Jose Theodore was excellent last night, making 44 saves in a statement
win for the Caps against the Red Wings. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Even injury-plagued, the Detroit Red Wings are the Nick Sabans of hockey — they are to be taken seriously at all times. As a new powerhouse, the Washington Capitals view games against Detroit as chances to measure themselves against a decade-plus gold standard of the NHL.

“It’s a good way to gauge where you’re at,” right winger Matt Bradley said.

The first time the teams met this season, back in October, Detroit beat Washington 3-2 at Joe Louis Arena. The Caps got their rematch on Tuesday at Verizon and turned the tables, pulling out a 3-2 win — but not after the first period offered a sobering look at how they’ll have to improve if they want to emulate Detroit’s average of a Stanley Cup every four or so years since 1996. The Red Wings had 15 shots on goal in the first, while the Caps had a measly three — tying their lowest first period total this season.

“I think we kind of got star struck, to be honest with you, in the first period,” said David Steckel, who ended up with one of the Caps’ three goals. “A lot of us grew up watching some of the guys on that team.”

Caps head coach Bruce Boudreau said his team’s poor play in the first made it look like “men versus boys.”

“I don’t think we touched the puck,” Boudreau said. “I’m sitting there thinking, this is what Stanley Cup champions that are desperate do, and it’s a bar that we have to get to.”

Though the first period was one of the season’s worst, offensively speaking, for the Caps, it still took the team until just under two minutes left in the second period to score their first goal, through Bradley. Red Wings goalie and hockey great Chris Osgood hadn’t started a game since December 20, yet he saw only 23 shots on goal Tuesday, half of what his counterpart, Jose Theodore, faced.

“Like Bruce said, good teams find a way to win, even if we don’t deserve to, and that was the case tonight,” said Bradley.