It was a Red Wings matinee as the St. Louis Blues came into town for a 1:00 P.M. Saturday game! After snapping their losing streak at seven games with a 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets, the Wings looked to build on their momentum in this second game of their five game homestand. The Blues came into town as first place in the Central Division and one of the best performances of this 2017-18 season so far. It would be a tough battle for Detroit. Let’s see how they did.

The Wings got off to a lackluster start as they were chasing the Blues up and down the ice. A Blues high-sticking penalty against Gustav Nyquist around the halfway mark of the period is where Detroit finally started to show some energy. The powerplay had a dominant shift, with Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou, Mike Green, and Martin Frk cycling the puck, shooting it, and recovering the rebound. Unfortunately, they couldn’t convert and, as the play returned to 5v5, the Blues came streaking down the ice and scored the first goal of the game.

Detroit would get another powerplay a few minutes later and again the same line dominated play. They just couldn’t get the puck to a shooter fast enough. The Blues blocked shots and, for the most part, kept them to the outside. Nyquist did ring one off the crossbar, though. For the second time in a row, the Wings failed to convert on the powerplay. They closed the period out down a goal, though they outshot St. Louis 11-4 (8-4 at 5v5).

Things got worse for the Wings in the second as the Blues scored three more goals at 5v5. The first was scored by Vladimir Sobotka as the Wings ceded the defensive zone too early and allowed Sobotka to take an unchallenged shot from the top of the circle.

Then, only a few minutes later, Niklas Kronwall failed to keep the puck in the St. Louis zone, giving Scottie Upshall a breakaway. Upshall found the five hole and put the Blues up 3-0.

Detroit got a bit of a break after this goal and even managed to get a few chances of their own. Zetterberg almost finished one. Larkin got a breakaway. Nielsen got a point blank shot all alone in the slot. Jake Allen turned every opportunity away.

It was Jay Bouwmeester who pulled the Blues even further ahead on a shot from the blueline that, frankly, Howard should have stopped.

So, on the scoreboard, it was a bad period for the Red Wings, but Howard was having a really spotty game. Detroit actually outshot and out-chanced the Blues at 5v5 in the second period. For that reason, Jeff Blashill put Petr Mrazek out for the third period to stop the bleeding.

At the 7:18 mark of the period, the Wings showed some signs of life as Frans Nielsen banged the puck into an empty net.

It was a chance for Detroit to build some momentum and start to claw back in what would be a hard comeback. It didn’t happen, though, as only a few minutes later Alex Pietrangelo made a beautiful pass to hit Dmitrij Jasken on the breakaway. He made no mistake in burying it.

That would pretty much be it for Detroit. Mrazek was okay in the third, but Detroit just couldn’t get anything going offensively. Brayden Schenn would add a final goal for St. Louis in the final minute, making it a 6-1 loss for the Red Wings.

The Wings actually played a pretty good game tonight. They outshot the Blues 29-22 (23-20 at 5v5), they out-attempted them 51-37 (37-33 at 5v5), and they out-chanced them 24-16 (17-16 at 5v5). They ran into a hot Jake Allen who turned away many good chances and had a horrible showing from Jimmy Howard who let in four goals on eight shots.

This game just goes to show how much Detroit relies on solid goaltending. Howard’s fantastic start to the season really padded them and allowed them to win games. Now, as he falls back down to Earth, Detroit is playing the level of hockey everyone expected of them. Maybe it’s time to finally give Petr Mrazek a good look and let him start some consecutive games.

Tonight’s Motor City MVP is the Wings’ lone goal scorer Frans Nielsen. Nielsen had a few chances throughout the game and helped keep the puck out of the net on Detroit’s three penalty kills. He had a team-leading three shots and a 53.33 on-ice CF% at 5v5. It’s the kind of game you want from a player like Nielsen, he just needs the scoring support of his teammates.

The Wings will get a day of rest on Sunday before hosting the Florida Panthers Monday evening in Detroit. The next week is an important one as Detroit faces Florida, the Boston Bruins, and the Toronto Maple Leafs – three division rivals. Six points would go a long way in helping them achieve their far-fetched playoff dreams this year. Puck drop on Monday is at 7:30 P.M. and you can catch the game on Fox Sports Detroit or Fox Sports Florida if you’re tuning in from the Sunshine State. As always, Brock Seguin will have your pre-game report early Monday afternoon right here at WingsNation.com