Zetterberg and Dominik Hasek never fail to heed the call of the Minnesota Wild.

Zetterberg recorded his second career hat trick and Hasek stopped all 19 shots he faced for his 77th career shutout as the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Wild, 5-0, on Friday.

Zetterberg scored once in each period for his first hat trick since February 17, 2007. In that game, he had three goals and an assist in a 4-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.

"It's not something you think about before the game," Zetterberg said of the hat trick. "All you're thinking about is two points. But you know (the hat trick) can happen if you get some luck and the puck bounces your way.

"You get one, you want to get two. When you get two, you want to get three. When you have a chance (for a hat trick), you give it a little extra."

The Swedish star now has 10 tallies in 15 career games against Minnesota.

Hasek, who improved his lifetime record vs. the Wild to 8-0-2 with three shutouts, stopped four shots in the first period, six in the second and nine in the third period.

The six-time Vezina Trophy winner climbed into eighth place all-time in shutouts, moving past Tony Esposito - but not without an aggressive play toward the end of the third period.

Skating with his head down, Marian Gaborik raced out on a breakaway. Hasek came out of the crease and propelled his body at the puck, thereby sending the Slovakian head over heels but drawing a tripping penalty in the process.

"I got there first to the puck and I don't think it's supposed to be a penalty," Hasek said. "His head was down. I didn't go after him, I went directly for the puck. I got the puck first, then I hit him. I hit him with my legs, but I have to protect myself also. I cannot go into him with my shoulders.

"It's a dangerous play for both the goalie and the player. I got him very clean. I'm glad nothing happened to him. If you miss it, it's a bad goal. If you make a save, it's a nice save. It was exciting for me."

It was one of the easier shutouts of Hasek's career.

"We dominated the whole game," he said. "I only had to make a few saves. I'm feeling very comfortable on the ice. I'm seeing the puck well. I believe I can continue to play like this."

Hasek and the Red Wings successfully killed the penalty to preserve both his first shutout of the season and the team's fifth straight victory.

The loss snapped Minnesota's four-game winning streak.

Pavel Datsyuk had three assists and Johan Franzen scored a goal and set up another for Detroit.

Zetterberg opened the scoring with 2:17 remaining in the first period, collecting a feed from Datsyuk in the left faceoff circle and beat netminder Josh Harding to give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead.

"We played just OK in the first (period)," Minnesota coach Jacques Lemaire said. "We were fine until we turned the puck over. In the second, we got a power play - and they scored."

Lemaire said the skille of Detroit's players shouldn't have surprised his team.

"They knew what they were up against," he said. "Maybe we showed them (the pregame film) too much."

Zetterberg recorded a shorthanded goal 5 1/2 minutes into the second to ignite a three-goal session. He took a cross-ice pass from Datsyuk, deked Harding to the ice and lifted the puck over the sprawled netminder to double Detroit's advantage.

"It helps if you get the lead (against Minnesota)," Zetterberg said. "Then they have to open it up a little bit, and it makes it a little easier to play against them. They're a great trapping team. They keep all five guys back in the neutral zone, and if you make a mistake, they take advantage of it."

After Jiri Hudler and Franzen scored later in the session, Zetterberg completed his hat trick just 41 seconds into the third.

Datsyuk once again fed Zetterberg, who blasted a shot past a screened Harding to cap the scoring.

"They're a good team. They showed their skill tonight," said Harding, who finished with 29 saves. "That one line killed us. (Zetterberg) is at the top of his game. We give him a lot of respect - but you can't give him too much respect."