As Red Wings go down, door opens for Brendan Smith

Defenseman stepped up in loss at Calgary, and injury-plagued Detroit will count on him to keep stepping up

(Photo: Paul Sancya, Associated Press)VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- When Brendan Smith received an opportunity, he responded with a strong performance that included a power-play goal.

Injuries are an unwelcome fact of the NHL, and two weeks into the season, the Detroit Red Wings have an entire veteran five-man unit on the sidelines.

As they prepare for tonight's game at Rogers Arena against the Vancouver Canucks, the Wings had to call up prospect Alexey Marchenko to plug one of the two holes left on defense after a painful Friday game at Calgary. The Wings lost in overtime, 3-2, and lost…