I'll admit that I turned the game off after the second period and was barely paying attention after it went to 3-0.

I can't stand watching sloppy hockey and for two games in a row, that's what the Red Wings have played. Poor coverage in their own end, lazy passes leading to turnovers in the neutral zone, no forecheck.

I'm not even going to really talk about goaltending 'cause I'm biased by being p*ssed at my own efforts in goal a couple hours before Chris Osgood took to the ice in Dallas. He and I had similar games - at least one we wanted back and a couple where we wondered what our defense was doing.

The second Dallas goal is the one that describes the game as a whole, to me. Loui Eriksson, surrounded by Red Wings, no one close enough to actually cover him. Detroit was just off all night.

Unless, of course, they were great in the third. I feel safe assuming they didn't turn it around, despite Niklas Kronwall's power play goal.

And it wouldn't be a ridiculous Red Wings loss without an injury. Johan Franzen thinks he'll miss a week with a concussion. Mike Babcock says to wait for the doctor to determine that.

So right now we're at Franzen, Brian Rafalski, Justin Abdelkader and Kris Draper. Abdelkader could possibly return Saturday, thankfully, negating the need to call anyone up from Grand Rapids to fill Franzen's spot on the roster.

If the Wings turn things around, this two-game hiccup will be nothing. They happen from time to time. This early in the season, though, they look awful.