"Hours before the Red Wings played the Islanders on Tuesday night at Nassau Coliseum, coach Mike Babcock cautioned against taking an opponent low in the standings lightly.

The warning didn't take. A dismal defensive performance left the Wings absorbing a 5-1 blow that dropped them to 11-13 on the road. The Islanders are 5-0-1 against Detroit the past six meetings.

"Obviously, me talking about it wasn't enough," Babcock said. "They were better than us right from the get-go.""