DETROIT, Michigan -- The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Sunday afternoon in a game that meant little to either team.
Chicago had been mathematically eliminated from earning a playoff spot three days earlier, while Detroit had clinched first overall on that same day.
The Red Wings rested many of their regulars, with Brian Rafalski, Chris Chelios, and Dallas Drake healthy scratches and others seeing their minutes drastically reduced but it was still captain Nicklas Lidstrom leading the way, scoring twice en route to the win.
Jiri Hudler opened the game's scoring at 7:21 of the first period, taking a pass from behind the goal by Darren McCarty and tipping it past Nikolai Khabibulin from in front.
The assist marked McCarty's first point in his second stint with Detroit.
Lidstrom's first of the game put the Wings up by a pair with 1:31 left in the second period. While skating on a five-on-three, Lidstrom blasted a shot from the top of the left circle past Khabibulin.
Mark Hartigan made up for a gaffe that nearly led to a Chicago goal early in the third, taking the puck on a giveaway by Khabibulin and putting it into the net at 6:28.
Lidstrom added his second with 5:58 remaining, scoring another power play goal on a long blast, this one deflected off the skate of defender Duncan Keith.
Patrick Kane broke the shutout with just 2:20, scoring on the power play with Jonathan Toews in behind Detroit netminder Dominik Hasek.
Hasek stopped 27 Chicago shots, doing his part to protect the Red Wings' league-leading goals-against to earn the team the Jennings Trophy, split between Hasek and Chris Osgood.
Khabibulin made 34 saves on 38 Detroit shots.
The Red Wings will now wait until the playoff schedule is made official to find out when Game One of their first-round series with the Nashville Predators will begin.
Season-ending game has no meaning for anyone. The Wings are playing a youth-heavy lineup. Drake, Chelios and Rafalski are all resting. Darren Helm and Jonathan Ericsson are both up. Abdelkader makes his second appearance as a Red Wing.
Hudler snaps his slump with a tap in from the front of the net. McCarty gets his first point of his comeback, beaing Perrault behind the net to get the puck out to Hudler.
Yay! 5 on 3 goal! 
I am happy this game is going well so far, a little boring, but good. <|3 Can't wait for the playoffs!
Quick puck movement, five-on-three goal. Nice. The kind of thing they'll need to be able to take advantage of in the playoffs.
Kind of boring game. Not a surprise, just disappointing 'cause I really need to be working right now. Stupid afternoon games.
I missed the first two periods, but it's only a dead rubber. It's still light outside and I'm watching hockey. This seems wrong.
I missed the first two periods, but it's only a dead rubber. It's still light outside and I'm watching hockey. This seems wrong.
Lmao
Don't know who it was, but someone just ruined the shutout.
Not that it matters, but if Toews was Holmstrom, that PPG wouldn't have counted.
Not that it matters, but if Toews was Holmstrom, that PPG wouldn't have counted.
It does matter to us Wings fans 
But that's funny, and so agreeable. I hope Nashville proves to be more exciting in the playoffs. Annnnddddd, keep your fingers crossed that Anaheim will get kicked out?
I don't care about an exciting series against Nashville, it can be as boring as this game was as long as the result is the same.
I've always said I'm a Wings fan first and a hockey fan second, if I have to choose between good hockey or a Wings win, I go for the Wings. That isn't usually a choice we get to make though. Why they play the games and all that.
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