Wings keep working hard to fall short

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.