The Wings lost to the Blackhawks for the third time this season and deservedly so. With the exception of brief periods of play in the beginning and toward the end, they were outclassed by Chicago and looked completely out of sync. The Hawks, on the other hand, earned the win with hard work and hustle, pretty much from the first puck drop to the final horn.
I don’t have a lot more to say about this one, but here’s what I’ve got:
… Tomas Kopecky had a decent night. He had a nice assist on Hudler’s goal and just after that, put on a good show in a fight with Patrick Sharp. Although Sharp took Kopecky to the ice, I’d say the Blackhawk lost the fight, as he was cut badly by one of Kopey’s upper cuts.
… Hudler was one of the few Wings that looked sharp. He finished with a goal and an assist.
… Henrik Zetterberg extended his point streak to 17 games with a secondary assist on Hudler’s goal. He didn’t stand out too much.
… Chris Osgood’s unbeaten-in-regulation streak ended at 20 games. He didn’t look bad, though.
… Some real chintzy calls on both sides last night. It’s times like these that I really, really hate the new standards. It’d be nice if the officials could tell the difference between a hook that is consequential and one that’s not. Too many calls these days leave even long-time fans like myself mystified.
… I didn’t mention it for fear of jinxing things, but, like so many times in the past, the Wings had a chance to set a team record for consecutive wins with a tenth. I wonder if I’ll live to see them do it.
… I don’t like the idea of seeing the Wings face the Blues Tuesday if they’re going to come out like they did last night.