Detroit 5, Nashville 2
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, April 25, 2013
Where: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Referees:
Frederic L'Ecuyer, Chris Lee
Linesmen:
Lonnie Cameron, Greg Devorski
Attendance:
20066
By SportsDirect Inc.
Red Wings 5, Predators 2: Pavel Datsyuk recorded a goal and two assists while Johan Franzen added one of each as host Detroit inched closer to locking up a postseason berth.
Valtteri Filppula, Patrick Eaves and Justin Abdelkader also scored and Jimmy Howard made 20 saves for the Red Wings, who hopped one point over the Minnesota Wild and into seventh place in the Western Conference. Detroit also is one point ahead of ninth-place Columbus.
Mike Fisher and Craig Smith each notched a goal and an assist while Chris Mason turned aside 33 shots for the Predators. Fisher was returning from a hand injury that cost him seven games.
The second period belonged to the Red Wings, with Franzen tying the game 61 seconds into the session by bouncing the puck off Mason’s hip from a tough angle. Eaves put Detroit ahead for good less than three minutes later on a one-timer off Jordin Tootoo’s backhand feed and Datsyuk capped the three-goal surge with a power-play tally in the final minute.
Fisher finished off a 2-on-1 rush 1:46 into the game, but Filppula knotted it just over five minutes later with a shot from the slot that resulted in his 100th career goal. Nashville regained the lead during a power play with 7 1/2 miutes left in the first, when Smith got his own rebound and jammed it past Howard.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Red Wings, who capped the scoring with Abdelkader’s third-period goal, finish up the regular season at Dallas on Saturday. … Nashville dropped to 1-8-1 in its last 10 games and will conclude its season at Columbus. … Datsyuk has tallied in back-to-back games after going seven straight without a goal.
Top Game Performances
| Nashville |
|
Detroit |
|
Mike Fisher 2 |
Points |
Pavel Datsyuk 3 |
|
Mike Fisher 1 |
Goals |
Pavel Datsyuk 1 |
|
Mike Fisher 1 |
Assists |
Pavel Datsyuk 2 |
|
Craig Smith 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Pavel Datsyuk 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Chris Mason .868 |
Save Percentage |
Jimmy Howard .909 |
|
Chris Mason 33 |
Saves |
Jimmy Howard 20 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Nashville
|
22 |
2 |
1-5 |
3-4 |
8 |
25 |
| Detroit
|
38 |
5 |
1-4 |
4-5 |
10 |
32 |
Upcoming Games
-
Detroit will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Red Wings have a W/L % of .455 after a win and .542 after a loss.
-
Nashville will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Predators have a W/L % of .375 after a win and .333 after a loss.