Patrick Eaves tallied his first career hat trick along with an assist as Detroit scored six unanswered goals to win 7-to-3 last night at Dallas. Nicklas Lidstrom and Jiri Hudler each had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings, who have taken three in a row on the road after Christmas to keep them atop the Western Conference with 52 points. Jimmy Howard picked up the win in goal for Detroit, which was outshot 31-26, but was 2-for-2 on the power play, while Dallas was 0-for-4.Tomorrow night, the Red Wings host the Islanders.

Last night in the ECHL, Kalamazoo was a winner at Toledo 7-to-4. And in college hockey in the Great Lakes Invitational semi-finals at Joe Louis Arena, Michigan beat Michigan Tech 4-to-2 while Colorado College defeated Michigan State 5-to-4.