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Ty Conklin stops a Tomas Homstrom shot. Conklin made 42 saves for the shut-out victory.

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During the offseason, the Detroit Red Wings made the decision to go with Jimmy Howard as the goalie of the future, releasing Ty Conklin who signed with the St. Louis Blues. Wednesday night at Joe Louis Arena, the former goalie of the future bested the current one.

Brad Boyes scored just 1:56 into the first period, and the red lights would remain off the rest of the night as the Blues shut out the Red Wings 1-0. On a night when the Red Wings had 42 shots on goal and another 43 attempts on net, Conklin stood on his head.

For a Detroit team that has been struggling all season long with putting the puck into the net, tonight's game became a painful reminder of their struggles. Henrik Zetterberg had 11 shot attempts, including seven shots. Pavel Datsuyk had 10 shot attempts. Only three skaters didn't have at least one shot on net (Brett Lebda, Brad May, and Kris Draper).

On his goal, McDonald moved the puck out from behind Jimmy Howard to his left. He passed it out to Carlo Colaiacovo between the faceoff dots. Colaiacovo spotted an open Brad Boyes about 20 feet out, who put it past Howard for his eighth of the season. It would be the only blemish on Howard's record, but it's the only one the Blues needed.

The Red Wings will have an off day before the Anaheim Ducks make their second visit to Joe Louis Arena this season.

Player of the game: Jimmy Howard. Howard's only goal allowed was more of a defensive failure than a goaltending one, but on most nights, that's the kind of performance that should garner a W instead of an L.

by Bill Boyce - AP

Todd Bertuzzi is congratulated by Kris Draper and Henrik Zetterberg (40) after scoring the game-winning goal in a shootout the last time these two teams met.

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The Detroit Red Wings come home after a reasonably successful New York City two-night tour to take on the St. Louis Blues at Joe Louis Arena tonight.

The Blues were shut out at home last night 4-0 at home by the Colorado Avalanche. This is the fourth meeting of the season between the two teams: St. Louis won the first two in Sweden, while the Wings won their November 27 meeting in St. Louis.

For an alternate view, visit our sister blog, St. Louis Game Time. The game is on FS Detroit, FS Midwest, and the US NHL Network (which means it is not on the US Center Ice package). Puck drop is 7:30. We'll see you then!

More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP

Jimmy Howard makes one of his 28 saves Sunday night against the New York Rangers

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On a back-end of a two-games-in-two-nights-in-two-cities road trip, the Red Wings would be forgiven if they didn't look their best.

Instead, they played an extremely solid first period, and pulled out a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers off goals from Pavel Datsyuk, Dan Cleary and Kris Draper.

To make things even better, Jimmy Howard had yet another very good night in net, stopping 28 shots, including a penalty shot that would've given the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

And the Red Wings even did something no team had done yet all season: hold the red-hot Marian Gaborik (21 goals in 26 games) to no shots in a game.

The first period saw Christopher Higgins come in to the right of Howard on a three-on-three. Brian Boyle skated up the middle and got past Justin Abdelkader. Higgins saw him, set him up nicely, and Higgins put it past Howard.

Early in the second, Ryan Callahan got past Jonathan Ericsson and was in alone when Ericsson hooked him, earning Callahan a penalty shot. But Callahan's fake wasn't bought by Howard, and when he went to Howard's left, Howard held his skate firm against the post and Callahan couldn't put the puck over it.

Later in the period, Henrik Zetterberg took a 23-footer that bounced off Henrik Lundqvist, but the rebound went to  Datsyuk. Datsyuk did not miss, putting it past Lundqvist for his seventh of the season.

In the third with just over two minutes left, it was Zetterberg again setting up the play, coming up the boards to the left of Lundqvist. He passed cross-ice to a fresh-on-the-ice Cleary. With Callahan draped over him and just to the right of Lundqvist, Cleary put the puck to the net, and after going between Lundqvist's legs, it went off his left skate and into the net for the game-winner.

