Jimmy Howard; NHL.com's Second-Star for March

Jimmy Howard was only to be outdone by Coyote, Lee Stempniak's remarkable 13 goals in his 14 games for the month of March, as Stempniak, Howard and Henrik Sedin were NHL.com's first-, second- and third-stars, respectively for March.

Per NHL.com:

Howard posted a 12-2-1 record with a 2.24 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and one shutout as the Red Wings (40-23-13) climbed to sixth place in the Western Conference. Howard allowed two goals or fewer in nine of 15 starts, highlighted by 33 saves in regulation and overtime plus stops on 10 of 11 shootout attempts in a 1-0 victory at Nashville Mar. 27. Howard improved to 33-15-9 with a 2.27 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and two shutouts in 58 games, becoming just the fourth rookie in Red Wings history to post 30 wins in his rookie season (Terry Sawchuk, Roger Crozier, Glenn Hall). He has started 23 consecutive games, the longest streak by a Red Wings goaltender since Tim Cheveldae (29) in 1991-92 and tops by a Detroit rookie since Roy Edwards (23) in 1967-68.

Howard's brilliant Calder-contending season continues tonight as he gets his 24th consecutive start up against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Red Wings Fail; 4-2 Flames

So close, yet so far; the Detroit Red Wings again fail to reach the lofty accomplishment of winning 3 games in a row. A feat even the best of the best are seldom able to achieve.

Now that the sarcastic ridiculing of the Wings inconsistency is behind me, let's take a look at the circumstances.

This loss is disappointing for a few reasons. Detroit had a lead in the 3rd period only to let it slip resulting in a loss that pushes the Wings out of the top eight in the West. It also means that in mid-March 2010 -- granted they weren't easy teams to beat, in Nashville, Chicago and Calgary -- Detroit has once again failed to win three straight games.

Consistency like this is of no use in the playoffs, so maybe sitting in ninth doesn't matter as much.

The good news for Wings' fans is that there is still much to be improved on. Key players like Zetterberg, Filppula, Stuart and Franzen had slightly off nights, but credit must be given to Calgary, who was solid and seemed pretty switched on for most of the game. Miikka Kiprusoff also had a stellar game for the Flames and out-played his opponent Jimmy Howard.

It also must be noted, that when the Red Wings play with energy, they play good hockey, particularly with their wins over Nashville and Chicago. The main concern is why that energy seems unsustainable for more than a few games.

For Detroit, Datsyuk and Holmstrom were the scorers, while Flames captain, Jarome Iginla broke his 20-game goal-less streak against Detroit, with Daymond Langkow, Rene Bourque and Chris Higgins rounding out the 4-2 result.

Calgary returns home to meet Ottawa on Thursday night, while the Red Wings remain at the Joe to visiting Minnesota. Fans of the Winged Wheel will also be paying attention to Nashville's visit to San Jose that same night.