Red-hot Wings beat Coyotes

Even with captain Steve Yzerman out of the Detroit lineup, the streaking Red Wings didn’t miss a beat.
Pavel Datsyuk had two goals and two assists for a career-high four points, and he and linemates Brett Hull and Henrik Zetterberg combined for nine points, as Detroit beat the Phoenix Coyotes 5-2 yesterday without Yzerman.
“Pavel was very good, the whole line was good,” Detroit coach Dave Lewis said. “They have such a chemistry about themselves. They know where each other is.”
The defending Stanley Cup champions, who have won eight of nine (8-0-0-1), appear to be hitting their stride as the regular season gradually winds down.
Yzerman played his first two games of the season this week after being out since off-season knee surgery. He is expected to play today at Columbus, and was held out against Phoenix because the Red Wings don’t want him to play on consecutive days.
Hull added a goal and two assists while Zetterberg had a goal and an assist as the line accounted for four goals. Nicklas Lidstrom also scored for the Red Wings and had an assist.
“We’ve played with each other for a while now,” said Zetterberg, who has three goals and an assist in his last two games. “You start to learn where Pavel is and where Hully is.”
The visiting Coyotes lost for just the second time in nine games (6-2-1). Teppo Numminen and Drake Berehowsky scored Phoenix’s goals.
Hull made it 1-0 with 9:20 left in the period on a one-timed slap shot from the high slot that beat Brian Boucher between his pads. It came off a pass from Datsyuk.
But Phoenix tied it just 1:08 later when Numminen’s slapshot from the point beat Curtis Joseph high to the glove side.
Datsyuk then put a cross-crease pass from Hull into the open side of the net with 6:57 left to put Detroit up 2-1. And with 2:17 left, Zetterberg scored a power-play goal from the bottom of the right circle after a give-and-go play with Datsyuk.
Hull has six goals and 12 assists in the last nine games while Datsyuk has four goals and 10 assists over that stretch. “We wanted to keep them quiet in the first period. We came out in good shape in the first period,” Phoenix coach Bobby Francis said. “And then they started to play, but we couldn’t keep up with them.”
Datsyuk scored his second goal on a breakaway 5:37 into the third period after a give-and-go with Hull. Lidstrom scored at 6:58 to make it 5-1.
Berehowsky got his goal at 8:54 of the third period.
While most talked about Datsyuk, Boucher was more impressed by Hull.
“I thought he was the best player on the ice,” Boucher said. “He’s a scorer, but I think he’s an under-rated passer. I don’t think people give him enough credit for the type of plays he makes passing the puck.”
Elsewhere in the NHL yesterday, Atlanta beat Anaheim 4-1, Colorado nipped Chicago 3-2 (OT), Dallas downed Pittsburgh 3-1, and Washington blanked Carolina 2-0.