The Red Wings played one of their better games of the season against the Maple Leafs on Dec. 14. Jeff Petry scored what proved to be the game winner early in the third period of a 4-2 victory.

And a chest-beating 3-2 shootout win — Tyler Bozak the hero — for the Leafs over the Red Wings, for Randy Carlyle over that tiresome guru-coach Mike Babcock. Who could have imagined how the hockey ...