DETROIT (AP) - The Vancouver Canucks found a way to win a sloppy game.

Anson Carter scored with 8:46 remaining to break the final tie and Vancouver went on to a 4-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night.

Vancouver (2-0-1) remained unbeaten while handing Detroit (3-1-0) its first loss of the season.

Stationed in the slot, Carter one-timed Henrik Sedin's pass from behind the net past Red Wings goalie Manny Legace for the game-winner.

``It was a great play by the twins (Henrik Sedin took a pass from his twin brother, Daniel),'' Carter said. ``For me, pretty easy. Just put it in the net. ... A nice little saucer pass right on my stick.''

Henrik Sedin had a goal and two assists for Vancouver, while Matt Cooke and Richard Park scored for the Canucks. Park's goal was into an empty net with two seconds remaining.

``All in all, it was a good effort, a gritty effort,'' Vancouver coach Marc Crawford said. ``We stuck with it.''

Mikael Samuelsson for his fourth goal in four games and Tomas Holmstrom also scored for Detroit.

``I thought we were a step behind all night long,'' Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said.

Vancouver goalie Alex Auld made 28 saves and Legace stopped 25 shots.

Auld stopped a few shots in a goal-mouth flurry with less than 30 seconds left as Detroit desperately tried to tie it before Park's empty net goal.

``I just felt the puck hit me I don't know how many times,'' Auld said. ``I heard one of my defensemen yell, 'It's still loose!' and then somebody shot it down the ice.''

Holmstrom tied it 2-2 3:25 into the third period when he jammed the puck in from the crease.

Cooke tied the game at 1 on a breakaway goal at 7:04 of the second. Henrik Sedin gave Vancouver the lead with 1:56 left in the period, when he put a shot over a sprawling Legace from the bottom of the right circle with Auld out of the net for the extra attacker as a penalty was being called on Red Wings defenseman Andreas Lilja.

Detroit was 0-for-6 on the power play, including two two-man advantages. The Red Wings came into the game with the league's top power play at 34.7 percent. It produced five goals in Sunday night's win over Calgary.

``We just didn't seem to be able to get anything settled,'' Detroit defenseman Mathieu Schneider said. ``We seemed to be a couple of inches off (on passes) all night.''

Samuelsson opened the scoring 3:50 into the game, when he stuffed a shot past Auld from the side of the net after picking up the loose puck behind the cage.

Notes: Babcock said captain Steve Yzerman, who has been out with a groin injury, will make his season debut on Thursday in Los Angeles. ... Canucks C Brendan Morrison's streak of 351 consecutive games is the second-longest current run, three behind Colorado's Karlis Skrastins. ... Detroit D Niklas Kronwall underwent successful ACL surgery in Aspen, Colo., on Monday. He's expected to be out four-to-six months. He was injured in an exhibition game.