Nyquist makes mark in return as Detroit snaps skid

DETROIT -- Right winger Gustav Nyquist made a major impact in his return to the Detroit Red Wings.

Defenseman Niklas Kronwall was credited with the go-ahead goal in the third period, and Nyquist scored twice as the Red Wings broke a seven-game game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday night.

Nyquist was recalled from the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins earlier in the day. He wasn't there because he wasn't good enough to make the team out of training camp but due to salary cap reasons. He was one of the best Detroit forwards in training camp and during the exhibition season after playing a key role for the Red Wings on the third line during last season's playoffs.

Only a shoulder separation to defenseman Danny Dekeyser in Tuesday night's 2-0 loss to Nashville, which put him on the long-term injured list, gave Detroit the cap space to bring Nyquist back.

"We'll see, we'll see what happens here," Nyquist said after the game. "Obviously this is where I want to play and I want to be a part of this team and hopefully we'll be able to work that out."

He didn't wait to trumpet his arrival, scoring his first goal only 17 seconds into the game as he put in a loose puck from the bottom of the right circle.

"It was a lucky bounce there but it for sure was nice to get a quick one so that felt great," Nyquist said.

Center and captain Henrik Zetterberg assisted on both of Nyquist's goals and center Darren Helm also scored for Detroit, which also snapped its eight-game home losing skid. Red Wings goaltender Jonas Gustavsson made 24 saves.

"Well, obviously good. We needed to win and it was a good win for us. I thought our team played well. We had lots of opportunities," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "We made it closer than we needed to, for sure. I thought we really carried territorial play. Our specialty teams were outstanding."

Defenseman Andrej Sekera scored twice, and defenseman Brett Bellemore got his first NHL goal for Carolina. Hurricanes goaltender Justin Peters stopped 43 shots.

"They're a good hockey team and they played well ... They owned the puck," Sekera said.

Kronwall officially scored a 5-on-3 power-play goal 8:29 into the third period to break a 2-2 tie.

Hurricanes center Eric Staal accidentally kicked the puck into his own net. The goal was initially credited to Zetterberg, but a scoring change was made after the game.

Nyquist scored on a breakaway at 15:58 of the third period for his second goal of the game.

Sekera got a short-handed goal in the final minute, his fourth goal of the season.

Detroit killed off a 1:36 two-man disadvantage late in the second period and early in the third.

"We were right there in the third period. We had a 5-on-3 that we had the chance to go up," Sekera said. "We didn't score and they scored on theirs."

Sekera tied the game at 2 with 7:09 left in the middle period. He made a move past Red Wings right winger Todd Bertuzzi and then beat Gustavsson with a wrist shot from the slot.

Bellemore put Carolina on the board and made it 2-1 at 5:49 of the second period, completing a give-and-go play with right winger Radek Dvorak by whipping a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle past Gustavsson.

Helm made it 2-0 at 2:37 of the second period with his third goal. He scored on a shot from the bottom of the right circle.

NOTE: Hurricanes LW Jeff Skinner returned after missing 11 games with an upper-body injury. ... Carolina RW Alexander Semin missed his second game with a concussion. ... The Red Wings played their first complete game without rookie D Danny DeKeyser, who will miss three to six weeks with a separated left shoulder. He was placed on long-term injured reserve. ... Detroit RW Daniel Alfredsson (groin) missed his fourth game, and Red Wings C Stephen Weiss (groin) missed his sixth contest. ... Carolina D Jay Harrison missed his second game with an illness. ... NHL vice president of hockey and business development and director of player safety Brendan Shanahan, who played with Detroit from 1996-97 to 2005-06, was honored before the game for his recent Hall of Fame induction. ... Red wings defenseman Brian Lashoff left the game in the second period with the flu.