Yesterday morning, troubled coach Ken Hitchcock said his club was essentially being carried by two players, captain Rick Nash and rookie goaltender Steve Mason.

By the end of last night's 3-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the wounded Jackets had lost half of that humble sum. Nash suffered a lower-body injury late in the first period when he fell awkwardly into the boards. He did not return.

Hitchcock declined to speak to the severity or specificity of the injury, saying only that Nash would be evaluated today. The injury to the team's leading scorer isn't believed to be long term, but with the Jackets fighting to remain in the playoff hunt any time lost is crucial.

General manager Scott Howson said the Jackets would recall another forward from minor-league Syracuse. The best guess would be first-round draft pick Nikita Filatov, who just returned from the world junior tournament, where he scored eight goals for Russia.

If Nash cannot play Friday in Washington, the Jackets would be without four of their top six scorers and seven regulars.

"There's no use talking about it right now," Hitchcock said. "We know where we are at, and we know what are situation is -- not very good. We're just going to have to tread water. There's nothing we can do right now. Our players are playing their hearts out."

Facing a defending Stanley Cup champion with a roster healthier than ExxonMobil's bottom line, the Jackets remarkably kept the game scoreless for more than two periods before the Wings got two power-play goals from Pavel Datysuk and Marian Hossa. Henrik Zetterberg added an empty-net goal.

The Jackets made it a game because of a gritty effort from the collective and a spectacular performance from Mason, who had 37 saves.

Mason, who entered the game with the league's best goals-against average (1.81) robbed Datysuk on several occasions before he jammed in a rebound at 3:45 of the third. Hossa converted less than three minutes later with another goal, thanks in part to a Tomas Holmstrom screen. The Red Wings possess the league's top power play.

"We held in there for a good chunk of time," Mason said. "But the first goal hurt us, and the second one was a nail in the coffin."

The contrast in experience was a spectacle in itself on a night when 46-year-old Chris Chelios played in his 880th regular-season win, an NHL record.

At one point in the second period, the Jackets iced a power-play unit that featured a pair of 19-year-old wingers (Jake Voracek and Maksim Mayorov) and a 21-year-old defenseman (Kris Russell). The Jackets were 0 of 3 with the man advantage.

"Hitch came in and told some of the young guys they are going to have to grow up fast," center Michael Peca said.

Peca and the Jackets were hardly without their chances. Fredrik Modin hit a post in the first period and a cross bar in the second.

The best chance, however, belonged to Peca with the Jackets on the power play in the first period. Russell skated ambitiously into the left circle and feathered a perfect pass to a wide-open Peca.

The 13-year veteran stopped the puck to ensure he didn't fan on a shot into the empty net. To viewers at home and teammates on the bench, however, Peca must have resembled a golfer standing a tad too long over a 3-foot putt.

Wings goaltender Ty Conklin, who registered his fourth shutout, desperately threw out his left glove hand for a spectacular stop.

"We've got to capitalize on those early opportunities, me included," Peca said. "I didn't get the shot up high enough. You want to be careful with a rolling puck, but I was too careful there."

treed@dispatch.com