Postgame: Red Wings @ Flames – 12/22

I’m not going to say much about this one. It’s late and I’m exhausted.

This was one of those cases that came down to effort. If the Red Wings had put in the effort in the first forty minutes of play that they did in the final twenty, that game is a win. They – as they have too much of a tendency to do – instead played a single period of good hockey and they lost.

Blame the travel if you want, the fact that the third period is when they woke up makes me think they weren’t burned out early. Whatever the reason, that level of effort is unacceptable.

Additional notes: Conklin didn’t look awful, so this might be his first loss of the season that you can’t blame him for. Also, Mike Commodore looked decent out there – not fantastic but he wasn’t awful in only his fourth game of the season. A couple plusses to take away from an otherwise annoying night.