Detroit’s mission accomplished

If the Detroit Red Wings could have scripted their playoff opener, it would have looked a lot like their 4-1 win Thursday night over the Calgary Flames at Detroit.

Detroit punished the Flames with checks and depth; its goaltending was solid; Pavel Datsyuk finally scored in the postseason; and Henrik Zetterberg played for the first time in two months.

Defenseman Mathieu Schneider, who scored and landed the first big hit of the first-round series, agreed it was a perfect game for the Red Wings.

“That can be scary because you want to keep up the momentum,” he said. “We’ve been in this situation before, so we know Game 2 is huge.

“It’s as big for us as it is for them because we need to win to keep home-ice advantage that we worked all year to get.”

Game 2 is Sunday in Detroit before the best-of-7 series shifts to Calgary.

In the first 8 1/2 minutes, the Red Wings put a Calgary player on his back and had the Flames on their heels with a crushing check and two goals.

Valtteri Filppula and Nicklas Lidstrom scored in the first period after Schneider knocked down Matthew Lombardi, setting the tone early.

“They came out and made a heavy push,” Calgary coach Jim Playfair said.

The Red Wings didn’t let up.

They led 4-0 by the middle of the second period – on Pavel Datsyuk’s and Schneider’s goals – giving goaltender Dominik Hasek more than enough offense.

Datsyuk ended a 26-game scoreless streak in the playoffs, dating to Game 7 of the 2002 conference finals.

“For me, it’s huge,” he acknowledged.

It was also important for Detroit that Zetterberg played for the first time since Feb. 24 because an inflamed disk in his back kept him out of the final 19 regular-season games.

Zetterberg played hard and fast, showing he was healthy.

“It was a big test, and I felt great all game,” he said.

Sabres 4, Islanders 1: At Buffalo, N.Y., Chris Drury and Brian Campbell each scored two goals as top-seeded Buffalo opened with the win over New York. The Sabres never trailed, with Drury scoring the go-ahead goal on a power-play in the second period. Driving into the slot, he flipped in a loose puck after Campbell’s shot was blocked in front.

Rangers 4, Thrashers 3: At Atlanta, New York scored the first two goals and never trailed in holding off Atlanta in an opener. The Thrashers were playing their first postseason game. They desperately tried for a tying goal in the final minute with a power play, but were denied.

Devils 5, Lightning 3: At East Rutherford, N.J., Zach Parise scored his second goal on a give-and-go with Jamie Langenbrunner early in the third period as New Jersey defeated Tampa Bay.

Scott Gomez set up power-play goals by Patrik Elias and Brian Rafalski, and the clinching goal by Brian Gionta with 1:22 to play for New Jersey.

Wednesday

Canucks 5, Stars 4 (4OT): At Vancouver, British Columbia, the relief outweighed the exhaustion for the Vancouver Canucks.

Henrik Sedin scored with 1:54 left in the fourth overtime and Roberto Luongo stopped 72 shots in his first postseason start to lift the Canucks to a victory over Dallas in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.