GLENDALE, Ariz. — To simply say the Detroit Red Wings ran out of gas Saturday night on the final stop of their longest road trip of the season would be misleading.

The problem runs deeper than that, according to coach Mike Babcock. He delivered a short by stern message in his post-game address following his team’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena.

The Coyotes scored three unanswered goals in the third period to tie it. Radim Vrbata scored the only goal in the shootout against Jimmy Howard.

“It wasn’t running out of steam,” Babcock said. “Let’s be honest, the score in the game early I thought flattered us. We weren’t very good without the puck, we didn’t break out of our zone very fast. But we were in a great situation, leading 4-1.

“The first goal in the third period, two guys made a mistake, I got no issue with that. But there’s a way to play to be successful, we know it. Until we get our head around doing it, we’re not going anywhere. I think the team that worked the hardest the longest time won. So what’s the message.”

Detroit failed to score on its three shootouts attempts. Ilya Bryzgalov made a glove save on Pavel Datsyuk. Jiri Hudler and Todd Bertuzzi rattled shots off the goal post.

The Red Wings went 2-1-2 on the trip. The Coyotes snapped a five-game winless streak.

“We went 2-1-2, that’s a point over .500; it’s a good road trip when you look at it that way, but I know how we played,” Babcock said. “There gets to be a point in your season where you got to decide, if you think you’re a championship-caliber team, that there’s a right way to play. Unless you get 23 guys doing it the same way and wanting to do it, nothing’s going to happen.”

Johan Franzen ended his 14-game goal-scoring drought for Detroit. Darren Helm scored his second shorthanded goal in four games. Drew Miller and Valtteri Filppula also scored goals. Nicklas Lidstrom and Brad Stuart each had a pair of assists.

But they could not make the simple plays in the third period when they needed to.

“Why would you need to make a play when you’re up 4-2, stick-handling at their blue line? Why wouldn’t you put it behind them, go get it and then wear them out down low?” Babcock said. “We’ve been around winning long enough that every guy in this room understands. But obviously I got to do a much better job to get them all to do it, because we’re not doing it. So if we want to be successful in the end we got to get it fixed.”

The Coyotes started their rally when Mikkel Boedker pounced on a turnover in front of the net after Helm couldn’t corral a pass from Jakub Kindl and scored at 2:32. Ray Whitney took a pass from Shane Doan and scored from in front of the net at 14:34. Martin Hanzal scored the tying goal with 1:57 to play.

“Maybe we were too comfortable,” Howard said. “Needless to say, that shouldn’t happen.”

“I don’t think you can put it on the defense. It was a combination of things, letting them come through the neutral zone with speed and get in on our D. It’s tough for our defensemen to make plays when they’re turning and having to look at the glass and get pucks.”

Phoenix spent most of the second period in the Detroit zone, pressing for the tying goal, but Howard and his club’s penalty-killing were strong, and the Red Wings scored twice late in the period to emerge with a 4-1 lead. Filppula made it 3-1 at 15:27. Helm scored with 12.8 seconds to play in the period.

“We gave them a lot of momentum when they scored the second one,” Lidstrom said. “Then they kept throwing pucks at the net and weren’t giving up.

“We made it harder on ourselves trying to make plays when they weren’t there. Especially with the lead on the road, you just got o get it out, get it over the blue line, get fresh guys on the ice and let them come back and try to make plays on you.”

The Red Wings got a gift goal and a power-play goal in the first period to take a 2-1 lead.

Miller scored on his team’s first shot by skating into the Phoenix zone and flinging a harmless-looking shot that sailed between a stunned Bryzgalov’s pads at 2:04. Franzen made it 2-0 on the power play at 16:57.

Kyle Turris cut Detroit’s lead to 2-1 at 18:41.