GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Phoenix Coyotes were throwing their weight around in Game 3 of the Western Conference quarterfinals Monday.

The Detroit Red Wings counter-punched with quick goals, at the start of each period. They again clamped down defensively at even strength. And they got solid goaltending from Jimmy Howard, who is outplaying his more heralded counterpart, Ilya Bryzgalov.

As a result, the Red Wings are on the verge of a knockout, after defeating the Coyotes 4-2 at Jobing.com Arena.

Detroit will look to compete the sweep Wednesday in Game 4.

“We got a veteran team. We've been through this before,'' Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “Today is a huge swing game. As much as (the Coyotes) are all mentally tough, you're over there and you know it's 3-0 and it's a monster to climb. If it's 2-1 you're all fired up, you got another home game. So this was a tough one.''

The Red Wings scored twice within the first three minutes of the game (Ruslan Salei, Drew Miller) and also scored early in the second period (Valtteri Filppula at 2:50) and the third (Johan Franzen at 45 seconds). Niklas Kronwall had two assists.

“We knew we were going to face that kind of team, putting a good forecheck on us and being aggressive, and we just tried to respond to it and wait for our chances,'' Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said.

Franzen's goal was the crushing blow, coming on a breakaway after an outlet pass from Jonathan Ericsson. That made it 4-1.

“It was very important, especially early in the third period,'' Lidstrom said. “We knew they were going to come out with a strong effort and throw everything at us. To be able to score on the first shift was key for us.''

Both Phoenix goals came on the power play. David Schlemko cut the deficit to 3-1 at 11:43 of the second period and Ray Whitney made it 4-2 at the 13-minute mark of the third.

RED WINGS 4, COYOTES 2

Key play:

Johan Franzen scored on a breakaway 45 seconds into the third period to give the Red Wings a 4-1 lead, curbing the Coyotes momentum, all but crushing their comeback hopes.

Hero:

Niklas Kronwall assisted on his team's first two goals and had a strong defensive game, registering four hits and a plus-3 rating. He led the team in ice time (23:24).

Goat:

Ilya Bryzgalov has been below average in the series for a team that needed its goaltender to steal a couple of games.

Analysis:

Team defense and goaltending, the Red Wings' two biggest concerns heading into the playoffs, are being eased rather quickly. Detroit isn't giving up much at even strength (just two goals in Game 1). And Jimmy Howard has made big saves at key moments and is outplaying Bryzgalov, who appeared to have the edge coming into the series.

The Coyotes have not scored at even strength in the past two games and have only two five-on-five goals in the series, which Whitney said is a concern.

“We're not generating as much as we should,'' Whitney said. “There was a lot of talk about how Detroit wasn't playing well defensively this season, but I beg to differ in this series. They are a good defensive team, especially with a lead, and it's tough to generate a whole lot. Giving them a three-goal lead every night is tough.''

Especially when Howard is playing as consistently as he has.

“They were throwing a lot of pucks, had a lot of traffic in front of him. He really responded well,'' Lidstrom said. “He deflected some of the shots to the corners and put them out of the danger areas.''

Howard credited a strong team defense.

“We had a third man high all night long,'' Howard said. “We made them come the full 200 feet. When you just get it in, get it deep. It's tough on them when they have to come the full 200 (feet).

“We're doing a tremendous job keeping it simple, tying up sticks, allowing me to see the puck. When I can see it, I'm going to stop it.''

The Coyotes were determined to establish their physical play right from the start. And they targeted Lidstrom.

Taylor Pyatt leveled Lidstrom with a shoulder check near the Detroit net. Shane Doan cross-checked Lidstrom in the back after the whistle, resulting in a penalty.

Pyatt then leveled Patrick Eaves with a blindside check to the head with 14:25 to play in the third period. Eaves was shaken up and left the game but said he is fine and will be ready for Game 4.

“We came out weathered their storm,'' Miller said. “They come out hitting, we got two big quick goals. From there we kept going. Every time they came hard we found a way to push back and keep going.''

Darren Helm's hustle led to Salei's goal at 1:57. Helm chipped the puck into the Phoenix zone, delivered a hit on big defenseman Ed Jovanovski to win the puck battle and then passed to the point to an open Salei.

Miller scored at 2:41, when Kronwall's shot deflected in off his shin pad.

Filppula made it 3-0, taking a pass from Jiri Hudler, weaving through traffic in front of the net and firing a shot past Bryzgalov.

“I thought Helmer's and Fil's lines were real dominant for us, skated real well and were on the puck and in the end that allowed us to get off to that start and take a little wind out of their sails,'' Babcock said.