The Detroit Red Wings aren't in a state of panic, not by a longshot, but there's always unrest when a team goes on a losing skid. After starting their 2011-2012 campaign 5-0, they've now dropped three straight games. Losses to the Capitals, Blue Jackets and the Sharks have put them in a skid that they need to get out of sooner rather than later. Friday was the Sharks game, and the 4-2 affair was actually an improvement even in a losing effort.
Neither team looked like losers, and neither team usually does when the two teams (Detroit and San Jose) get together to play. Detroit played an awful lot better than they did against Columbus, and a giant step above their level of play against Washington (a 7-1 loss). Unfortunately, when you follow up a bad performance with a good one and you still fall short, sometimes it's incredibly deflating. The Red Wings don't need that right now.
For the Minnesota Wild, they're coming off a loss to the Anaheim Ducks and still have not found their rhythm this year. Newcomers Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi are impressive and playing very well on their own, but they haven't really been worked into the gameplan in a full way. There have been plenty of impressive individual showings scattered about Minnesota's season thus far, but it's always missing the team element. A player screening the goalie, somebody sneaking up on the point, and things like that ... that hasn't been there for the Wild.
So despite Detroit's losing streak, the Wild aren't necessarily in the best place right now, either. Couple that with the fact that the Red Wings already beat the Wild in the first of four meetings this year between the two teams, the Red Wings came to the Xcel Energy Center and walked out with a 3-2 overtime victory. Detroit came back from a 2-0 deficit to score three straight goals to win the game, and ultimately out-shot the Wild 41-14.
The game is set for 8:00 p.m. eastern and can be found on the usual Fox Sports Detroit.