DETROIT (AP) – The Detroit Red Wings suddenly figured out a way to create enough space to let their skill shine.

Pavel Datsyuk’s dazzling passes set up two goals before seven minutes elapsed and the Red Wings went on to beat the Nashville Predators 4-1 Thursday night to take a 3-2 series lead.

The home team has won each game in the first-round, best-of-seven series and the Predators hope to keep up the trend in Game 6 on Saturday in Nashville.

Henrik Zetterberg, Brett Hull and Brendan Shanahan scored in the first period for the Red Wings, who are determined to avoid a second straight first-round flop following another successful regular season.

After Nicklas Lidstrom’s power-play goal midway through the second period gave Detroit a 4-0 lead, Nashville’s Sergei Zholtok scored on the power play with 37.2 seconds left in the period.

Detroit’s Curtis Joseph made 19 saves in his first playoff start since the Red Wings were swept by Anaheim in the first round last season. Joseph, who has been hobbled with an ankle injury for much of the season, replaced Manny Legace.

Tomas Vokoun made 27 saves. Vokoun stopped 82 of 83 shots in Games 3 and 4 as Nashville evened the series with two wins at home. The Predators went nearly 78 minutes without giving up a goal before Detroit’s first-period flurry.

The Red Wings – playing with a sense of urgency – scored on their first, fourth and ninth shots.

It took nearly eight minutes before Nashville forced Joseph to make a save and the Predators didn’t generate many scoring chances the rest of the game.

With relentless pressure all over the ice, the pesky Predators had stymied Detroit’s talent-laden team for the most part – until Game 5.

Datsyuk made a no-look, between-the-legs pass to Zetterberg, who went across the crease and flipped a backhander over a sprawled-out Vokoun at 3:19 of the first. About three minutes later, Datsyuk and Zetterberg cycled the puck along the left boards before Datsyuk’s centering pass led to Hull’s goal.

In a short-handed situation from behind the net, Shanahan’s shot went off defenseman Dan Hamhuis’ skate and got past Vokoun at 13:18 of the first.

The Red Wings were 1-for-21 on the power play before Lidstrom’s slap shot from the left circle gave them a 4-0 lead. The crowd then mockingly chanted: “Vo-koun! Vo-koun!”

Zholtok’s goal snapped Nashville’s 0-for-22 drought on the power play.

Notes: Nashville’s standout defenseman Marek Zidlicky, a key player on the power play, has not played since leaving Game 1 with what the team will only say is an “upper-body injury.” The Predators are hopeful he will play Saturday. … If necessary, Game 7 is Monday in Detroit. … Hull’s second goal of the series was his 102nd in the playoffs. He trails only Jari Kurri (106), Mark Messier (109) and Wayne Gretzky (122) in NHL history. … Joseph’s career postseason record is 59-62. … Zetterberg, Shanahan and Lidstrom scored for the first time in the series. Datsyuk registered his first points, and Zholtok contributed his first point.