Red Wings dominate Coyotes, take 3-0 series lead

Glendale, Ariz. — Coach Mike Babcock talks about the race to four in these playoffs series, winning four games — and the series — as quickly as possible.
The Red Wings are sprinting to four.
Thanks to a quick start Monday all three periods, the Wings continued to roll past the Phoenix Coyotes Monday, winning 4-2 and taking a commanding 3-0 series lead.
The Wings can sweep Phoenix and advance to Round 2 on Wednesday.
"We wanted to get a good start on them and we knew they'd come out hard," Nicklas Lidstrom said. "It was a great way we responded.
"But we know we haven't accomplished anything yet."
But they can with one more victory.
In an interesting piece of symmetry, it was the Red Wings who eliminated the Winnipeg Jets from the playoffs in 1996, and the organization moved to Phoenix that summer.
Fast forward to Wednesday, and the Wings could eliminate Phoenix and send the Coyotes back to Winnipeg — there's speculation the organization is headed back to Winnipeg because of persistent ownership problems.
"Today was a huge swing game," coach Mike Babcock said. "(Being down) 3-0 is a monster to climb. This was a tough one today. If we could get off to a good start, that would help us."
Ruslan Salei, Drew Miller, Valtteri Filppula and Johan Franzen scored for the Wings.
"It was a big game for our team," Miller said. "We came out and weathered the storm. They came out hitting but we got two goals quick and from there we kept going.
"Every time they came out hard, we found a way to push back."
David Schlemko (power play) and Ray Whitney (power play) had the Coyotes goals.
Salei and Miller scored 44 seconds early in the first period to send the Wings on their way.
Salei scored his first playoff goal in three years at 1:57, firing a shot from the point on which Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov was screened.
Then, just 44 seconds later, Niklas Kronwall's shot deflected off Miller's body past a startled Bryzgalov to put the Wings ahead 2-0 not even 3 minutes into the game.
"It hit off my right shin pad," Miller said. "Some of the guys were laughing at it because I haven't gotten a goal on a shot all season."
The Coyotes pressed the remainder of the period, but goalie Jimmy Howard (28 saves) answered every challenge, maintaining the Wings' 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Filppula increased the lead to 3-0 at 2:50 of the second period. Filppula took a pass from Jiri Hudler in the slot, patiently waited out Bryzgalov, and beat him from the low circle.
Phoenix finally got on the scoreboard with Schlemko's power-play goal at 11:43 of the second period.
But Franzen opened the third period with his second goal of these playoffs, at the 45 second mark, beating Bryzgalov on a breakaway.