Let's Watch the Wings and the Predators!

The Red Wings, hosting the Nashville Predators, look to establish a new NHL record for consecutive wins at home tonight after setting a new league record in that category here the night before the night before last with a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars--Detroit's NHL record-setting 21st straight home ice victory.

This is the first time these teams have met since Detroit won in Nashville 4-1 the night after Christmas.  Since that game, the Wings have gone 17-5-1 (.761).  Impressive, no?  Well, get a load of this.  Since the last time they've seen Detroit, the Predators have gone 15-4-2 (.762).

The latest on Joey MacDonald is this: he has won three straight games in net with a 1.72 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in six games since being recalled from Grand Rapids to replace Jimmy Howard.  Danny Cleary has gone on Injured Reserve and has been replaced on the Detroit roster by #21 Tomas Tatar, recalled yesterday from the AHL.  Tatar is a healthy scratch tonight. 


Pekka Rinne, starting goalie for the Preds tonight, is 9-4-3 all-time v. Detroit.  3 of the wins have been shutouts.  His lifetime goals-against v. the Wings is 2.41.

1-0, Detroit at 12:44:  Pavel Datsyuk's 43rd assist of the season might have been his prettiest.  Datsyuk carried into the zone and tried to spin near the left half-wall.  He fell down.  No problem.  While on the ice, Datsyuk managed to slide it over to Todd Bertuzzi who in turn slid it in front to Johan Franzen and he fired it past Rinne for his team-leading 23rd goal of the year.

And the period ends.  The Franzen goal is the only goal scored as Detroit outshoots Nashville 14-9.  Each team was 0-1 on the power play in what was a very evenly-played period.  I was impressed with Nashville's transition game, the had several rushes of the odd-man variety, which you don't often see against the Red Wings.  MacDonald was very good.  END OF FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 1, NASHVILLE 0.


We've played about 8 mins of the second period and there is nothing new to report.  12:21 left, 2nd Period: Detroit 1, Nashville 0.


Joey MacDonald just stopped one with his forehead after giving the puck away, which is an outstanding example of good positioning on his part, then stopped an in-cold breakaway less than 30 seconds later by executing a wonderful lateral slide.  Great footwork.  I walked past former Wings goalie Greg Stephan, here scouting tonight for somebody and he said, "MacDonald's playing with great confidence, good for him."  Alas, only a couple of minutes later, Detroit's Jacob Kindl gave it up deep to Nashville's Jordin Tootoo and he found Nick Spaling unaccounted for by the Wings, all alone right out in front and Spaling fired it by and as the period ends, the game is tied 1-1.  Nashville had the edge in the play in the period, I thought.  Shots were pretty even, though: 8-7, Predators.  For the game, Detroit has outshot Nashville 21-17.  END OF TWO PERIODS: Detroit 1, Nashville 1.


I hope you saw that little give-and-go between Datsyuk and Zetterberg mid-way through the third.  That's about as good a play as you will ever see which does not result in a goal.  The whole shift was about as good as it gets, too, for that matter.  It ended when Holmstrom was pulled down and they didn't call it which resulted in a 2-on-1 back the other way.  Fortunately for Detroit, the "1" in this case was Lidstrom, and because it was, Nashville didn't got a shot off the odd-man.  9:00 left, 3rd: Detroit 1, Nashville 1.


This has been a fair fight, I'll give it that much.  It has been more exciting than your average 1-1 game, which is what this one is as Nashville calls time with 1:37 to play.  Overtime?  Shootout?  More likely than not, I'd say, but you never know.

Man, the Wings came soooo close on a Datsyuk to Hudler feed in the final minute.  They've come so close so often in this third period.  But no joy.  And then nothing but joy!  Datsyuk scores on a breakaway at 19:55 and it is 22 in a row at home for Detroit.We are going to Overtime!  Final Detroit 2, Nashville 1.