DETROIT - Welcome back, Stephen Weiss.

Playing his second game this season after missing much of it with injuries, Weiss had a pair of rebound goals late in Detroit's three-goal second period to lift the Red Wings over the Ottawa Senators 4-3 Monday night.

Weiss scored just two goals last season before hernia surgery sidelined him and he matched that total after returning from a rehab stint with Grand Rapids of the AHL.

"I always said it takes a bounce — something to go your way — and it starts snowballing," said Weiss, who scored at Joe Louis Arena for the first time since the Red Wings signed him before the 2013-14 season to add scoring punch.

"I got a bounce and hopefully it keeps going."

Riley Sheahan gave the Red Wings the lead for good during an early power play in the second when he knocked home a rebound of Tomas Tatar's shot. Detroit went on to its third victory in four games.

"I thought we got schooled the last 10 minutes of the first period and the second period on how fast the ice can be at Joe Louis Arena," Ottawa coach Paul McLean said. "A lot of it had to do with the opposition and some of it had to do with us."

Jimmy Howard made 23 saves for his ninth win. Craig Anderson stopped 39 shots in Ottawa's second consecutive loss.

Detroit's 43 shots were its most this season.

"They capitalized with some loose pucks in front," Anderson said. "They got lucky. ... All three goals in the second period were off the posts. I've got to do better than that with the rebounds."

Mike Howard made it a one-goal game with 35 seconds left, but the Senators never got another scoring chance.

Both teams had power-play goals in the first period. Ottawa's Kyle Turris connected on an early one-timer with a 5-on-3 advantage, but Detroit tied it when Gustav Nyquist scored his 10th of the season on a rebound of Henrik Zetterberg's shot.

Erik Karlsson scored early in the third past a well-screened Jimmy Howard.

Weiss' return was the talk of the Red Wings dressing room — even coach Mike Babcock was pleased with the veteran's performance

"We don't give (ice time) away for free; he's got to earn what he gets and I thought he took a huge step," the coach said. "Lots of guys can play lots of games and be in lots of spots and never get it, and he's capable.

"Hopefully he can get his confidence back and get going."

Senators forward Chris Neal was helped off the ice late in the second period after a helmet-to-helmet collision with teammate Zack Smith. Neal returned in the third.

NOTES: Detroit forward Pavel Datsyuk missed his fourth straight game with a sore groin. D Brendan Smith was out with a hand injury. ... Senators D Chris Phillips was scratched with an undisclosed injury. ... Tatar was selected last week's second star by the NHL after scoring four times in three games, including two game-winners. ... The crowd stood to salute Ottawa general manager Bryan Murray, who is being treated for colon cancer. The 71-year-old Murray was a coach and GM in Detroit in the early 1990s.