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Suffice it to say that it has been a frustrating couple of years for veteran center Stephen Weiss. Hampered by injuries and limited to just 27 games the past two seasons prior to Monday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators, Weiss had yet to even score a goal at Joe Louis Arena during his tenure with the Detroit Red Wings. In just his second game of the season, Weiss took care of that, tallying twice in the second period of the Red Wings’ 4-3 win against the Senators. It was relief, more than anything, that was evident when Weiss spoke about his first game back since Oct. 18. Fresh off a conditioning stint in Grand Rapids (where he scored two goals in a pair of games for the club’s AHL affiliate), Weiss gave the Wings a 3-1 lead at 17:52 of the second period. He notched his second of the night later in the frame, extending Detroit’s cushion to three goals with 2:08 remaining in the period. “It’s a funny game. You get a couple breaks [in Grand Rapids], get a couple goals and it snowballs, you get a couple breaks around the net and you find yourself with two goals,” Weiss said. “It feels good. It’s been a while, and it makes it even more special to get those two points and hang on for a big win.” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock was pleased with what he saw from Weiss after a “tough” first shift back with the big club. “Just in general I thought his game was good,” Babcock said. “He’s got to go home and breathe and feel good about himself. We don’t give this stuff away for free. He’s got to earn what he gets and tonight I thought he took a huge step.” Weiss, whose 2013-14 season was cut short by hernia surgery, was expected to play a significant scoring role when he signed a five-year, $24.5 million deal with Detroit in 2013. With the nagging groin injury that has kept him out of the lineup, he has had a tough time showing whether he can live up to the value of his deal. It’s been a challenging stretch for Weiss, but the four-time 20-goal scorer hopes he can begin a new chapter in Detroit. A healthy one. “This is the best league in the world. It’s hard enough when you’re in a groove and playing well, never mind when you’ve missed so many games and you’re in, you’re out [of the lineup], you’re playing different positions. It’s tough to do what you’ve done your entire career,” Weiss said. “It felt good to be in the lineup. It felt good to get a couple of goals, nice to get the win, but still a lot of work to do.”
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