DETROIT -- It took five games to say this definitively, but the Canucks miss Roberto Luongo. And they miss him badly.

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A deflected puck from Detroit Red Wings right-wing Dan Cleary eludes Vancouver Canucks goalie Curtis Sanford and defenceman Willie Mitchell (left) during the second period of Thursday's game in Detroit. The Wings won 6-5.

Photograph by : Rebecca Cook, Reuters

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It's not just his big saves they miss, though they sure could have used one or two of those Thursday. The Canucks are also missing his calming presence on the ice. They could use some of that leadership which made him captain, and they're in desperate need of both his urgency and his confidence.

Without Luongo, the Canucks have lost four in a row.

But they will be without him for a while longer yet, so someone else needs to step up and right this ship. Someone else needs to give this team poise, and, most importantly, guide them in a direction other than south.

"I don't know if guys are trying too hard or what," Willie Mitchell said. "The work ethic, in my personal opinion, needs to be a little better for a full 60 minutes.

"There's a fine line between playing urgent because we lost a few games in a row and being composed out there. It's up to our leadership group and the guys who have been around a long time to be that calming presence and be that kind of voice."

People will want to pin Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Curtis Sanford. For that, they will present plenty of evidence. But Sanford was hardly the only Canuck to come uncorked in the first six minutes of the third period, an ugly stretch during which Vancouver fumbled and bumbled away a game Chris Osgood was trying to gift them.

Sanford wasn't one of the five skaters who huddled around Marian Hossa as Nicklas Lidstrom glided toward the net with enough space and time to pitch a tent. But, at the same time, Sanford admittedly bit way too hard on a Derek Meech fake that led to the converted defenceman's first goal in the NHL and started the slide.

"I think Curtis is like a lot of our players; I think a lot of our guys can play better," Alain Vigneault said. "Considering the situation we're in right now, where we've lost quite a few in a row here, to come out of this, guys need to bring their 'A' game to the table, and he's no different than anybody else.

"When you're on the road, against the Stanley Cup champions, and you score five goals, you should win."

Vigneault said he has to watch this game again before he decides what to do in net tonight against the Wild in Minnesota. It will be much like re-watching the Canucks season to this point.

For stretches Thursday, they did everything right. They scored first. They were excellent against the Wings' best. Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Hossa combined for just one assist. They killed a massive 1:39 two-man advantage in the first period, thwarting the best power play in the league. Sanford stopped 16 of 17 shots in a terrific second when he was only beat by a Daniel Cleary tip.

But then there was the rest when the Canucks' ugly underbelly was exposed. There were turnovers in their own end, two led to goals. There were the seven penalties and that's been killing this team. There were mishaps by the backend.

And, of course, there was that third period, one that started with the game tied 3-3. The Wings scored three goals in a back-snapping 2:45 stretch.