Red Wings see out victory over Stars

DALLAS — Jiri Hudler, Valtteri Filppula and Henrik Zetterberg form what's supposed to be Detroit's No. 2 line.

Whatever the label, they're performing at a high level for the Red Wings.

Hudler scored twice, Filppula added a goal and two assists, Zetterberg had three assists and Detroit hung on to beat the Dallas Stars 5-4 on Tuesday night.

"I don't know what's the second line," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "They dominated the game offensively and defensively. They were by far the best line today."

The trio combined for eight points in the first period, getting their team off to a flying start.

"The puck kind of followed us for a few shifts," Zetterberg said. "Everything we tried worked. It was good for the confidence. (Filppula and Hudler) are having career years. The only one not having a career year is me, but two out of three isn't bad."

Johan Franzen and Cory Emmerton also connected for the Red Wings, an NHL-best 15-2-1 at home but only 10-11-0 on the road.

The Wings liked how they opened a four-game trip.

"We've done well at home, but haven't been able to play as well on the road," Filppula said. "It's a good question. We try to prepare the same as at home but it hasn't been working out. It's not easy to win anywhere. Home teams come hard, so maybe that affects us as well."

Capitals 3, Flames 1

In Washington, Alex Ovechkin and Troy Brouwer scored power-play goals, Nicklas Backstrom had three assists, and the Capitals beat Calgary for their fourth straight win.

Dennis Wideman also scored, and Tomas Vokoun made 18 saves for Washington, which improved to 9-6-1 under coach Dale Hunter.

Islanders 4, Hurricanes 3 (SO)

In Raleigh, North Carolina, Frans Nielsen scored the deciding goal in a shootout, and the Islanders earned their third straight win by beating Carolina in a matchup of the Eastern Conference's bottom two teams.

Sabres 4, Oilers 3

In Buffalo, Drew Stafford and Nathan Gerbe scored 2:04 apart late in the third period.

Jordan Leopold and Sabres captain Jason Pominville, who played despite an illness that limited his ice time, also scored for Buffalo. Stafford added two assists, and Ryan Miller made 23 saves to improve to 6-0 against Edmonton.

Blues 4, Coyotes 1

In St. Louis, Jaroslav Halak made a season-high 34 saves, and the Blues snapped their season-worst, three-game skid with a win over Phoenix.

St. Louis improved to 15-3-2 at home with its seventh win there in eight games. The Blues are tied with Detroit for most home wins.

Maple Leafs 7, Lightning 3

In Toronto, Joffrey Lupul had a goal and three assists, and the Maple Leafs killed four early power plays — including a two-man advantage — in a rout of Tampa Bay.

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