BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- As the Red Wings looked forward to Pavel Datsyuk's first All-Star appearance, Nicklas Lidstrom said Datsyuk had a good chance to be most valuable player because of his skills, but Brett Hull said Datsyuk would have a hard time because of his shyness.

Coach Dave Lewis, Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk represented the Red Wings at the NHL All-Star Game, which the Western Conference lost, 6-4. In his eighth All-Star Game, Lidstrom had an assist and a plus-1 rating in 19 minutes on the ice. Datsyuk didn't record a point in his first All-Star Game and had minus-1 rating in almost 14 minutes.

As it turned out, Hull was right. Datsyuk didn't make much of an impact in the SuperSkills competition Saturday or the All-Star Game on Sunday.

"It was like he was embarrassed to show his skill," said Wings coach Dave Lewis, who led the West.

Lewis could see it at practice Saturday morning. "It's like, 'Pavel, that's not your shot,' " Lewis said. "He just threw it on the ice from way out, afraid to do too much."

In the SuperSkills competition, Datsyuk looked good in a stickhandling drill. But he stumbled in the fastest-skater event, and he didn't even make a move in the breakaway relay, sending a soft shot on net instead. "That's un-Pavel-like," Lewis said.

In the All-Star Game, Lewis put Datsyuk between Calgary's Jarome Iginla and Columbus' Rick Nash. But Datsyuk didn't take a shot, lost five of eight face-offs and was minus-1.

"For young guys, it's such a different experience to be on the ice with these players," Lewis said. "He was a little quiet. He was just watching, sort of absorbing it all. You didn't see the things he normally likes to do."

Datsyuk was nowhere to be found after the game Sunday, but according to Lidstrom, Datsyuk said he had a good time.

"He might have been a little bit nervous, but it was his first time," Lidstrom said. "It was a learning experience for him. . . . But he didn't look out of place out there, that's for sure."