In Detroit Friday, the Red Wings handed the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-2 loss on a night when the Minnesota Wild were ending their short skid in Florida.
Gustav Nyquist had 3 assists in win over Chicago – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
Tomas Tatar struck twice for the Wings in the win.
“They came out with a lot of energy and we didn’t match it,” Chicago’s Patrick Kane said. “I know they were coming off a couple very bad games, so we knew they were going to be a tough matchup for us.”
Jimmy Howard got the win for Detroit after a conditioning stint in Grand Rapids where he pitched a shutout for the Griffins in his last start; he made 24 saves to stop the Hawks Friday.
“I was a little jumpy at first — I think it was nerves — but I was able to settle down,” Howard said. “Once I got a couple shots to stick, I felt at home again.”
Howard was out of the lineup since late December with a knee injury.
“I thought Jimmy was very good tonight, but we played a smarter game than we’ve played in the last couple games. It was a good defensive night,” Detroit head coach Jeff Blashill said.
Xavier Ouellet and Andreas Athanasiou also scored for Detroit who improved to 26-29-11 after ending a four-game skid of their own.
“That’s obviously a good team (Chciago) having a great season,” said Gustav Nyquist who had three assists on the night. “It’s nice to get a win against a team like that, especially after a few losses in a row.”
Artemi Panarin and Trevor Van Riemsdyk scored for the Blackhawks.
WATCH: All Blackhawks vs. Red Wings highlights
Corey Crawford made 25 saves in the loss as the Hawks dropped to 42-20-5 after their second straight loss.
“We’ve played with a lot of pace and energy in our last 14 or 15 games, but it wasn’t there tonight,” Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville said. “Detroit’s a team with a lot of talent, and tonight they played with tenacity and fight. We didn’t have time with the puck, and we didn’t handle it well.”
