Detroit Red Wings: 3 Stars of the Week

The Red Wings had a good West Coast trip.  While they lost the opening game of the trip to the Calgary Flames, they would win their next two games over the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.

They ended the week with 33 points and sit in the fifth spot in the Western Conference.

Here are the three stars for the week.

First Star: Pavel Datsyuk

Pavel Datsyuk had a very productive week.  He scored the game winner, in overtime, against the Oilers.  The next night, against the Canucks, he would chip in with three assists.

His goal against the Oilers was classic Datsyuk.  After starting the play with a pass deep in his own end, he raced up the ice, received a pass from Franzen then embarrassed the defender before letting go of the winning shot.

He now is on a four-game point streak, his second longest of the season.

Second Star: Valtteri Filppula

After a slow start to the season, Valtteri Filppula suffered an injury that forced him to miss several weeks. He really needed a strong start in his return.  He did just that by scoring a goal in his first game back against the Oilers.

He kept up that pace with another goal and an assist in the next two games.  Two goals and one assist in his first three games back is much better than how he was playing before the injury.  The team hopes that he can continue this level of play.

Third Star: Henrik Zetterberg

Henrik Zetterberg barely beat out Niklas Kronwall for the final spot.  He helped Filppula get back on track by assisting him on his goal against the Oilers.  He leads the team with 22 assists.

Against the Canucks, the captain led the charge by scoring two goals in the 5-2 win.  The goals ended a nine-game draught for him.