The Detroit Red Wings found that out the hard way on Saturday night, scoring early but then letting the game get away from them in a 4-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Artem Anisimov scored twice for the Jackets, and the bad injury news for the Wings continued to pile up when defenseman Brendan Smith left the game with an upper body ailment in the first period.

Jan 21, 2013; Columbus, OH, USA; Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard (35) makes the save on Columbus Blue Jackets center Artem Anisimov during the shootout at Nationwide Arena. Detroit defeated Columbus 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports

After Johan Franzen staked Detroit to a 1-0 lead on a rebound goal from a Niklas Kronwall shot, the Blue Jackets responded on the power play. James Wisniewski managed to get a point shot through heavy traffic to tie the game before the first break, but he would leave the game with an injury a short time later after getting his skates tangled with a teammate and going hard into the boards.

Anisimov took over after that, picking up steam as the Wings sagged. The forward beat goaltender Jimmy Howard from a tough angle for an unassisted goal early in the second period, then found the net again after weaving his way in from Howard’s right at the 17:18 mark of the second.

Any chance for the same kind of third period magic Detroit conjured up against St. Louis in the previous game was put to bed with a backbreaking shorthanded goal. Just seconds after R.J. Umberger went to the box for goaltender interference with 13:12 left, Columbus was able to generate a two-on-one break. Mark Letestu converted a well-timed feed from Brandon Dubinsky to put the game out of reach.

Damien Brunner managed to pull one goal back in the dying seconds to keep his six-game point streak alive. Henrik Zetterberg, fresh off a five-point performance on Friday, saw his own streak come to an end. Howard made 24 saves in taking the loss, while Columbus’ Steve Mason was sharp in stopping 32 of 34 shots.

The Red Wings get a rare two-day break before they return to action at home against Calgary on Tuesday night. A third meeting with the Blues looms on Friday, a road game that hopefully will turn out better than the 6-0 opening night loss at St. Louis. While the team awaits word on Smith, defenseman Ian White could return to action to face the Flames.

The game was over when…

The odd man rush on the last power play provided the dagger. A botched exchange with most of the team in front of the puck spelled disaster, and it showed why there is a risk in having Brunner man one of the points on the top PP unit.

The unsung Red Wings hero was…

I’ll go off the board and give the nod to the Blue Jackets crowd, one of the quietest I’ve heard this season. the lack of energy in the building didn’t hurt as the Red Wings got off to a good start, it just wasn’t enough to keep Columbus down the whole game. Honorable mention goes to Dan Cleary, who still isn’t scoring but at least worked himself into some good positions a couple of times.

Feb. 8, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Edmonton Oilers head coach Tom Renney reacts in the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

When the Red Wings finally return to Joe Louis Arena ice Mike Babcock’s line-up will be noticeably green.  Gone are 42-year-old defensemen Nicklas Lidstrom and 32-year-old Brad Stuart.  Likewise, 39-year-old Tomas Holmstrom’s retirement seems almost a foregone conclusion considering the NHL’s current state of affairs. 37 year-old Todd Bertuzzi will be the elder statesman on the club, and at 31 years of age Niklas Kronwall is now Detroit’s most geriatric blueliner. Two 23 year-olds (Brendan Smith and Gustav Nyquist) are also set to assert themselves as Red Wing regulars.  In fact, heading into the upcoming season the average age of a Detroit Red Wings player is 28.3 years old.

This brings me to Tom Renney the Red Wings new associate coach.  Added to Babcock’s crew in July, Renney brings a wealth of experience to the coaching staff.  More importantly for the Wings is Renney’s proven track record of cultivating young talent. In his first head coaching experience Renney led the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers to the Memorial Cup Championship (the equivalent of the Stanley Cup in Canadian junior hockey).  His first NHL head-coaching gig came with the Vancouver Canucks in 1996-1997 and he later went on to lead the New York Rangers for five seasons. For the past two NHL campaigns Renney served as the bench boss for the upstart Edmonton Oilers.  Upon hiring Renney the Oilers management were outspoken about bringing Renney into the fold because of his knack for developing unseasoned pros.

The combination of Renney’s 9 plus years of NHL head coaching experience coupled with his recent tutorship of blooming NHL stars such as: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle, Sam Gagner, and Taylor Hall makes Renney the perfect fit for the Wings at this juncture.  The Wings are anticipating that Renney will have the same positive impact on Detroit’s fresh faces as he did with the young guns in Edmonton.  In particular, Damien Brunner, Jan Mursak, Jakub Kindl, Gustav Nyquist, and Brendan Smith will most certainly be the Wings that benefit most from Renney coming on board.  After having worked with Hall and Nugent-Hopkins, two of the best young players in the game, on a day-to-day basis, Renney should have plenty tricks of the trade to show the Wings’ upstarts.  Not to mention the fact that the Wings who finished 22nd overall in power play percentage last year (with Lidstrom) will also benefit from the services of a coach who led the Oilers to the 3rd best power play in the NHL last season.

Welcome to the Detroit Red Wings Mr. Renney… a team no longer the most senile in the Central Division.

Central Division Teams By Age (Youngest to Oldest):

Columbus Blue Jackets: 26.9 years old

St. Louis Blues: 27.3 years old

Nashville Predators: 27.6 years old

Detroit Red Wings: 28.3 years old

Chicago Blackhawks: 28.7 years old