Finally, with six seconds left, Kris Draper took advantage of the empty net to put the sealer in and net his sixth of the season.

The Red Wings ended up with 31 shots on goal, while the Rangers had 29. The Wings are off until Wednesday, when they face the St. Louis Blues.

Player of the game: Jimmy Howard. He made some big-time saves tonight, especially on the Callahan penalty shot. And with every great performance, he makes Mike Babcock have to think a little harder as he moves forward.

by Frank Franklin II - AP

Henrik Lundqvist made 36 saves against Buffalo last night.

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The day after losing to the New Jersey Devils 4-3 in a shootout in Newark, the Detroit Red Wings will head to the other side of the Hudson to take on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers come home after beating the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 in Buffalo last night, as Marian Gaborik and Christopher Higgins scored for New York. Henrik Lundqvist had a sparking game, stopping 36 shots.

The Red Wings came back from 2-0 and 3-1 against the Devils on a multi-point game from Patrick Eaves and goals from Kris Draper and Tomas Holmstrom (his 200th career goal). Detroit is extremely banged up: Brian Rafalsi remains out with a back injury on top of the parade of others out. Pavel Datsuyk is tied for third in the NHL with 32 takeaways.

For another view of the game, visit Blueshirt Banter. The game is on FS Detroit and MSG, with a puck drop of 7:00. See you then!

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

5 days ago: Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood makes a save during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009 in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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When you're facing the best goaltender in the modern history of the National Hockey League, facing him in a shootout is a daunting task.

Having come back from down two goals, the Red Wings were seemingly charged up entering overtime against the New Jersey Devils. Unable to settle it in the extra five minutes, they had to go to the shootout where they could only get one shot out of four into the net. Patrick Elias managed to beat Chris Osgood in the fourth round to give New Jersey the 4-3 victory.

Patrick Eaves had a goal and an assist, while Kris Draper and Tomas Holmstrom also scored for the Red Wings. Chris Osgood made 23 saves, but let in a couple of softer goals.

In the first, Zach Parise went to the right of Osgood, bringing three Red Wings with him. Meanwhile, Jamie Langenbrunner came in stealthily to Osgood's left, and Parise set him up beautifully. With a wide-open net, he did not miss to hit his seventh of the season.

Just under two minutes later, Johnny Oduya led a three-on-two for the Devils. Holding onto it, he put it between Osgood's legs to make it 2-0. It was Oduya's first goal of the year in his first game back since being injured on October 28.

That first period looked suspiciously like Detroit's Thursday night egg against Edmonton: slow playing, lethargic, and generally without a lot of energy.

The Red Wings struck back in the second period. Darren Helm skated in along the near-side boards. Using Mark Frasier as a screen, he put the puck towards the net, where Kris Draper knocked in his fifth goal of the season to make it 2-1.

Five minutes later, New Jersey set up another three-on-two. This time, James Pandolfo brought the puck up the right side, passed it across to Vladimir Zharkov, who shot it towards a scrum in front of Osgood. Rob Neidermayer happened to be in the right place at the right time and got it in to reset the two-goal lead.

With 30 seconds left in the second and Elias in the penalty box, Brad Stuart passed to Tomas Holmstrom, who was camped out in his usual place in front of the opposition goaltender. Holmstrom got it past Brodeur to make it back to 3-2.

In the third period, Justin Abdelkader had the puck while being draped by Bryce Salvador. Dumping it towards the net, Patrick Eaves just tipped it, causing it to go past Brodeur to tie the game at three.

In the shootout, Pavel Datsuyk and Zach Parise scored in the first round. Henrik Zetterberg, Jamie Langenbrunner, Todd Bertuzzi, and Travis Zajac all missed to go into bonus shootout. In the fourth round, Mike Babcock sent out Ville Leino, whose shot was saved nicely by Brodeur. Patrick Elias went backhanded, froze Osgood, held the puck for one more beat, then put it underneath Osgood's outstretched left arm.

