Daniel Cleary scored twice for Detroit and the defending Stanley Cup champions downed Chicago 5-2 Sunday in the opener of their Western Conference title series. Johan Franzen had a goal, his ninth of the post-season, and two assists, and Mikael Samuelsson and Henrik Zetterberg also scored for theRed

Daniel Cleary's slap shot found the net with 3 minutes to play Thursday, giving Detroit a 4-3 win over Anaheim and a berth in the Western Conference finals. The Game 7 victory kept alive the Red Wings' hopes of a second straight Stanley Cup and ended a thrilling series that saw five of the seven games decided by a single goal. Anaheim, which barely made the playoffs and then eliminated top-seeded San Jose in the first round, battled back from a two-goal deficit and tied the game 7:37 into the third period on a tip-in by Bobby Ryan. The contest appeared headed for the ultimate in thrilling hockey conclusions, a seventh-game overtime, before Cleary ripped a shot past Jonas Hiller. Jiri Hudler, Darren Helm and Mikael Samuelsson scored the other Detroit goals and Chris Osgood stopped 24 of 27 shots to get the victory. Detroit will now take on the Chicago Blackhawks for the Western Conference title and the right to play for the NHL championship.

Ryan Suter's power-play goal with 4:36 remaining Sunday was the game-winner for the Nashville Predators in a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Suter took a pass from Steve Sullivan and fired a shot past Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood. The win was the Predators' third straight and left them in the No.

Ty Conklin made 21 saves Thursday to record his fifth shutout of the season and bring Detroit a 4-0 victory over Los Angeles. Conklin has nine shutouts in a six-year NHL career that has been spent with four different teams.

Ty Conklin blocked 21 shots Saturday to pace the Detroit Red Wings to a 3-1 victory over Buffalo. Mikael Samuelsson, Jim Hudler and Marian Hossa scored for the Red Wings, who have a season-high six-game winning streak. Derek Roy had the only goal for Buffalo.