Wolves can’t duplicate effort

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Updated: December 29, 2011 8:15AM

Maybe the Wolves had some offensive indigestion.

Just 15 hours after an offensive feast that coach Craig MacTavish called his team’s best showing all season, the Wolves dragged in the second of back-to-back games against the Peoria Rivermen, losing 4-0 on Sunday at Allstate Arena.

“As good as we felt last night, we feel poorly about it today,” MacTavish said. “It’s a disappointing effort, but I guess the saving grace for us is that it was a collaborative lack of effort. There wasn’t really any survivors in our game tonight.”

Jonathan Cheechoo and Derek Nesbitt each had a goal and an assist for the Rivermen (10-10-1-1), who snapped a four-game losing streak. Ben Bishop earned his third shutout of the season, stopping 28 shots.

MacTavish said the plan was to pressure the Rivermen in the first period after a game Saturday in which the Wolves scored two goals in the first minute.

While they played the Rivermen to a scoreless tie after one period, the Wolves (9-7-0-2) looked like a different team in the second. They allowed three goals in the period, and all four were scored at even strength.

Wolves goalie Matt Climie had his five-start winning streak snapped. Despite playing two games in such a short span, the loss left Climie and the Wolves ready to get back on the ice.

“Especially with that effort,” Climie said. “I just felt that we didn’t have that jump. Peoria played with the desperation they needed. They were on a losing streak and brought more to the table tonight, and we didn’t really meet their intensity.

“It’s tough to come back when you’re giving up that many [goals] in a short span.”

Two of the Rivermen’s goals came against the Wolves’ first line.

Forward Jay Barriball was the beneficiary of some missed defensive assignments by the Wolves. He scored three goals in the two games, including the first Sunday at 1:29 of the second period.

“He’s a gritty guy on the puck,” MacTavish said. “He doesn’t need a lot of opportunity to put the puck in the net, and he’s a force.

“We lost some battles and we missed some assignments, and that’s a bad combination.”