PHOENIX (Reuters) - The Detroit Red Wings remained on course for their third straight Stanley Cup final appearance by dominating the Phoenix Coyotes 6-1 in their Game Seven series showdown on Tuesday.
Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom scored twice as Detroit captured the first round series 4-3 and set up a meeting with the top seed San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference semi-finals.
After a scoreless first period, Datsyuk opened the scoring at 2:01 in the second and followed it up with a wrister less than two minutes later to put Detroit 2-0 up.
Vernon Fiddler pulled one back for Phoenix at 8:23 in the second but the Red Wings closed out the game with four unanswered goals.
Lidstrom and Brad Stuart scored to close the second period and Todd Bertuzzi netted a wrister in the third, where Lidstrom added a second goal on a power-play.
Goaltender Jimmy Howard made 32 saves for Detroit, who fired 50 shots at Phoenix netminder Ilya Bryzgalov.
The Coyotes were trying to win their first playoff series since the franchise moved to Phoenix, but the decorated Red Wings, who have made 19 straight postseason appearances, avoided losing in the opening round for the first time since 2006.
(Reporting by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles, editing by Patrick Johnston)
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