Predators Fail to Finish, Fall to Wings 3-2

The Nashville Predators found out that they have a war in their series with the Detroit Red Wings as the Wings captured a 3-2 win at the Bridgestone Arena to even their series at one game for each team.

For the Predators, they found out that matching the intensity of their opponent is essential to winning a critical game. Failing to do so resulted in losing puck battles and failing to finish chances.

And it allowed the Wings the opportunity to even the series heading back to the Joe.

Pekka Rinne got the start in net and he wasn't sharp. He gave up 2 goals on 8 shots in the first period as the Predators found themselves in a 2-0 deficit at the end of one period.

Ian White opened the scoring for the Wings as his shot through traffic found the back of the net at 8:25 of the first period. Rinne seemed to lose the puck through traffic, and the goal energized the Wings.

They capitalized on that momentum with a goal from Cory Emmerton at 15:33 of the first as his wrist shot beat Rinne cleanly over his shoulder to give the Wings a 2-0 lead.

The Wings did a good job of disrupting the offensive flow of the Predators throughout the first period and for the bulk of the game. The Predators struggled to establish their offense in the zone, and when they did, Jimmy Howard made some good saves to stymie the Predators offense.

The Predators finally broke through and tallied a marker at 9:01 of the second period as Alexander Radulov got the puck to Andrei Kostitsyn and he buried his chance to make it 2-1.

Finally, the Predators had life, the arena was rocking, and the momentum was with the Predators.

That changed just 56 seconds later as Johan Franzen potted a goal that appeared to completely elude Rinne and made the score 3-1 Red Wings.

The Predators cut the deficit to 3-2 as Shea Weber tallied his first goal of the series with a backhand shot from the slot at 15:16 of the third period.

The Predators were not able to find the back of the net in the remaining time, and the Wings had tied the series at 1.

For the Predators, this loss had to be extremely disappointing. Throughout the night, they lost puck battles and were ineffective moving through the neutral zone. In the offensive zone, they could not finish. For the night, the Predators out shot the Wings 26-17, but their inability to finish chances doomed them in this contest.

The Predators power play was once again impotent. The power play went 0-6, and if this is not corrected soon, will spell immense trouble for the Predators. Often, the power play was stagnant, with players not moving to the open lanes and shots not getting on net.

Detroit's designated thug, Todd Bertuzzi, fought Shea Weber early in the game as retribution for Weber's hit on Henrik Zetterberg in game one. Bertuzzi was busy grabbing at Weber and hoping he did not get hit. A meaningless fight that served no purpose in the game, but one that the Wings felt they needed to engage in to respond to Weber's hit.

Several concerns are present for the Predators. Their power play has to start clicking for them to capture this series. Presently, the power play is not a plus for the Predators, and after the effectiveness of the regular season, this is troubling. The man advantage unit has to simplify their game and get shots on net rather than waiting for the pretty play. Through two games, the power play is 0-12.

The Predators need to finish their chances. They had them tonight and failed to capitalize. Finish the chances and Detroit is looking a t a 2-0 deficit.

It is imperative that the line of Mike Fisher, Sergei Kostitsyn, and Marty Erat start tot step up their game. They have been invisible in the first two games, and for the Predators to have success, they must produce. Through two games, they have combined for 10 shots and no points. This has to change for the Predators to have success. And the change needs to occur immediately.

The Predators have and opportunity to rebound and take the series lead with the next game on Sunday at Joe Louis Arena.

It is a simple task.

Be strong on the puck and get shots on net.  Finish your chances.

And take control of the series.

My three stars:

1. Jimmy Howard

2. Johan Franzen

3. Shea Weber

Weber Avoids Suspension; Bigger Problem for the League

"In case of emergency, break glass."

As the Detroit Red Wings were desperately trying to rally to tie the first game in their playoff series with the Nashville Predators, Shea Weber attempted to do just that- break glass- with Henrik Zetterberg's face as he was trying to steal the puck from Weber behind the Nashville goal.

Here is the video of the final moments of the game from CBSSports Eye on Hockey blog:

Earlier today, the NHL announced that Weber would not be suspended for this incident, but fined the maximum amount allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which is $2,500.00

Red Wings fans already had their knickers in a knot over the play, and after the announcement that Weber would not be suspended, went absolutely apoplectic.

And I don't blame them.

If the situation had been reversed, and the Wings resident thug Todd Bertuzzi had done this to one of the Predators players, I would feel the same sense of outrage and anger that Wings fans feel. And I would have been on the phone to Greg Williams to discover the finer points of a bounty system.

Yes Weber plays on the edge, and what he did certainly stepped over the line. It was a type of play that we- the Predators and the NHL- did not need. When the casual fan starts to compare the play on the ice to the WWE, at the least the game has a perception problem.

Watch the video closely. Yes Weber was cross checked, but what really set him off was the knee on knee hit from behind by Zetterberg. That is when Weber lost it and retaliated.

Understand by pointing this out, I am not excusing his behavior. But there was a match to his fuse.

The focus in the hockey world has been on the act in the heat of the moment, and what mitigated Weber's punishment is that Zetterberg is okay and will play in the next game.


Until the NHL changes the extent of injury as a criteria for punishment of players that commit egregious acts, we will continue to see those kinds of plays and continue to have the discussion about how to restore respect among the players and get those plays out of the game.

And the League is flirting with disaster.

