Red Wings 4, Devils 2
Defenseman Niklas Kronwall collected a goal and an assist as Detroit snapped a three-game winless skid (0-1-2) and posted its fourth straight victory at Joe Louis Arena.
Jakub Kindl scored a power-play goal for the second time in as many contests and fellow blue-liner Brendan Smith tallied 33 seconds later in the first period. Johan Franzen also scored with the man-advantage and Jimmy Howard made 15 saves for the Red Wings, who posted their 11th victory in their last 12 home meetings with New Jersey.
Steve Bernier scored to snap a 52-game goal drought and Jordin Tootoo also tallied for the Devils, who have dropped three in a row overall and four of five on the road after opening the season with a 3-0-0 mark away from home. Cory Schneider yielded four goals on 24 shots while making his 14th consecutive start before Keith Kinkaid made seven saves in the third period.
Bernier cleaned up a rebound of captain Bryce Salvador's shot to open the scoring 3:18 into the first period with his first goal since Dec. 2. Kindl answered with 1:05 remaining in the session after his shot from the point caromed off the stick of New Jersey defenseman Adam Larsson and Smith gave Detroit a 2-1 lead with a wrist shot from above the circles.
With his team holding a decisive 22-5 edge in shots, Franzen doubled the advantage at 11:41 of the second after wristing a bid from the right circle that squeezed inside the near post. Kronwall tallied under six minutes later after his shot from the point caromed off the boards and banked in off Schneider.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Detroit C Pavel Datsyuk suffered a groin injury Friday morning and was a last-minute scratch. ... The Devils have yielded a league-high 20 power-play goals in 14 contests this season. ... Red Wings G Jonas Gustavsson is expected to be sidelined two months with a dislocated shoulder. No surgery is needed, according to GM Ken Holland.