Fedorov fine with ice time, impressive again as Wings upend Sabres - NHL

DETROIT -- Maybe Sergei Fedorov just wanted to get himself going.

In his second impressive game since complaining he wasn't getting enough ice time, Fedorov scored two goals as the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 on Thursday night.

It is the first time Detroit has won two in a row since Dec. 28. Buffalo is winless in eight games (0-6-0-2).

Jason Woolley and Igor Larionov scored the Red Wings' other goals, Brendan Shanahan and Nicklas Lidstrom each had two assists and Curtis Joseph made 31 saves.

Tim Connolly and Denis Hamel got the Sabres' goals.

Fedorov, who broke a seven-game goal drought, scored twice in the first 4:22 of the second period to give Detroit a 3-0 lead.

After playing just 14:59 in the 5-3 loss in Colorado on Saturday, Fedorov said he was frustrated he wasn't playing more as the team struggled. He is averaging 21 minutes per game this season.

He played 21:30 on Monday night and had two assists in a 5-4 victory over San Jose, and 21:11 on Thursday.

"What happened in Colorado, I guess, stays in Colorado," said Fedorov. "I talked to Dave (coach Dave Lewis) twice and he kind of handed me the torch. I wanted to make sure I didn't let him down."

His first goal came 53 seconds into the period when he rifled in a slap shot from the slot. And 3:29 later, Fedorov's slap shot from just inside the blue line went through Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller's pads.

"Maybe if I had a little thicker legs, it wouldn't have gone in," said Miller, who is 6-2 and 166 pounds. "It hit me right in the pants. Maybe I'd better bulk up in the summer."

It was also Fedorov's first goals at Joe Louis Arena and first two-goal game since Dec. 14. He has 22 goals for the season, but only five in his last 27.

"I think what he did was sort of draw attention to himself, and he had two goals," said Lewis. "He hadn't scored two goals in a long time."

The Sabres got going just 40 seconds later when Connolly beat Joseph high to the stick side from the inside edge of the left circle.

Larionov added a power-play goal early in the third period for the Red Wings, and Hamel scored for Buffalo.

Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Woolley, a former Sabre, scored a power-play goal. He put in the rebound of Brett Hull's shot from the bottom of the left circle.

Woolley played with the Sabres for six seasons before being traded to the Red Wings earlier this season.

"The combination of scoring and winning was just what the doctor ordered," said Woolley.

Buffalo outshot Detroit 33-24, 25-14 in the final two periods.

"We made a couple of mistakes on special teams," said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. "I thought Joseph had to make five or six great saves when they tried to hand the game back to us. At the end, I thought that might have been the difference."

That and an effective Fedorov.

Notes

Miller played the three previous seasons at Michigan State and played several games each season at Joe Louis Arena.
Detroit D Chris Chelios missed his ninth straight game with a sore leg
Buffalo C Adam Mair took a puck to the face late in the first period and went to the dressing room, but returned in the second period.

Detroit vs. Buffalo

Notes