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DETROIT (Ticker) -- The last thing the Detroit Red Wings needed was a loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Alexei Zhamnov scored the eventual game-winning goal just 2:49 into the game and Jocelyn Thibault made 28 saves as the Blackhawks defeated the Red Wings, 2-1. At the start of the season, the Blackhawks' fast start enabled them to stay with Detroit in the Central Division race. But the Blackhawks struggled and the Red Wings opened a 13-point lead on the heels of a nine-game unbeaten streak from November 13-30. However, the Red Wings have cooled off, going 1-5-1 this month, and their lead has been reduced to seven points. The Wings also have scored just five goals this month and have gone without a goal for 125 minutes, 24 seconds. Detroit's offensive woes have left players without any answers. "I wish I could tell you some answers," winger Brett Hull said. "But I can't give you any. I'm as baffled as you are about this. You have to ask the guys who watch the tapes. I know I've gone 10 games without a sniff." The drought doesn't include just Hull. He hasn't scored in eight games, Brendan Shanahan has a nine-game drought and Steve Yzerman has scored just once in his last 10 games. "We got to start scoring some goals," center Kris Draper said. "It's frustrating. It's tough to understand how everyone can go cold. It's not just one or two guys. "Tonight when it was 1-0, we should have been going to the net a lot harder and looking for a rebound. Thank goodness we had that good start, because this is a tough conference and that's the only thing getting us by." Zhamnov started the game on the wrong foot as he was whistled for interference at 41 seconds. But as he came out of the penalty box, he intercepted Yzerman's pass in the neutral zone. Zhamnov easily skated into Detroit's zone and faked a shot before beating Manny Legace on the stick side for his 13th goal of the season. Legace, the backup to Dominik Hasek, had his personal unbeaten streak halted at 19 games. He had gone 17-0-2 since a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on December 27, 2000. Legace kept the Red Wings in the game, making 19 saves in an action-filled second period. His best one came when he poked the puck away from Kyle Calder at the edge of the crease. "The guys really gave themselves heck after the second period because we had so many chances and didn't score," Chicago coach Brian Sutter said. "We had a ton of shots in that period." As he watched the Red Wings turn the second period into a shootout, Thibault was at his best, stopping 10 shots. "In the second period, they really opened it up," he said. "I finally called some guys over and said, 'I really don't think we want to be playing like this against this team.' After that, they tightened it up. I was really happy for that." The best chance the Red Wings had was when former Blackhawk Chris Chelios hit the goalpost. Rookie Mark Bell added his eighth goal on Chicago's first shot of the third period. His hard slap shot from the top of the right faceoff circle at 1:56 gave the Blackhawks a much needed insurance goal. "We were crossing," Bell said. "When the guy went through in front of me, it opened up a lane. I think it might have surprised him because I got so much on it." Thibault posted his second shutout of the season and 23rd in his career as Chicago extended its unbeaten streak at Joe Louis Arena to seven games (5-0-2). Bell also said he thinks Chicago's success is due to concentration and the desire to be as good as the Red Wings. "I think we play well against this team becasue they are who we want to be," he said. "You know you have to focus and do the simple things or they'll take you apart." |
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