The Wings will stay in the Tri-State area to play the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden Sunday night. The Rangers beat the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night in Buffalo 2-1.

Player of the game: Patrick Eaves. Here's the question no one seemed to ask Mike Babcock after the game: why did he send Ville Leino (1 shot, 2 giveaways, -2) out for the fourth round of the shootout and not Patrick Eaves (1 goal, 1 assist)?

by Jerry S. Mendoza - AP

Dan Cleary has scored in each of the past two games.

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The Detroit Red Wings head to the New York City area for a pair of games this weekend. Tonight, they face the New Jersey Devils in their first trip to the Prudential Center in Newark.

Detroit is coming off a 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in a game that was every bit as ugly as the score would indicate. Dan Cleary scored only goal for the Wings. Jakub Kindl made his NHL debut with one shot in 14:18 of ice time.

For New Jersey, they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning last night 3-2 at home on a goal by Jamie Langenburger with 38.1 seconds left in regulation. It was their seventh win in eight games at home. With the back-to-back games, it will be interesting to see if Jacques Lemaire will go back to Martin Brodeur tonight against the Detroit.

For an alternate view, check out our sister blog In Lou We Trust. Puck drops at 7:00 p.m. ET.  The game is on FS Detroit and MSG Plus. Comment away below!

More photos » by Jerry S. Mendoza - AP

Patrick O'Sullivan celebrates one of his goals against the Red Wings.

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On a night when the Detroit Red Wings should have found the road out of town easy, they were instead blindsided by the worst team in the Western Conference.

The Edmonton Oilers came into Joe Louis Arena having lost to Vancouver Saturday night 7-3. They walked out with a 4-1 whupping of the Red Wings on the strength of a pair of goals by Patrick O'Sullivan.

Jimmy Howard looked absolutely mortal tonight, but he wasn't helped on two different goals that went in off his teammates. Meanwhile, the Red Wings sputtered immediately out of the gate, looking lethargic throughout the game.

Jeff Deslauriers was outstanding for the Oilers, stopping 25 shots. Jakub Kindle, making his debut for the Red Wings, finished the game with one shot and a -2 rating.

Lubomir Visnovsky opened the scoring, taking a shot from about 40 feet away that went off Brett Lebda. Then Lebda knocked the puck in past Howard to make it 1-0. It was Vinovsky's first goal in seven games, and sixth of the season.

Later in the first period, Ryan Stone passed to Robert Nilsson. Nilsson froze Jonathan Ericsson, who played the puck instead of the man. After spinning past him, he pump fakes out Howard and put the puck in for his second of the season.

With six seconds left in the first period, Nicklas Lidstrom put a 140-foot pass right on the stick of Todd Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi quickly fired the puck back to a charging Dan Cleary, who put the puck into the net for his sixth of the season with only 0.9 seconds left in the period.

In the second period, O'Sullivan was trying to put the puck across the ice when it deflected off Pavel Datsuyk's stick towards the net. Howard was ill-prepared for it, and it slid in through his pads to give the Oilers a two-goal lead.

Less than three minutes later, O'Sullivan struck again after a Detroit turnover in their own end. Sheldon Souray took advantage and got it back to O'Sullivan, who made Howard commit so badly that he was able to skate two more steps to Howard's right. Brad Stuart was unable to stop his shot, and it became 4-1 Oilers.

The Wings will travel to New York City for a pair of games: Saturday night in New Jersey against the Devils, and Sunday night at 33rd Street and 8th Avenue against the Rangers.

Player of the game: Dan Cleary. When you lose and only score one goal, you gotta give it to the goal scorer.

by Paul Sancya - AP

Todd Bertuzzi celebrates with Jonathan Ericsson after Bertuzzi's goal Monday night.

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The Red Wings come off their impressive 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars with a Western Conference matchup against the Edmonton Oilers tonight at Joe Louis Arena.

