Datsyuk leads Red Wings to 3-0 series lead

Hockey Betting Lines

05/12/2008 - Dallas, TX (Hockey Betting) - Pavel Datsyuk recorded his first career playoff hat trick as the Detroit Red Wings took a commanding three games to none series lead with a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals at American Airlines Center.

Henrik Zetterberg added a goal and two assists for the Red Wings, who are one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since winning the title in 2002.

Chris Osgood made 16 saves in the victory to remain perfect in the postseason.

The 35-year-old netminder has won nine consecutive playoff games -- all this season -- tying his own franchise record set from the tail end of the 1998 and start of the 1999 playoffs.

Nicklas Grossman and Brad Richards hit the net for the Stars, who look to stave off elimination in Game 4 in Dallas on Wednesday.

Marty Turco turned aside only 16-of-21 shots in defeat.

Zetterberg's short-handed goal 1:38 into the third which put Detroit ahead 4-2 was a crippling blow to Dallas, which failed to convert on a pair of early man advantages in the period.

Datsyuk provided the exclamation point with 2:41 left in regulation with a little help from both sides.

Stars defenseman Matt Niskanen had trouble moving a puck off the boards behind his net, and Zetterberg swooped in to forecheck. He stole the disc, stickhandled through four defenders in the right circle before finding Datsyuk alone in the slot for his eighth goal this playoff year.

Dallas could only muster four shots on goal in the final 20 minutes, leaving the club one game from the end of its season.

Wings forward Johan Franzen, the NHL's leading playoff goal-scorer with 12 markers, did not play for the second straight game due to concussion-like symptoms. His absence did little to slow down the visitors.

The Wings got on the board just before the midway point of the first period in a 4-on-4. Brian Rafalski took a feed in the neutral zone and fed to Zetterberg, who chipped over to Datsyuk on the left side for a backhander which tipped off the left post and in.

Grossman tied the game with 4:47 left in the period, one-timing Mike Modano's cross-ice feed, but the Wings struck back only 37 seconds later with Datsyuk's second of the game.

The Stars knotted the game at the 3:47 mark of the second, when Richards tried a centering pass but the puck deflected off a Detroit defender in the crease and bounced through Osgood.

Jiri Hudler's breakaway tally with 8:06 left in the period put the Wings on top once more, and Detroit nursed the lead to intermission.

Game Notes

In their history, Detroit has wasted a 3-0 series lead only once, a seven-game loss to Toronto in the 1942 Cup finals...Conversely, the Minnesota/Dallas franchise has never advanced beyond a Game 5 after losing the first three in a best-of-seven series...Zetterberg has 14 points in his last eight games (7G, 7A) and now leads the playoffs with 18 points...The Stars played without defensive forward Jere Lehtinen (leg) and Stu Barnes (concussion)...Modano briefly left the game late in the second period with an undisclosed injury after taking a hit from Wings forward Kris Draper, but returned in the third...Dallas captain Brenden Morrow left the game midway through the third period after falling hard on his right arm after absorbing a check and skated one shift for the remainder of the contest...Neither team connected on nine combined power-play chances.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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