Even during down times, the Detroit Red Wings have found a way to be a thorn in the Nashville Predators’ collective side.
Tuesday’s tilt was no different, as the Red Wings handed the Preds a 3-2 loss at Bridgestone Arena to sweep the season series.
Both goaltenders — Pekka Rinne and Jimmy Howard — stopped tough chances early, and Nashville peppered Howard with shots. The Predators had a 10-4 edge in shots on goal midway through the opening period.
Jensen’s shot from the right point went through a heavy screen and Luke Glendening’s redirection beat Rinne at 15:05 for the game’s first goal. The sequence began after Filip Forsberg committed a turnover behind his own net.
Nashville went on the game’s first power play with 2:47 left in the first after Frans Nielsen went off for hooking, but the Red Wings killed it off after allowing two shots.
The Predators finished the first period with a 19-9 shot edge, but trailed 1-0 in what has become a more common occurrence lately.
Just 51 seconds into the second period, Nashville went back on the man advantage as Dylan Larkin was called for holding Craig Smith. That power play turned into a 5-on-3 advantage just 1:07 later when Jacob De La Rose was called for playing with a broken stick. Detroit killed both penalties.
Shortly after, Kyle Turris went to the box for slashing at 4:11, sending the Red Wings to their first power play. The Predators killed that penalty off, but had to do it again when P.K. Subban was called for delay of game after putting the puck over the glass in his own end.
Nashville couldn’t kill the second one off, as Dylan Larkin finished a play in front of the net to give Detroit a 2-0 lead.
The Predators responded almost immediately, as Ryan Johansen set up Viktor Arvidsson for a slap shot to cut the Red Wings’ lead in half at 7:49 of the second. It was Arvidsson’s 25th goal of the season.
Nashville’s next venture on the power play began with 3:33 left in the second period after Justin Abdelkader went off for interference. Subban’s blast got through for his first power play goal of the season to tie the game with 2:28 left in the period.
Danny DeKeyser was called for tripping at the end of the second period, giving the Predators a full power play to begin the third period. Nashville did not get a shot on goal during the man advantage.
Detroit regained the lead at 4:08 of the third as Andreas Athanasiou scored from a tight angle.
Nashville’s effort to try and tie the game was short-circuited when Viktor Arvidsson was called for hooking with 2:35 to play. DeKeyser was sent to the box with 55.9 seconds left, putting things back at 4-on-4 briefly.
With time running down, the Preds took one more shot with the extra attacker, but were unable to convert and ended up dropping their third straight game.
Random Observations
- Any line other than the JOFA line, please step up. And hello Rocco Grimaldi, hope you had a good birthday (though it’s too bad you wound up taking time off for it because McLeod).
- Kudos to the Red Wings for putting Gustav Nyquist out there early so all the scouts can look at him.
- Great spin pass from Hartman…too bad Weber was on the receiving end. Anybody else and it’s probably 1-0.
- Is this gonna be one of those nights where great chances get stopped somehow by Jimmy Howard?
- Is this gonna be one of those nights where great chances get stopped somehow by Pekka Rinne?
- Kevin Fiala seems a half-step on the late side receiving passes in the slot. It’s like he’s not ready for the puck or something.
- Preds have been the better team so far. But a turnover behind your own net will cost you.
- Bless you, Viktor Arvidsson.
- Oh, hey, a power play g…OMYGODITSAPOWERPLAYGOAL
- How did Athanasiou score that?
- How did Forsberg not score that?
- If Arvy had hit that lacrosse move to tie the game…he would have Michigan’d Detroit.
- If the power play somehow scores here, minor miracle./
Three Stars of the Game
- Arvidsson. Twenty-five goals and on pace to set a career high in that department.
- Johansen. Forty-one assists and on pace to set a career high in that department.
- Subban. One power-play goal and not on pace to set a career high in that department, but it’s still a power-play goal.
Tweets of the Night
For the record, no one on press row clapped when game ops just played “Handclap.”
— Jim Diamond (@diamondhockey) February 13, 2019
Yeah. we’ve all said it before, but the #Preds powerplay is an absolute embarrassment.
Don’t gimme this “we’re working on it” ole garbage. They’ve been working on it all season and it sucks.
— Kristopher Martel (@kmartel_sports) February 13, 2019
I think we just had a joke about pooping by the @1025TheGame broadcast team.
“Nothing better than a good movement, eh Pete?” –@Skillsy75
That was amazing.
— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) February 13, 2019
The usher reports to me there’s a grown ass man wearing nothing but a woman’s bikini running around the upper concourse. Detroit games, amirite? ¯_(ツ)_/¯#Preds #DETvsNSH
— Brandon Valentine (@bvalentine615) February 13, 2019