After being dealt to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline last season, Marian Hossa quickly found his comfort zone playing on a line with Sidney Crosby.

Now, Hossa is trying to get accustomed to playing alongside another superstar after joining the Red Wings in the summer. And this one, Pavel Datsyuk, is a little more unpredictable with his array of flashy moves. Hossa said the key to playing with Datsyuk is keeping your stick on the ice and being prepared for a pass when you least expect it.

"Totally different players," Hossa said. "Pavel doesn't always go full speed, but he's reading the play really well. He sees you everywhere. He can pass to you from any angle, and that's really special. Sid is one of the strongest skaters, with powerful legs. Obviously, he's an excellent playmaker, also."

Because of nagging injuries to Hossa, Datsyuk and their linemate, Tomas Holmstrom, the line was able to play together in just one exhibition game. That's not a problem for Datsyuk and Holmstrom, who have developed great chemistry after playing numerous games on the same line over the last few seasons.

Hossa, however, is playing catch-up. His new linemates will continue getting familiarized with his tendencies Monday when the Red Wings visit Carolina.

"We need to work more on the power play than usual," Datsyuk said. "Need more communication, first couple of games -- need to go through everything together during the game."

RED WINGS 3, SENATORS 2: After their sluggish regular-season opener two nights earlier, the Red Wings were much crisper. They skated better, generated more scoring chances and committed fewer turnovers. They were patient in the third period when trailing by a goal, and they were rewarded when two shots by Johan Franzen from the wing eluded Senators goaltender Martin Gerber, who had been stellar up to that point. Detroit was strong early and late, outshooting the Senators by a combined total of 30-10 in the first and third periods.

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