Pavel Datsyuk and the Detroit Red Wings got the best retaliation against Mike Ribeiro and the Dallas Stars – a record-setting victory. Datsyuk scored twice in the first period then again with 2:41 left, and the Red Wings beat the Stars 5-2 Monday to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. This was Detroit's ninth straight win, its most ever in a single postseason and the longest in the NHL since Montreal won 11 in a row in 1993. More importantly, the Red Wings will go into Game 4 on Wednesday night with the chance to skate into the Stanley Cup finals for the fourth time in 11 seasons. Datsyuk's first career hat trick overshadowed important goals by his teammates. Jiri Hudler converted a breakaway in the second period and Henrik Zetterberg scored a short-handed goal early in the third period for a daunting two-goal lead. Zetterberg also had the primary assist on two of Datsyuk's goals. As promised, Detroit players came out more focused on the scoreboard than settling a score with Ribeiro for his two-handed baseball swing of his stick into the chest of Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood as Game 2 ended. Ribeiro was ticked off that Osgood popped him in the chops with the handle of his stick. The league fined both players, but neither was suspended. The Stars dominated the first 6 minutes, but didn't have anything to show for it as Datsyuk scored midway through the opening period, then scored again just 11 seconds after Dallas tied it. The Stars are now facing the long odds of trying to wipe out an 0-3 deficit, something that's happening only three times in NHL history. Russia beats Switzerland Dmitry Kalinin, Alexander Ovechkin and Maxim Sushinsky scored first period goals and Russia beat Switzerland 5-3 on Monday to set up a rematch between the two in the quarterfinals at the Ice Hockey World Championship in Quebec City. The result finished Russia atop its qualifying round group and dropped Switzerland to fourth, requiring them to meet again in the quarterfinals. At Halifax, Nova Scotia, the United States wrapped up its qualifying round schedule with a 9-1 rout of Norway. New York Rangers forward Brandon Dubinsky accounted for three for the Americans, who scored three times in each period. In battle between unbeaten teams, Shane Doan and Dany Heatley each scored twice as the Canadians defeated Finland 6-3 to set up a quarterfinals meeting with Norway, after Germany beat final eight hopeful Latvia 5-3. In Monday's other late game Denmark upset Belarus 3
