Zetterberg's Return Sparks Red Wings Past Coyotes

Henrik Zetterberg scored in his return for the Red Wings. (AI Wire photo)

The Detroit Red Wings went into the third period trailing the upstart Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 at home. But all it took was a few minutes in the third to turn the tide. Tomas Holmstrom, aka "Holmer", scored at 9:09 of the final period and Nicklas Lidstrom added the game-winner on a slapper moments later.

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"I was aiming on the blocker side. There were two or three bodies in front of the net and I knew Holmer was one of them," Lidstrom said. "I just tried to pick the blocker side corner. If Holmer's not there, he's probably going to see the puck and make the save."

The 3-2 victory, which paid -320 on the moneyline, also marked the return of Detroit sniper Henrik Zetterberg, who missed the previous two games with back spasms. Zetterberg scored his 29th goal of the season in the first period, after which the Coyotes answered with two of their own, one in the first and the other in the second. But the one-goal lead wasn't enough.

"At 2-1, we had opportunities to get further ahead, but their goalie made some good saves," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said. "It was disappointing not to get ahead 3-1, and it's frustrating that we had two giveaways in our end and they're up 3-2."