Blackhawks lose second straight

DETROIT-- Tomas Tatar scored twice, and the Detroit Red Wings ended the Chicago Blackhawks' road winning streak in their last game at Joe Louis Arena with a 4-2 win Friday.
"They came out with a lot of energy and we didn't match it," Blackhawks forward 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."

Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard made 24 saves in his first NHL game since injuring his knee on Dec. 20.
WATCH: All Blackhawks vs. Red Wings highlights
"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."
Gustav Nyquist had three assists for Detroit (26-29-11), and Xavier Ouellet and Andreas Athanasiou scored. The Red Wings had lost four straight, including 6-1 to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.

"That's obviously a good team having a great season," Nyquist said of the Blackhawks. "It's nice to get a win against a team like that, especially after a few losses in a row."
Corey Crawford made 25 saves for the Blackhawks (42-20-5), who lost back-to-back games after a seven-game winning streak. Chicago lost 1-0 at home to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.
"We've played with a lot of pace and energy in our last 14 or 15 games, but it wasn't there tonight," Blackhawks 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."

Artemi Panarin gave Chicago a 1-0 lead at 4:23, one-timing Kane's pass inside the left post for his 21st goal. It was the first NHL shot Howard faced since his injury.
Ouellet tied it 1-1 at 16:25 with his third goal, pinching in from the left point and beating Crawford with a slap shot.
Athanasiou gave the Red Wings a 2-1 lead at 19:52, taking a pass from Nick Jensen and shooting through Dylan Larkin's screen for his 15th goal. Chicago challenged the play for offside, but the goal was upheld.

Tatar made it 3-1 at 15:17 of the second period, knocking a deflected puck past Crawford for his Red Wings-high 16th goal of the season. Trevor Van Riemsdyk made it 3-2 at 19:15, scoring his fourth goal on a slap shot from the right point.
Tatar put the Red Wings up 4-2 at 15:31 of the third period off a pass from Henrik Zetterberg.

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Goal of the game

Detroit led 3-2 late in the third period when Nyquist forced Kane into a turnover. Nyquist passed to Zetterberg, who dropped the puck onto Tatar's stick for his second goal of the game. Zetterberg leads the Red Wings with 41 assists.

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Save of the game

Chicago had an opportunity to tie the game in the second period at the end of a power play, and Brian Campbell's cross-ice pass set up Marian Hossa's one timer. Howard slid across the crease and deflected the puck with his glove.

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Highlight of the game

Detroit nearly scored a shorthanded goal in the second period, but Crawford made a blocker save to deflect Helm's shot into the corner.

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Unsung performance of the game

With Chicago leading 1-0 in the first period, Helm got a loose puck with Crawford out of position. Before Helm could shoot, Blackhawks forward Tomas Jurco, who was traded from the Red Wings on Feb. 24, disrupted the play, and Helm hit Crawford's skate.

They said it

"It's disappointing to lose in our last game in this building. We've had a lot of great memories in this place." -- Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane
"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." -- Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill

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Need to know

The Blackhawks had won eight straight on the road dating to Feb. 2, which broke their record of seven set from Dec. 9-29, 1964. ... Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith played his 900th NHL game and forward Andrew Desjardins played his 400th. ... Detroit defenseman Robbie Russo and forward Mitch Callahan each played his first game at Joe Louis Arena.

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What's next

Blackhawks: Host the Minnesota Wild on Sunday (12:30 p.m. ET; NBC, TVA Sports, NHL.TV)
Red Wings: Host the New York Rangers on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV)