The Detroit Red Wings aren’t the first to show up in Nashville with hopes and dreams of being a big hit, only to come home empty-handed.
A 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday was the fourth successive setback for the Red Wings at Bridgestone Arena. In those four games, Detroit has been shutout once and outscored by a 15-3 margin.
It was a case of turnabout being fair play. At Little Caesars Arena on Nov. 23, the Red Wings were blanking the Predators 3-0.
Detroit was holding a 29-16 edge in shots on goal at the end of the game, but could only solve Nashville netminder Juuse Saros once. Alex Chiasson, with his third power-play goal in as many games, got Detroit on the board with 2:16 remaining in regulation time.
Kiefer Sherwood, in the second period and Timmy Novak, in the third period, were tallying the goals for the Predators.
Overall, Nashville has won seven of the last eight games against Detroit. The Predators have shutout the Red Wings twice in their last 10 meetings. They’ve held Detroit to two goals or less in seven of the past 10 games.
Red Wings, Predators Share Slim Playoff Hopes
Both the Red Wings and Predators were seeking a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Detroit is seven points out of an Eastern Conference Wild Card spot.
The Red Wings got some help on Tuesday when the Pittsburgh Penguins were losing 6-4 to the Montreal Canadiens. The Penguins are seventh overall in the East with 79 points. Detroit is holding a game in had on both the Penguins and New York Islanders. The Islanders are occupying the second Wild Card spot in the East with 76 points.
Nashville, meanwhile, are sitting just four points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the final Wild Card place in the Western Conference. Winnipeg lost Tuesday to the Carolina Hurricanes. Nashville is holding four games in hand on the Jets. With the victory over Detroit, the Preds improved to 8-2-1 over their last 11 games.
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