Red Wings 4, Stars 1

DALLAS (AP) - Many of the faces have changed on both teams over the last four years, but Chris Osgood and the Detroit Red Wings still own the Stars in Dallas.

Osgood stopped 27 shots, and Henrik Zetterberg had a goal and two assists to send the Red Wings to their fourth straight victory, 4-1 over the Stars on Tuesday night.

The Stars have won only one of their last 11 home games against the Red Wings and Dallas hasn't beaten Detroit since Jan. 16, 2002.

"It's one of those teams I enjoy playing," said Osgood, 24-9-1 against the Stars. "I don't know if I know their tendencies but for whatever reason, I feel confident when I play them."

Osgood is trying to impress a new coach in Mike Babcock and remain Detroit's top goaltender.

"What I've done in the past doesn't mean anything," said Osgood, 11-3-3 this season. "I still have something to prove. I want to be here. I want to stay here, and to do that I have to play well."

Mikael Samuelsson, Tomas Holmstrom and Kirk Maltby also had goals for the Red Wings in the first meeting of the season between the Western Conference rivals.

"You always know they are going to be tough and you have to do the little things," Zetterberg said. "It's fun to play these high-ranked teams. It's a chance for us to see where we stand."

Dallas started the day as the No. 2 seed in the conference behind Detroit, and the Stars know they have some catching up to do.

"They're the top team in the Western Conference," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "They're the measuring stick. This shows how much we have to grow as a team."

Marty Turco, recovering from the flu, made 20 saves for the Stars, who had won 17 of 22. Turco has never beaten the Red Wings in 10 meetings. Jaroslav Svoboda scored the lone Dallas goal.

Dallas had nine of the game's first 11 shots, but Osgood held the Stars scoreless with a series of tough stops.

"We had a good start but Osgood made some great saves," Stars captain Mike Modano said. "They don't panic. They're a real poised team. You've got to be patient. You can't take chances."

Detroit notched the first goal with the aid of Turco's turnover on a clearing pass. Zetterberg intercepted the puck along the right boards and passed to a cutting Samuelsson, who sent a one-timer past Turco at 8:34 of the first period.

"Too often it's been happening lately ... bad plays behind the net and turning the puck over," Turco said. "For me, it's got to get better for us to keep our confidence."

Dallas tied it when Niklas Hagman passed from his knees to Svoboda, who one-timed a shot from the right circle by Osgood at 16:49.

The Red Wings capitalized on a turnover by defenseman Sergei Zubov, resulting in Zetterberg's 17th goal of the season on a backhander from the slot at 4:14 of the second period for a 2-1 Detroit edge.

Holmstrom converted Zetterberg's centering pass at 8:34 of the third period to give Detroit a 3-1 advantage. Maltby then scored into an empty net with 45 seconds left after Turco was pulled for an extra skater.

The Stars are only 10-6 on home ice, 13-4 on the road.

"We try too hard at home," Modano said. "We try to be too fancy. When things don't go well, the fans get on you and you try even harder. On the road we play a simpler game."

Notes: Stars C Stu Barnes was done for the night after sustaining a hip flexor in the first period. ... Detroit G Manny Legace is expected to be ready to play on New Year's Eve against Columbus after being out since Nov. 25 due to a sprained left knee. ... Dallas D Philippe Boucher will miss a week to 10 days with a broken finger on his left hand. Boucher was out for six games, then played three games with the injury. It was affecting his play and he's missed the last two contests. ... Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman remains out with a groin injury.