Predators Vanquish the Evil Empire for Sixth Consecutive Victory

The Nashville Predators defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 in Nashville in their first meeting of the season. With this win the Predators have moved in to a tie for second in the Central Division with 27 points. The Predators won all five games of their recent home stand; have won six straight games; and have been victorious in ten of their last twelve games.

The Predators applied the formula that has worked well for them on this winning streak. They aggressively forechecked in the first two periods which created numerous scoring opportunities and limited the Wings offensive opportunities. If not for the exceptional play of Chris Osgood, the Predators might have added a few more tallies. Notably, Osgood held the score to 1-0 Predators when he stopped Marcel Goc on a two on none breakaway in the second period.

The Predators played sound defense against the Wings. In other contests, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and others have had their way offensively. David Legwand, who was matched up against Datsyuk in a defensive role, limited the high powered sniper to one shot on goal for the entire contest. The Predators controlled the play in the game until the third period, when they got back on their heels defensively, allowing Detroit a 16-4 shot advantage. Fortunately, as the defense lapsed, goaltender Pekka Rinne was exceptional. Rinne stopped 30 of 31 Detroit shots to run his record to 10-4 on the season.

Offensively, the Predators continue to cycle the puck well, controlling the offensive zone for lengthy stretches at a time. This forced Detroit into several penalty situations, and in the first period, it cost them. Jason Arnott was able to get his own rebound in the low slot while the Preds were on the power play and knock it past Osgood for a 1-0 lead. While Tomas Holmstrom was in the box for hooking early in the second period, Martin Erat was the beneficiary of hard work in the corner by Joel Ward. Ward dug the puck out to Legwand, who slid a pass to Erat in the left face off circle. Erat blew a one time past Osgood to the top shelf for a 2-0. Predator lead.

Drew Miller cut the Predator lead to 2-1 at 6:38 of the second when he walked the puck out of the corner and slid it between the pads of Rinne. After that, the Predator offense was virtually non-existent for the remainder of the game as Detroit applied pressure and controlled play for most of the third period in their offensive zone. Rinne was called upon to make some big saves to prevent the tying goal, and he responded masterfully, keeping the Wings off the board despite being pelted with shots.

The game was decided at 17:40 of the third period when Martin Erat worked free for his second goal of the game and a two goal Predator lead. Erat has stepped up his game in the last five contests, and it is good (and about time) to see him contribute. Marty was not only strong in the offensive zone, but was very good on the forecheck. His speed and playmaking skills can be difference makers for the Predators, and he is beginning to be that type of player. Welcome aboard Marty. We need you.

In building this winning run, the Predators have done things that they wer not doing early in the season. They are shooting the puck more; they are cycling well; they are crashing the crease; and perhaps most importantly, they are being successful on the power play. A PP unit that was converting at a 3.7% rate early in the season is now converting at a rate of 17.25% (to make that kind of move, especially after the horrid start, means that the PP has to be clicking in the 30-40% range in recent games).

The other side of this equation is the minimal amount of penalties that the Preds have taken. They are one of the least penalized teams in the league, and against Detroit committed only two penalties. This is keeping top line players on the ice for more shifts and not tiring out the penalty killers. For a team without much depth, as are the Predators, this is essential to keeping the winning streak going.

 With this win, the Predators have now beaten the Red Wings in four straight contests, dating back to last season. For Predator fans, that feels great. Any time you can beat your division rival- the Evil Empire- it is good for your division standings, for the confidence of the team, and for the morale of your fans. The important thing for the Predators is to remember how this winning run was built, not upon the play of the team in the third period when you were back on your heels. It was built on your aggressive, all out offensive play and rugged defense. Don’t forget that lesson, keep playing the way you have, and maybe, somewhere, in a league not so far away, the Red Wings will look at the Predators as the Evil Empire.