Datsyuk puts Wings one win from finals

(AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

DALLAS (AP) This is how ridiculously good the Detroit Red Wings are playing: They lose the NHL's top scorer this postseason and their regular-season scoring leader steps up with the first hat trick of his entire career while one of his linemates scores a demoralizing short-handed goal.

Pavel Datsyuk scored twice in the first period and again with 2:41 left, and Henrik Zetterberg added two assists and the short-hander, sending Detroit past the Dallas Stars 5-2 Monday night for a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

The Red Wings won their ninth straight playoff game, the best streak in a single season in their franchise's proud history. It's also the longest in the NHL since Montreal won 11 in a row on its way to winning the Stanley Cup in 1993.

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