KANATA, Ontario _ If not completely off the rails, there's maybe one wheel, possibly two, going dangerously off-kilter.
The Red Wings are on a lengthy losing streak early in the season, and it's showing no signs of ending.
You'd think Wednesday's game in Ottawa would be a perfect tonic, with the Senators coming into the game with the NHL's worst record (1-6-1).
But you'd be wrong.
The Wings looked like the weaker team most of the evening, and lost 5-2.
That stretches the Wings' losing streak to six games, with three tough teams (Buffalo, Stanley Cup champion St. Louis and Edmonton) about to visit Little Caesars Arena.
Fun times, indeed.
The team defense, and allowing goals at a rate they can't match with a largely anemic offense, is continuing to devastate the Wings.
During this six-game losing streak, the Wings (3-7-0) have been outscored 27-9. In five of the six losses, the Wings have given up five goals.
For a team struggling to produce offense, as the Wings are, that is not a recipe for success by any stretch.
Darren Helm and Tyler Bertuzzi scored 1 minute, 40 seconds apart to open the second period and give the Wings a brief 2-1 lead. But that would be the lone offensive highlights for the evening.
Goaltender Jonathan Bernier made 33 saves but would probably like back at least a couple goals.
Chris Tierney, Mark Borowiecki, Jean-Gabriel Pageau (short-handed) and Anthony Duclair had Ottawa goals. Duclair scored twice, including an empty-net goal to put away the victory.
Special teams, as has been most of this opening 10-game block to open the season, was again a negative issue for the Wings.
They were 0 for 5 on the power play, and allowed Pageau's short-handed goal that broke a 2-2 tie at 5:27 of the second period.
Borowiecki (at 3:15 mark, his first goal) and Pageau (third goal) both beat Bernier with long shots from near the top of the circle off the rush, and negated the Wings' explosive second-period start.
Helm tied the game at 1 just 45 seconds into the period, his fourth goal, by one-timing a nice pass from Justin Abdelkader from behind the net.
The Wings took the lead, 2-1, on Bertuzzi's fourth goal, tying Helm for second on the team behind Anthony Mantha (seven goals).
Bertuzzi came onto the ice and put back a long rebound off goalie Anders Nilsson off Patrik Nemeth's shot from the point.
But Ottawa responded with its two quick goals, then added some breathing room on Duclair's second goal of the season at 17:09 of the second period.
Duclair got a pass from Thomas Chabot dot-to-dot, and snapped a shot into a largely vacant net, with Bernier stuck near the opposite post.
The Senators are in the midst of a massive rebuild and have one of the younger teams, by far, in the league.
But Blashill warned before the game this could be a dangerous game that the Wings could not overlook, never mind the Senators' poor record.
"They've worked their butts off and they work and play hard," Blashill said. "They are a young team, we're probably further ahead (in the rebuild), but they've got some really young, talented players.
"If we think we can go out and take the game, and it's going to be easy, we're crazy. We have to go out and from the start of the game to the end, play great hockey and give ourselves the best chance to win."
The Red Wings lost Luke Glendening in the second period to an upper body injury and Abdelkader was in discomfort in the third period after taking a shot to the leg.
The Wings were also without defenseman Danny DeKeyser, who was injured during Tuesday's loss against Vancouver.
