The Detroit Red Wings couldn't extend their winning streak to three games in their last outing, and are now looking to avoid a losing skid, something they were able to do for the first time this season following their previous loss to the Nashville Predators on Dec. 15. Their last outing was a 4-2 loss at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks, who are trying to surge and put the Minnesota Wild back down the rankings. Despite a late rally, Detroit was unable to come back and win, falling behind three goals early on and unable to recover. Detroit played well, but Robert Luongo had a 38-save effort, and it's hard for any team to pick up a win against those numbers, especially when held scoreless in the third period.
Next, they'll travel to Calgary to take on the Flames just a day after losing to Vancouver and before a three-day rest en route to play the aforementioned Predators. Calgary is having a tough time, coming off a four-game losing skid which was preceded by a three-game winning streak. They snapped the four-game skid by beating the slumping Minnesota Wild in their last outing, a 2-1 victory at home on Tuesday.
Calgary will head out on a seven-game road trip following this home game against the Red Wings, so they'll look to take a two-game winning streak with them on the road for some much-needed momentum. It's the third meeting between these two teams this season, with Detroit winning the most recent on Nov. 3 by a margin of 5-3, but that was at the Joe Louis Arena. Detroit lost the first meeting 4-1 in Calgary, so the Flames should be confident in that regard.
Detroit played very hard in their last outing, and with a long-distance road trip currently in swing, they could be experiencing a lot of fatigue heading in Thursday's game against the Flames. The game is set for 9:30 p.m. eastern.