Senators 6, Red Wings 1
DETROIT -- Jason Spezza and Bobby Ryan each scored twice, and the Ottawa Senators beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-1 at Joe Louis Arena on Wednesday night.
The Senators spoiled Daniel Alfredsson's first game against the team for which he played 17 seasons and captained 13 seasons before signing a one-year, $5.5 million free agent contract with Detroit in July.
Eric Gryba and Jared Cowen also scored for Ottawa (4-3-2). Erik Karlsson and Kyle Turris each had two assists and Craig Anderson made 27 saves.
Todd Bertuzzi scored for Detroit (6-4-1), which lost its third straight. Jimmy Howard made five saves on eight shots before being replaced by Jonas Gustavsson with 5:46 left in the first period. Gustavsson stopped 17 shots.
Ottawa's Craig Anderson made 31 saves for the win.
The Senators led 3-1 after the first period, and they chased Howard after jumping to a 3-0 lead.
Gryba scored his first goal of the season at 5:46. Spezza (10:48) and Ryan (14:14) connected on the power play for their first tallies of the game.
Gustavsson replaced Howard after Ryan's goal, and Bertuzzi's power-play goal put the Red Wings on the board at 16:14 of the opening period. It was Bertuzzi's third goal.
Spezza got his second goal of the game and seventh of the season 5:12 into the second period, putting in his own rebound when the puck came off the glass behind Gustavsson.
Cowen got his second goal of the season 1:50 into the third period. Ryan picked up his second of the game and sixth of the season at 6:13 of the third.
NOTE: Detroit D Niklas Kronwall returned after missing two games with a slight concussion suffered Thursday in Colorado. Avalanche LW Cody McLeod was suspended five games for the hit from behind. ... Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean was a Red Wings assistant coach under current Detroit coach Mike Babcock. Also, Senators GM Bryan Murray is a former GM and coach of the Red Wings. ... The Red Wings recalled D Xavier Ouellet from their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. ... Spezza played junior hockey with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. Windsor is across the Detroit River from Detroit. ... Senators D Joe Corvo played at Western Michigan University. ... The teams met for the first game as division rivals. The NHL's realignment landed both in the Atlantic Division.
