"1. The Blues are a really good team, but can they take down the proven elite? I guess we'll know in the playoffs, when the true answers come in. But the three consecutive losses in Detroit were alarming for the way they went down. It's almost as if the Red Wings could do whatever the hell they wanted to do after flipping a switch, and the Blues had no answer once the Red Wings decided to assert themselves. (Message: Not so fast, little brother.) And that was the case in Monday's 3-1 loss in Motown. After taking a 2-0 lead at Joe Louis Arena on Dec. 27, the Blues were outscored 9-1 by the Red Wings in the three losses. Feel free to try and put some shine on that to make it look good, but it isn't good. And what does it mean? There's still work to do. Then again, many of us knew that already.

2. I don't want to rationalize these defeats at Detroit; it would be an insult to coach Ken Hitchcock and the players. The Blues have raised their standards and expect more from themselves, and I respect that. They don't want or need charity. But this three-game losing streak at Joe Louis took place at a time when the Red Wings were putting together one of the most extensive home-ice winning streaks (now up to 17 games) in NHL history. NO ONE has gone into Detroit and won since Calgary did so on Nov. 5. My point is this: the Blues could have and should have played better than they did in the three losses, but Detroit's historical dominance at Joe Louis tends to distort the picture. Here's the bottom line: the Blues and Detroit have played five times this season. And the home team has won all five games. The Blues aren't setting records for consecutive wins at Scottrade, but they're also dominant at home. And the Red Wings haven't been able to win in St. Louis. So in that context, each team has something to prove. Neither side has been capable of winning in the enemy's building. There's only one game left in the season series. The rivals won't meet again until Detroit plays at St. Louis on April 4."