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ImusWallower · 12-20-2007, 09:35 PM

Detroit loses Homer, serves as cure-all to Blues' recent struggles
December 20, 2007

BY GEORGE SIPPLE

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

ST. LOUIS – The Wings lost Tomas Holmstrom in the first period Thursday night and then lost the game.

The Wings gave up a pair of power play goals in the third period of a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center. The loss snapped a 12-game point streak (10-0-2).

The league-leading Red Wings have been the remedy twice to cure a Blues losing streak. The latest victory snapped an 0-3-1 slide for St. Louis. The Blues beat the visiting Wings, 4-3, on Nov. 13 to snap a three-game losing streak.

Lee Stempniak scored at 14:02, following an interence penalty to Andreas Lilja at 12:31. Keith Tkachuk had tied the game at 4:22 with a power play goal following a hooking penalty to Niklas Kronwall.

The loss in the first period was the bigger blow, though. Holmstrom had scored three goals in the last two games after missing two games a left knee injury. He was tripped by Blues defenseman Eric Brewer late in the first and collided with linemate Henik Zetterberg.

Zetterberg nearly gave the Wings a 3-1 lead early in the first when he hit a post, but the Blues tied the game at 4:22 on a power play following a hooking penalty to Niklas Kronwall. Paul Kariya’s shot deflected in off the leg of Keith Tkachuk. It was Tkachuk’s first goal in 16 games and his seventh of the season.

The Wings had erased a 1-0 deficit with a pair of goals in the second period. Valtteri Filppula and Mikael Samuelsson scored 30 seconds apart to give the Wings a 2-1 lead.

Filppula tied the game with a tip-in goal at 10:35 off a pass from Dallas Drake, a former Blues captain. It was Filppula’s ninth goal of the season and his fifth goal in the past seven games.

Earlier in the day Filppula had said he didn’t think he’d been playing well even though he’d been scoring goals.

“I don’t think I played that well,” Filppula said. “I think there’s a lot to improve. I’ve been playing good but I think I can be better. Those goals are always good but that’s not the whole game.

“It’s hard to say. Sometimes I feel like I’m not inside the game. Wrong place at wrong time. Hopefully it changes.”