The Oilers beat the Red Wings in their first meeting this season in a shootout, 6-5. In that game, Edmonton had a 5-1 lead in the second period, only to have Detroit respond with four unanswered goals to tie the game and send it to the shooutout. That was also the game Valtteri Filppula broke his wrist, landing him on the injured list (where he remains).

The Oilers come in off a 7-3 beatdown at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks. Worth watching for Edmonton: Dustin Penner has four points the last two games, and leads the Oilers in goals (15) and points (30).

For the Red Wings, Todd Bertuzzi is beginning to show signs of life, with three points the last two games.

Puck drops at 7:00, with the game airing on FS Detroit and City TV Alberta. Look forward to seeing you then!

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Drew Miller celebrates his goal off Trevor Daley (6) in the first period.

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On a night that saw the Red Wings snap a 157-minute scoring drought at home, have a balanced scoring attack, a stretch of 10:18 without a stoppage in play, and their first opening goal in five games, what may be the most interesting takeaway from their 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars was the 29 saves of Jimmy Howard, making back-to-back wins for himself.

While his four-game stretch earlier in November showed what he could do with Chris Osgood out of commission, it's in the last two nights, where head coach Mike Babcock had the option of going with either goalie but has chosen Howard, where Howard has shone, putting Babcock in an embarrassment of riches situation heading into Thursday night's game against Edmonton.

In addition to the balanced scoring attack, the Red Wings penalty kill continued their streak, with eight straight penalties killed including the four tonight. 

In the first period, after going over 10 minutes without a stoppage in play, the Red Wings shot a puck down the ice in what appeared to be an icing call. But the Stars miscommunicated, failing to touch the puck. Drew Miller, who was skating down the ice at the time, quickly jumped on the untouched puck and took a shot, that went off Trevor Daley's arm and past Marty Turco to make it 1-0 Red Wings.

With 15 seconds left, just after Tomas Holmstrom left the penalty box, Stephane Robidas fired a 60-foot shot that went off Brenden Morrow and got past Howard to tie the game at 1. It was Morrow's 11th goal of the season.

In the second, Kris Draper got Turco to go down on his shot, only to pass the puck to Darren Helm. With a wide-open net, Helm didn't miss, and the Red Wings were back on top 2-1.

Later in the period, Henrik Zetterberg put the puck on Dan Cleary's stick behind the goal line. Cleary brought the puck up in front of Turco, then put the puck into the net to make it 3-1 on his sixth of the season.

Finally, in the third period, Todd Bertuzzi came in to the left of Turco and fired a 35-footer that bounced off Daley. That turned the puck into a knuckler, which just went off the elbow of Turco and into the edge of the net to wrap up the scoring.

Player of the game: Todd Bertuzzi. With his goal and assist, he seems to be awakening very nicely.

"Where's the fight?"

As I sat in Section 216A, that was the first thing I thought. A number of fans near the tunnel to the Red Wings dressing room stood up suddenly. Usually a group of fans standing like that means that there's a fight: if not on the ice, then at the very least in the stands. And the idea of a fight in the lower bowl...the premium seats...that'd be rather unbelievable, especially with the game still in the first period.

My peripheral vision didn't see anyone paired off on the ice. Before I could really focus on the seating bowl, I saw three Red Wings players leap onto the ice, with no Red Wings players anywhere near the seating bench. "What in God's name are they doing?" I briefly thought.

The seats my best friend had gotten that night were almost perfectly aligned with the two benches, with the Red Wings bench on the far side. The referees whistled the play dead, and there was a commotion going on at the far side of the bench. I couldn't see why exactly play had stopped, but the fans who stood up were all looking at the tunnel end of the bench.

Mike Babcock was on the bench, waving and screaming out for help. A few more Wings players leapt onto the ice. I still couldn't figure out what had set this off. The usual buzz in the arena had started to quiet even more.

And then I saw the legs.

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