Red Wings on verge of Stars sweep

Detroit are on the brink of the NHL finals after a 5-2 win over Dallas put them 3-0 up in the best-of-seven Western Conference title series.

Pavel Datsyuk scored his first career hat-trick, while Henrik Zetterberg and Jiri Hudler also scored for the Wings.

Only two teams in NHL history have ever come back to win a series after being 3-0 down - the last being the New York Islanders in 1975.

"We're in a tough spot," admitted Brad Richards, one of the Dallas scorers.

The winner of the Western finals will face either the Pittsburgh Penguins or Philadelphia Flyers. The Penguins lead that series 2-0.

Game four is in Dallas on Wednesday.