DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings could have been flustered by their continuing struggles at home. They could have been irate about a missed call by officials that proved critical.

After their 2-1 loss Wednesday to the Los Angeles Kings at Joe Louis Arena, the Red Wings’ winless streak reached a season-high four games (0-2-2).

But they found no fault with their effort, praised Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick’s 28-save performance and viewed this game as a step in the right direction.

"I thought we played a great game," Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard said. "That was our best 60 minutes probably in a long time. The effort was definitely there. It’s just Quickie made three great saves, especially two in the second."

The second period was the key. The Kings got goals from Anze Kopitar on a rebound at 7:50 and Dustin Brown on a double-deflection, on the power play, at 14:43. The latter was the winner, but the Red Wings felt it should not have counted.

Michal Handzus high-sticked Nicklas Lidstrom along the boards, opening a cut on the Detroit captain’s lower lip that required stitches after the game. But officials missed what would have been a double-minor penalty for drawing blood.

The Kings then took the lead seconds later when, first Alexei Ponikarovsky and then Brown from the net front, tipped a shot by Alec Martinez past Howard.

"There’s four (officials) out there and no one saw it, so I guess there’s nothing you can do when they say they can’t see it," Lidstrom said. "I was bleeding and they still didn’t see what happened.

"It’s very disappointing. They score moments after. It should be a four-minute power play for us, instead they score the game-winner."

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock chalked it up as a bad break.

"I thought it was a pretty good game," Babcock said. "I really liked our first period. I thought Quick was fantastic. I thought we got in penalty trouble in the second period. It’s a tough play on the one goal. That’s the way it goes."

The Kings won the season series 3-1.

Darren Helm scored the Red Wings’ lone goal. He was their most energetic and dangerous player. His line, with Kris Draper and either Jiri Hudler or Justin Abdelkader, generated several chances.

"I thought Helmer was really good," Babcock said. "They’ve been good every game here lately, Drapes and Huds or whoever you play there. I don’t have a lot of complaints about many guys."

The Red Wings dominated the first period, outshooting the Kings 11-3, but capitalized only once, on Helm’s blast from the faceoff circle. Quick got a piece of the puck, but it trickled through his pads and slowly crossed the goal line.

It was Helm’s third goal in the past five games, his 10th of the season, which is one short of his career high set in 2009-10.

The Red Wings have lost three in a row at home and are 7-10-2 in their past 19 at Joe Louis Arena. But Babcock, irate after their 5-4 shootout loss Saturday in Phoenix, was encouraged by what he saw.

"The third period was a muddy track, like you expected, against a team that’s checking and working and pushing," Babcock said. "It was a tight game. We had every opportunity to win the game, didn’t find a way. Just got to keep playing like that and starting like we did, and getting pucks ahead and shooting pucks and going to the net."

The Red Wings lit up Quick for six goals in a 7-4 win in Los Angeles nine days before. But he has allowed only one goal in two wins at Detroit this season.

"We played a great second period. I think we outplayed them and got chances and scored two big goals," Quick said. "You could tell it was really hard for them to get through the neutral zone."

Lidstrom said they played OK and worked hard. Howard called it something to build off. But defenseman Niklas Kronwall said they didn’t maintain it for 60 minutes.

"We have to do a better job of getting pucks to the net, getting more traffic to the net," Kronwall said. "I think (Quick) saw a little bit too much of the puck tonight. He’s a great goaltender. Whenever he sees the puck, he’s going to make the save."

"We just have to keep going after them for 60 minutes. Right now we’re not playing for 60 minutes and that’s why we’re losing."