Pavel Datsyuk had three assists and scored in the shootout as the Detroit Red Wings defeated the visiting Washington Capitals 4-3 in front of 19,483 at Joe Louis Arena on Monday night.
All three Detroit skaters in the shootout — Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Jiri Hudler — used backhand dekes to score high on Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig.
Pavel Datsyuk, right, whoops it up in Monday's 4-3 Red Wings triumph.
(J. S. Mendoza/Associated Press)
Alexander Semin had the lone shootout goal for the Capitals, beating Dominik Hasek high to the glove side after Viktor Kozlov struck the iron on a similar shot.
"I didn't think we were as good as we could have been from the start," Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock said.
Tomas Holmstrom scored twice in regulation for the Red Wings (24-6-3), winners in 10 of their last 11 games.
Zetterberg had one goal and one assist, and Nicklas Lidstrom contributed two assists.
"It was a good two points," Holmstrom said. "It was tight."
Alexander Ovechkin, Jeff Schultz and Semin tallied in regulation for the Capitals (13-18-3).
Washington has lost its last three meetings with Detroit, and six of seven.
"I really believe we deserved two [points]," Capitals interim head coach Bruce Boudreau said. "But that is why they are No. 1 because, every chance they get, they take advantage of it."
Holmstrom opens scoring
Holmstrom tipped Lidstrom's centring pass to open the scoring 3:57 into the contest.
It was Holmstrom's 15th goal of the season.
"It is always nice to score," said Holmstrom, who missed Detroit's previous two games with a sore knee.
"I felt a little rusty. But I tried to make it simple out there."
Washington tied it 1-1 midway through the first period as Nylander won a faceoff to Ovechkin, who swept his team-high 24th by Hasek.
Schultz was credited with putting the Capitals ahead 2-1, taking a shot that caromed off a sliding Holmstrom and fluttered by Hasek with 26 seconds left in the stanza.
Zetterberg struck back with his 24th for the Red Wings, slapping the puck past Kolzig to finish off a nifty three-way passing play involving Datsyuk and Lidstrom 10:26 into the second period.
Holmstrom made it 3-2 at 15:17 of the third period, redirecting Datsyuk's pass for his second goal on the night and 16th this season.
But Semin scored the game-tying goal with 94 seconds remaining.
Both Hasek and Kolzig posted 27 saves through regulation and OT.
With files from the Associated PressRelated
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