Detroit lost their third straight yesterday evening against the Anaheim Ducks. In a game that seemed more like a playoff game than a regular season contest, Detroit thought they had tied it up on a Nicklas Lidstrom goal with 40.7 seconds left in the game. Unfortunately, the referee made the call that Tomas Holmstrom had incidental contact with JS Giguere and the goal was not counted. I think that was a pretty questionable call and I don't know how many goals have been disallowed this season because of Homer (some legit, most were not).

"It was just one of those where you shake your head," said Wings goalie Chris Osgood. "It was 100% a goal. It's not even debatable really. If you look at the replay, Homer's not even in the crease. He's standing there, not obstructing Giguere. He's got to work his way around him. Yeah, they're up against each other, but that happens all the time."

The sellout crowd cheered as Aaron Downey took on George Parros, who had the size advantage in the fight. It was this fight that I think sparked the team and it was a smart move by Downey. You can view the fight in the YouTube clip below.

Personally, I hate the Ducks. I hate Chris Pronger due to his dirty play. I don't like seeing former Wings Mathieu Schneider and Todd Bertuzzi in an Anaheim uniform. This is definitely a rivalry in the making, which would be great for the league to once again have two of the Western Conference powerhouses in a strong rivalry.

"It's trying to set the tone for another playoff series," Wing-turned-Duck Mathieu Schneider said. "Odds are we know if we want to make it back to the finals that Detroit is going to be in the path."

Anaheim beat the Wings in last year's Western Conference finals, and as Lidstrom said Sunday, the Ducks are still the team the Wings figure they have to beat.

"It was as close to a playoff game as you can get in the middle of the season," Lidstrom said. "You could see the intensity was there for both teams."

Remind anyone of the late 1990s with the Wings hatred of the Colorado Avalanche? Sure, it's not to that degree yet, but it could get there.