AS RED WINGS LOSE FOURTH STRAIGHT, CAN THEY STILL JUSTIFY BUYING AT TRADE DEADLINE?

DETROIT — In an 82-game NHL regular season, there is seldom such a thing as a “must-win” game. But there are certainly big missed opportunities. And right now, the Red Wings are racking those up. Already, coming into Thursday night’s home game against the Utah Hockey Club, Detroit had lost three in a row — and two of those at home.