DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings fans filled Joe Louis Arena fired up to boo Ryan Suter andZach Parise.
When the game was over, the Red Wings gave their followers a reason to stand and cheer.
Henrik Zetterberg snapped a tie midway through the second period, and Todd Bertuzziscored his second goal of the game early in the third to lift Detroit to a 5-3 win over theMinnesota Wild on Friday night.
Suter was booed when he had the puck, and Parise was jeered after he scored his first goal. Both players have become unpopular in the Motor City because they turned down deals from Detroit to sign with Minnesota last summer.
"Of course, you heard them," Zetterberg said.
Detroit's new captain also heard a lot of sighs and groans early in the game from red-and-white clad fans when the Wild dominated play for much of the scoreless first period.
"They gave us what we deserved because we weren't playing well," Zetterberg said. "Fans are very engaged here; that's why this is a great place to play."
Detroit wanted to keep its depleted roster stacked with talent last July by making offers to Suter and Parise, the top two free agents, but both chose to play together in Minnesota with matching 13-year, $98-million contracts.
Parise, though, said the Red Wings were definitely one of the teams he was very interested in playing for this season.
"They're just a great organization. I have a lot of respect for them," Parise said. "They do things the right way. They play the game the right way. That was a tough one, because it's a really good place to play."
Pavel Datsyuk, who assisted on Zetterberg's goal, put Detroit ahead by two late in the second period. Datsyuk also set up Bertuzzi on his second goal that gave the Red Wings a 5-2 lead.
Parise's second goal of the game banked in off Zetterberg to pull the Wild within two midway through the third period.
Jimmy Howard made 23 saves for the Red Wings, who were outshot 11-6 in the first.
"Howard was good early when we struggled with the puck," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said
Minnesota's Josh Harding gave up four goals on 17 shots in the first two periods and finished with 22 saves.
The Red Wings scored two power-play goals in the second period after failing the first 17 times they had an advantage over their first three-plus games this season. Detroit's special teams breakthrough leaves the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings as the NHL's only team without a goal on the power play in the lockout-delayed season that started last weekend.
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