After missing two games because of a sore back, Sergei Fedorov made a spectacular return to the lineup Friday night, scoring a natural hat trick, as the Red Wings smoked division-rival St. Louis, 7-2.

The Red Wings have won eight straight and are 11-0-0-1 in their last 12 games.

"We're making better plays with the puck offensively and better plays with the puck defensively," Wings Coach Dave Lewis said. "I think our positional play is better and for whatever reason, the puck's going in."

Just 45 seconds into the game, Nick Lidstrom found Fedorov streaking along the right boards. Fedorov broke away and beat Blues rookie goaltender Curtis Sanford under Sanford's right leg for a quick 1-0 lead.

"It was a pretty good play by Shanny," Fedorov said. "I didn't see anybody, just kept on going and it was a breakaway."

Then, with 2:23 left in the first, Fedorov had a partial breakaway and scored from the left circle, beating Sanford through the five-hole.

Fedorov was not done, however.

Seven seconds into the Red Wings' first power play, Fedorov collected his own rebound and pushed the puck past Sanford for his third goal of the period, a natural hat trick.

"He was flying on that first goal," Lewis said. "He was good. He knows his body better than anybody. He said he'd be ready to go and he was ready to go."

It was Fedorov's sixth career hat trick and second of the season.