The talk before the game was about how similar the Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks are.

Funny, once the puck dropped Thursday night at Rogers Arena, the two teams seemed worlds apart.

For much of the night the Red Wings looked like the team with all the speed and skill as they made the Canucks look oh-so ordinary in a 4-3 shoot-out win. The score clearly flattered the Canucks, who were outshot 15-8 in the first period, 15-3 in the second and 43-25 overall.

Pavel Datsyuk and Jiri Hudler scored in the shootout to give the Wings the win. Alex Edler and Mason Raymond failed to score on their shootout attempts.

Things were so bad through the first two periods that coach Alain Vigneault split up the Sedin twins for the third period. Daniel skated with Ryan Kesler and David Booth, while Henrik took shifts with Cody Hodgson and Raymond.

It almost worked as the Canucks did rally to force overtime.

Drew Miller put the Wings up 3-2 at 12: 05 of the third period when he capitalized on some shoddy defensive work by the Canucks - there was lots of that Thursday night - and slapped a loose puck past Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo.

But Raymond tied it at 15: 36 of the third when his weak wrist shot bounced off Detroit defenceman Brad Stuart and past goalie Jimmy Howard.

Alex Burrows had tied the game 2-2 at 10: 10 of the third. Maxim Lapierre stripped the puck off Miller in the Detroit zone and fed a pass to Bur-rows, who put a slapshot from the right circle past Howard to tie the game 2-2.

The Wings, now 35-16-1, padded their lead atop the NHL's Western Conference. They now have 71 points, five more than the Canucks, who fell to 31-16-4.

We have seen the Canucks struggle in the second period of games for much of the season. Their second period Thursday might have been one of their worst periods of the season.

They were fortunate it only cost them one goal. Hudler gave the Red Wings a 2-1 lead at 13: 51 of the second when he converted a Valtteri Filpp-ula pass off the rush and beat Luongo short side to give the Wings.

The Wings opened scoring at 5: 27 of the first period, but could easily have had a couple more goals before Dan Cleary gave them that 1-0 lead.

Just over a minute into the game, Filppula was sprung free on a breakaway but fanned on the puck as he skated in alone on Luongo. Four minutes into the period, Todd Bertuzzi blew by Mason Raymond and tested Luongo with a deke to his backhand.

Cleary went around Vancouver defenceman Dan Hamhuis before beating Luongo stick side from deep in the right faceoff circle.

At one point, the Wings held a 12-1 edge in shots, but the Canucks did finally start to play better late in the period.

David Booth won a puck battle with Pavel Datsyuk on the end boards and skated out in front to test Howard from close range. Howard made that save, but left the rebound sitting in front for Ryan Kesler to whack home for his 15th goal of the season at the 16: 13 mark.

Luongo had to make a terrific glove save with just over a minute to go in the first when Johan Franzen was sent in alone by Bertuzzi.

The Wings ended the period with a 15-8 edge in shots.

The Canucks played a forward short, as winger Chris Higgins was late scratch. The team said Higgins, who has battled two separate staph infections this season, was "ill."

Defenceman Andrew Alberts replaced Higgins in the lineup. Alberts skated on the fourth line as Raymond moved up to skate in Higgins' spot.

ICE CHIPS: Canuck centre Cody Hodgson was named the NHL's rookie of the month on Thursday. Hodgson had six goals and 10 points in 11 games in January ... The Canucks begin a four-game road trip Saturday afternoon in Denver against the Avalanche. The trip also makes stops Tuesday in Nashville, Thursday in Minnesota and wraps up next Saturday night in Calgary.

NEXT GAME

Saturday vs Colorado Avalanche

Noon at Pepsi Center

SNET-P/TEAM 1040

bziemer@vancouversun.com