The Detroit Red Wings were blanked for the second straight game last night when they took on the Calgary Flames on home ice. The Wings have failed to register a goal in over 153 minutes and have dropped three straight games and gone 1-4-1 in their past six.

This marks the first time that the Wings have been shut out in consecutive games since December of 2001.

The members of Hockey World Blog were at the game last night in section 201, right behind the net that the Wings defended twice. Thanks to Eddie for scoring some sweet tickets for all of us. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to make Hockey World Blog t-shirts to wear to the game. Next time I suppose…Anyway, here are a couple thoughts and observations we had about the game last night:

- There seemed to be quite a few Calgary fans in the stands last night. Several people around us were sporting Calgary jerseys. I was waiting to see one wearing the sexy Ice Flint jersey that EB discussed in his Holiday Wishlist post, but alas…

- The Wings seemed a little deflated after an early first period goal by the Flames. And when I say early, I mean about 40 seconds into the game. Poor defensive coverage resulted in the early goal. Too many Wings were standing pat and not engaging Calgary players, which resulted in a quick pass in front of the net and an easy tap-in goal. Ozzie had no chance.

- The Wings rallied and carried the play for a good majority of the game, especially in the second. Guys like Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader always impress and were huge energy guys last night. They provide so much for the team just by skating hard and putting in 100 percent every shift.

- Henrik Zetterberg is a beast on the puck. It’s amazing to watch him in person skate and go into the corners. The way he protects the puck and gets body position on his opponent is incredible.

- The first no-goal on the Dan Cleary (pictured) screen was a terrible call, something that proved more evident by watching replays. Cleary never touched Kiprusoff and in no way inhibited Kirpusoff from making the save. Besides, at some point someone is going to need to explain to me just how you can have an interference call without an interference penalty. Regardless of that, the Wings went 0-for-6 on the power play last night. That’s unacceptable if you want to win games.

- Ville Leino. This guy was supposed to come in and be a 20+ goal scorer for the Wings and help make up for departed free agents such as Marian Hossa and Jiri Hudler. He often shows flashes of brilliance, like a nifty little toe drag that he brought back and rifled through a defenders legs for a nice scoring opportunity last night, but other times he seems skiddish and complacent. Matt thinks he needs to bulk up and add some size. I agree, but he also needs to man-up and drive the net and get into the slot and grind out a goal or two.

- Why aren’t Datsyuk and Zetterberg playing together? They should run the top line with Cleary on the right wing, not Holmstrom. Datsyuk is struggling. He is a playmaker and needs someone to pass the puck to. Bertuzzi couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn right now and Cleary drives hard to the corners and is an all-around strong player. Those three would be dynamite together. I understand that Babcock wants to spread out the limited talent that he has, but he also needs to understand that right now, this team is out of the playoff hunt and they still play in arguably the best division in hockey.

The Wings will be back at it tonight against the Blues, who are struggling in their own right. Hopefully the Wings can regroup and pull it together for a victory. More than a huge blowout, I’d love to see them grind out a 2-1 or 3-2 victory tonight. These guys need to put in a big effort and play a full 60 minute game from start to finish.

Despite ongoing talks to eliminate dirty hits and head shots from the game of hockey, recent disciplinary decisions are sending mixed signals to both players and fans.

Montreal Canadiens forward Georges Laraque (pictured) was handed a five-game suspension by NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell on Monday for his knee-to-knee hit on Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall in last weekend’s contest between the two clubs. Kronwall suffered a severe MCL sprain during the play. He will be out of action at least a month, if not longer.

Laraque said after the game that the incident was an accident. He defended himself by saying that four refs on the ice all missed the call and only assessed him a 2-minute tripping penalty instead of a 5-minute major or a game misconduct. Red Wings fans, however,  are well-aware that refs can make mistakes (Bray May’s backhander to tie the game against Dallas anyone?). After the game, both Detroit GM Ken Holland and coach Mike Babcock stated that the hit was dirty.

Regardless of your take on the incident and whether or not you think the suspension is just, I can’t help but wonder what type of message this is sending to players and fans alike. Is Laraque’s suspension more of a precedent-setting suspension to discourage dirty plays or a double-standard?

Only 20 games into the season and NHL fans have already seen a number of questionable plays and even more questionable calls. Granted, refs have a tough time when they see the fast-paced action in front of their eyes, but I don’t have sympathy for the disciplinary committee members who have the advantage of instant replay. It’s easy to suspend a tough guy like Laraque or James Neal when he KO’d Derek Dorsett with a viscious hit from behind last week, but what if your name is Richards? Or Malkin? Or Ovechkin?

Earlier this season we saw Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers destroy David Booth with an open-ice check. Sure, Booth had dropped his pass and was admiring it a bit too long, but the hit was clearly a head shot.  Booth hasn’t played since the incident occurred at the end of October. No suspension was assessed to Richards for the play.

Remember last season when Ovechkin hit Sergei Gonchar with a knee-to-knee in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Gonchar was out for a few weeks recouperating the knee while Ovechkin still got to play on. Ultimately Pittsburgh won the series and advanced past Ovechkin and the Capitals, but Ovechkin never recieved any disciplinary action for the play.

How how about when Evgeni Malkin started a fight with Henrik Zetterberg at the end of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals this past May? The Penguins were on the verge of losing the game 3-1 when Malkin started a fight with Zetterberg at the tail-end of the game. According to league rules, and precidents set by the league in earlier rounds of the playoffs with a suspension to Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins, any player assessed a fighting major at the end of a game will be given a one-game suspension. Even though Malkin was assessed a fighting major with under 20 seconds left in the game for his bout with Zetterberg, he was back in the lineup the following game.

Laraque got what he deserved. If you ask me, he should be out until Kronwall is back on the ice. That doesn’t change the fact that the effort to curb these plays is futile unless the NHL applies the rules to all players in all situations. Free passes can’t be awarded to league-leading scorers or guys who make the game more fun and exciting. If you want to hold these players to a higher standard of excellence, then hold them to it on all counts. There is no room in the game of hockey for dirty hits – no exceptions. Rules can’t be undone and redone on a whim based on the offender and their track record. Until the NHL shapes up their policies and comes down with an even fist, dirty plays will continue and I fear we haven’t seen the worst of them.