The Detroit Red Wings will look to break their slump when they take on the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
The Red Wings are currently riding a four game losing streak that has seen the team allow three or more goals; Detroit has not scored more than three goals in that slump. In their latest game, Detroit fell behind 2-0 against the Nashville Predators. The team managed to tie the game in the third but gave back the lead just a minute later. Fortunately superstar Pavel Datsyuk tied the game under a minute later when he skated through all five Nashville skaters and scored. The team eventually lost in overtime. "I thought we battled hard, and I thought we had lots of good players," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said after the loss. "In the end, we didn't have enough and didn't get it done. In this league, we don't get many moral victories."
Despite the Red Wing's four straight losses, the Blue Jackets have had it worse as the team has lost six of eight games in February. In their latest 3-2 loss to Anaheim, the frustration exploded within the locker room. "I'm sick of trying to look at it like a silver lining in the clouds. We lost," said defenseman James Wisniewski. Columbus is starting to fall behind the pack in the Western Conference. With just 10 points in 16 games, Columbus is already seven points behind eighth place Dallas.
Predictions: Detroit takes this one easily; 6-1 Red Wings.
Start Time: 7:30 PM EST
TV: FS-O, FS-D