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.