This was a solid way for Steve Yzerman to return.

Although he didn't figure in the Red Wings' scoring, he played for 13-plus minutes and was a plus-1 after stepping out of the penalty box late in Monday night's game just as Sergei Fedorov deked Kings goalie Jamie Storr.

Yzerman played on several different lines, and at different positions. He started on a line with Boyd Devereaux and Luc Robitaille. But before the night was over, he played right wing on a line with Kris Draper at center and Kirk Maltby on the left wing.

When Brendan Shanahan was injured for a time in the second period, Yzerman played in his spot at left wing, with Fedorov at center and Igor Larionov on the other side. Yzerman's strength, as always, was at the faceoff circle, where he won 60 percent of the draws (9 of 15), including a few key defensive-zone draws with five minutes left in the game.

Yzerman didn't appear to be in any discomfort, but there were times in the game when he went down and we were reminded of his gutsy playoff performance last season. He took his hits, and used his stick to prop himself up.

When he took the ice for the first time, there was a quick whistle and a faceoff to the right of Storr. At that time, veteran linesman Ray Scapinello took a step back from the faceoff circle to allow the crowd to continue yet another standing ovation.

I'm sure Steve would have liked to have handled the puck a little more in high-traffic areas, but it looked as if he was getting stronger on the puck as the game went on.

The Wings' next game is Thursday against the Leafs, but do not expect him to play. Look for him to return to the ice Sunday when Detroit plays host to the Coyotes (ESPN2, 6 p.m. ET).

Darren Pang, a former goaltender with the Chicago Blackhawks, is a hockey analyst for ESPN.