Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg combined for four goals and six points in Game 3 and were probably better defensively than offensively.

After the Detroit Red Wings' victory, Stars coach Dave Tippett was still searching for a way to catalogue and contain the two.

"We didn't have much answer for them tonight," Tippett said. "Those two are a rare breed, because they're a line that you look at that you should be checking, but in actual fact they're a checking line."

In other words, the Red Wings' best offensive forwards double as their best defensive forwards.

Their multi-talented role-playing was on display Monday.

Datsyuk recorded his first playoff hat trick, giving him eight postseason goals.

Zetterberg added a shorthanded goal and two assists and took over the playoff scoring lead with 18 points. He also might have made the biggest play of the Western Conference finals.

With the Stars on a power play and trailing by a goal early in the third period, Zetterberg put an end to the comeback hopes.

He carried the puck up ice and realized that the lone defender facing him was forward Brad Richards. The subsequent fake and move all but screwed Richards into the ice before Zetterberg scored at 1:38.

"I saw it was a forward," Zetterberg said. "And I knew he'd been out there for a while. I guess I had a little bit more energy."

Meanwhile, two of Datsyuk's goals came on Stars giveaways. He did the rest with an assortment of nifty moves. Even though he's 5-11 and not quite 200 pounds, Datsyuk belies the notion of the soft, skilled European player.

Once, he took a hard check from Stars captain Brenden Morrow, giving as good as he got.

"He makes moves you wouldn't even think of doing," veteran Detroit checking center Kris Draper said, raving about Datsyuk's strength and skill. "He's just unbelievable with the puck."

As he did during the two games in Detroit, Red Wings coach Mike Babcock matched Zetterberg, Datsyuk and linemate Tomas Holmstrom against the Stars' top line.

Again, Detroit won the battle.

Both Datsyuk and Zetterberg were middle-round draft picks, too small, too slight to make an NHL impact.

Now they are the cornerstones of Detroit's next decade.

As good as they are separately, they are even better together.

"They just find each other," Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said.