Ogletree acknowledges his defense wasnt lined up properly on several key plays

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings bounced back on the power play and shut down the Dallas Stars when they had an extra skater or two.Anthony Mantha scored the go-ahead goal with the man advantage midway through the second period, and Detroit beat Dallas 3-1 on Tuesday night.Dylan Larkin also scored and Petr Mrazek stopped 34 shots for the Red Wings, who are 3-0-1 in the last four games for their best stretch in more than a month.If we play the way weve played the last three, four games, youll see some wins coming our way, Larkin said.Mantha and Larkin scored on the power play, ending the Red Wings 0-for-14 drought with an extra skater over the previous five games.The chemistry is coming along and we proved it the last few games that we can score goals, Mantha said.The Stars, meanwhile, didnt score on any of their five power plays, including a 5-on-3 opportunity that lasted 46 seconds midway through the third.That was a specialty teams win and our goalie was real good, Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. Weve said youve got to win games on specialty teams lots in the league.Kari Lehtonen made 17 saves for the Stars. He was pulled for an extra skater with more than 2 minutes left, and the Red Wings took advantage when Steve Ott scored an empty-net goal to make it 3-1 with 1:03 remaining.Dallas, playing the second of back-to-back games on the road, has dropped two straight and won just three of its last nine overall.Were going to win a lot of games if we play that way, coach Lindy Ruff said.The Stars got off to a strong start, scoring 16 seconds into the game when Esa Lindells shot was redirected off the right skate of Detroit defenseman Mike Green. But they couldnt get the puck past Mrazek again.He stood on his head, Larkin said.Detroit made it 1-all with a goal off a Dallas player when Larkins shot went off one of Jordie Benns skates with 39 seconds left in the opening period.On the road, youve got to win the special teams battle, Stars center Jason Spezza said. We found a way to lose. We have to find a way to win. The power play has to capitalize and we had a two-man advantage. I had two good looks.Game notes Dave Strader, the Stars TV play-by-play announcer, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, attended the game and announced the teams lineup in the locker room beforehand. ... Dallas made its final scheduled appearance at Joe Louis Arena, which will be replaced by a new arena next season. ... Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay dropped the ceremonial puck before the game. ... Detroits Tomas Jurco made his season debut, returning from offseason back surgery. ... Dallas D Stephen Johns, called up Sunday, went off late in the game with a towel over his face to try to stop bleeding.UP NEXTStars: Dallas stays on the road, playing Thursday night at Pittsburgh.Red Wings: Detroit hosts Florida on Thursday. 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THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Rams defense isnt often embarrassed, and it is rarely humbled.Its veterans have been one of the NFLs best units for the past few years, and theyve been among the best again this season. Even after the past 64:02, theyre still ranked ninth in the league in total defense.And thats remarkable, considering everything thats gone wrong over the past 64:02.The Rams (4-7) flew to New England on Friday after a week of rededication and recovery from their most humiliating defensive performance in years. Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints dropped 49 points and 555 yards last weekend in Los Angeles sixth loss in seven games.Its going to tell a lot about us this week, said cornerback Trumaine Johnson, the Rams highest-paid player. After that game last week, hopefully we go out there and compete. Man, I really dont like going back and talking about it. But everything wasnt working, as a whole defense.Combined with the Miami Dolphins two long touchdown drives in the final minutes to win a game otherwise dominated by Los Angeles defense two weeks ago, the Rams have given up nine touchdowns and 707 yards on their opponents last 15 drives.Johnson realizes thats an inauspicious way to go into another long road trip and a cold-weather game against Tom Brady. The Rams cant change much about their personnel or schemes in such a short time, but Los Angeles is hoping the embarrassment will spark a return to form.Sometimes you get a wake-up call, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. Weve been pretty dominant for four or five weeks, and all of a sudden, that wakes you up. I havent had any problem holding their attention in the meetings this week.The numbers are grim: New Orleans 555 yards were the third-most allowed in the 80-year-old franchises history. It was easily the Rams worst defensive game under Williams, the third-year coordinator, or head coach Jeff Fisher, who needs a huge finish to avoid his fifth straight losing season. The Saints 49 pointts were the most allowed by the Rams since 2002, and one fewer than Los Angeles had given up in its previous four games combined.ddddddddddddThe reasons for the problems are varied. Middle linebacker Alec Ogletree acknowledges his defense wasnt lined up properly on several key plays, while Williams alluded to young players making positional mistakes that cost the Rams dearly.But if the Rams mental toughness was dented by the failures, they havent indicated it during the week of practices for the Patriots.We definitely were mad about it, and disappointed, defensive lineman Aaron Donald said. But we know what weve got to do. Weve got to eliminate the mistakes, and weve got to play better. Thats not the way we play. We know that.Johnson and the Rams secondary realize theyve got the most work to do. Including Miamis final two drives, the Rams have yielded nearly 20 percent of all the yards passing theyve allowed in the entire season over the past 4 1/2 quarters.Even without Rob Gronkowski as a target, the Rams understand the challenge they face in their first meeting with the Patriots since Fishers first season in charge in 2012. Brady passed for 304 yards and four touchdowns that year while New England shredded St. Louis 45-7 in London.Weve got Tom Brady this week, Johnson said. We couldnt feel sorry for ourselves. Its another great quarterback were facing. We expect it to be a challenge.Game notes The defense might not have DE Robert Quinn, who is in the NFLs concussion protocol. He missed practice all week, but is listed as questionable for Sunday. .... Tavon Austin, the Rams receiver and kick returner, is doubtful after missing the weeks practices with a chest injury. ... C Tim Barnes (foot), OT Andrew Donnal (hip) and OG Rodger Saffold (hand) practiced on a limited basis Friday.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '