DETROIT (AP) _ Another game, another milestone for the Detroit Red Wings.
Steve Yzerman moved past Mario Lemieux for sixth place on the NHL's career scoring list with his 1,702nd point in Detroit's 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.
Yzerman assisted on Tomas Holmstrom's goal, which gave the Red Wings a 4-2 lead midway through the third period. When his feat was recognized by the public-address announcer, Yzerman stood and raised a hand to the crowd.
``Every time we make an announcement, I assume it's about Steve,'' Detroit coach Dave Lewis said. ``It's pretty constant around here.''
Two weeks ago, Yzerman became the seventh player to reach 1,700 points. Brett Hull scored his 718th goal on Oct. 29 to move into fourth place on the league's career list.
Yzerman was working out after the game and was not available for comment.
Holmstrom was in awe when he thought about Yzerman's point total.
``I can't even count that much,'' Holmstrom said. ``That's a lot of points. It's incredible.''
Detroit's Curtis Joseph made 31 saves and got plenty of help from goal-scorers Hull, Jamie Rivers, Mathieu Dandenault and Kris Draper, who added an empty-net goal with a minute left.
The Red Wings returned home for their first game since going 1-2-2 on a recent road trip.
``The trip wasn't as good as we wanted it to be,'' Joseph said. ``So playing New Jersey and playing at home, it was a good win for us.''
Martin Brodeur made 15 saves for the reigning Stanley Cup champions, who had won three straight. Erik Rasmussen and Turner Stevenson scored for the Devils.
The Devils outshot Detroit in every period and had five more power-play opportunities. But New Jersey was 0-for-7 on the power play and Detroit scored both times it had an extra attacker.
``We traded chances and they capitalized on theirs and we didn't,'' New Jersey coach Pat Burns said. ``Either their penalty killing was good, or our power play was no good.''
New Jersey's Jamie Langenbrunner played for the Devils after missing 28 games with a bruised knee.
Igor Larionov was cheered when he returned to the arena he used to call home for five-plus seasons.
``It was a nice reception from the fans,'' said Larionov, who left Detroit as a free agent last summer.
Larionov was disappointed to lose against his old team, but pleased to see his former teammate surpass Lemieux.
``It was nice to see him to do that,'' Larionov said. ``Stevie has been one of the top players in the league for 20 years, he's a good guy character-wise.''
Rivers scored the first goal midway through the first period. Rasmussen tied it at 13:48 of the second period, but a couple minutes later, Schneider put Detroit ahead for good.
Hull scored his 18th goal in the final minute of the second, and Draper scored his 20th goal for the first time in his 14-season career.