Using the extent of an injury to determine the punishment of a player that engages in a dangerous play is ludicrous. The League runs the risk of seeing a player wheeled off on a stretcher with  a career ending and possibly life altering injury because the standard for punishing those types of plays floats with the extent of the injury. In some respects, this gives the players who "play on the edge" license to continue taking these risks.

If the League is serious about taking these types of hits out of the game- and not just the hit that Weber delivered but the head shots and dangerous boarding plays- the punishment has to be consistent and had to be delivered regardless of the extent of injury or lack thereof. Only then will the players begin to consider their actions and limit those dangerous plays.

Consistent punishment that does not take into account the extent of an injury will not completely eliminate these plays. Some occur in a split second and are unavoidable. Consistent punishment regardless of injury will help to remove the retaliatory hits and the the dangerous hits along the board. Players will hopefully get the message that even if an opponent is not injured, engaging in a dangerous hit will have consequences that are not arbitrary or related to the injury suffered.

Maybe then Brendan Shanahan will not have so many pane in the glass plays to consider.

Red Wings Eke Out a 2-1 Win Over the Predators

The Nashville Predators looked to end the Detroit Red Wings 21 game home winning streak at the Joe in a contest between two Central Division foes fighting for division and conference supremacy. The Wings home winning streak was nothing short of amazing, and the Predators faced a daunting task trying to derail the home juggernaut that was Detroit.

Pekka Rinne got the start in net for the Predators, while Joey MacDonald, doing an admirable job filling in for the injured Jimmy Howard, manned the pipes for the Wings.

The Predators were playing without Patric Hornqvist, who was placed on injured reserve today with an upper body injury suffered in the game with the Boston Bruins. The Wings were missing Patric Eaves and Dan Cleary.

The Predators and the Wings both generated some good scoring chances, and both goaltenders were equal to the task that the opposing offenses presented. That changed at 12:44 of the first as the Predators defense left Johan Franzen alone in the low slot and the feed from Todd Bertuzzi was on his tape, allowing him to bury a quick wrist shot behind Rinne for a 1-0 Detroit lead.

The first period ended with the score 1-0 and the Wings recording 14 shots on goal to 9 for Nashville.

One mistake, and the Predators found the puck in the back of their net.

While not a bad period for the Predators, their offensive effort was going to have to improve with more shots and quality shots.

The second period, long a bane for the Predators, saw them out work, out hit, and out hustle the Wings. The Predators forecheck was working, bottling the Wings up in their zone and creating chances. The Predators best scoring chance came on a set up from Sergei Kostitsyn that sent Marty Erat in alone on MacDonald. Unfortunately for the Predators, MacDonald stopped the glorious scoring chance, as he had done so far during the game.

The Predators finally broke through at 14:58 of the second as Jordin Tootoo stole the puck from Jakob Kindl and fed Nick Spaling in front of the MacDonald. Spaling cashed in on the chance, tying the game at 1.

For the Predators, this had to be a big relief. Lots of chances and unable to beat MacDonald, the pressure was mounting.

The period ended tied at 1; Nashville had 8 shots on goal in the second, while Detroit had 7.

This presaged a third period that would be a battle.

And a battle it was. Both teams went up and down the ice, created chances, but could not finish.

That would change with just 5 seconds to go as Pavel Datsyuk broke in on a breakaway and beat Rinne over his shoulder to take a 2-1 lead, which would be the final score.

Let's face it, the Wings are the best team in the NHL, and the Predators competed and gave them all they wanted for the duration of the game. The Wings were just a little bit better tonight, but a little bit means a big difference in the outcome of a game like this.

I thought the effort by the Predators was solid. They forechecked well, were solid on defense, and except for two plays, could have won this game.

Yet those two plays were the difference, and those are the plays that elite teams make.

If I were to criticize any aspect of the Predators game, it was that they did not finish their chances. They had 4 breakaway attempts, none of which they could bury. They had some good scoring chances at even strength and could not finish. This is something that has to improve for this team.

This was at least one point the Predators gave away. That is painful.

The thing the Predators have to do now is learn from that pain and channel it. Use it to start another winning streak.

And don't let another team eke out a win.

My three stars:

1. Pavel Datsyuk

2. Nick Spaling

3. Johan Franzen

Resilient Predators Dump Detroit 4-3

Persevere verb "to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of obstacles, difficulty,or discouragement"

The Nashville Predators faced the Detroit Red Wings at Bridgestone Arena in a contest that required the Predators to persevere, fight, and claw their way to a 4-3 win for their fourth straight win and even their season series with the Red Wings at one game each.

The Predators faced a significant test against the Red Wings, who had been red hot and playing some of the best hockey of any team in the NHL. Everyone knew this one would be a tough test for the Predators.

It was that, and then some.

Pekka Rinne got the start in net for the Predators, while Detroit countered with Jimmy Howard. Rinne was tested early and often throughout the contest, as the Wings fired a total of 40 shots at the Nashville net. Jimmy Howard faced 21 shots from the Predators.

Detroit opened the scoring on the power play as Ryan Suter was called for a weak hooking call and was in the box. Ian White sent a shot toward the net that pinballed off several sticks and legs, eventually coming to Tomas Holmstrom alone at the side of the net. Holmstrom had an easy tap in to give the Wings a 1-0 lead.

The Predators answered the Wings score at 10:09 of the first period as David Legwand took a shot from the left side of the net that Howard stopped with his pad. The rebound came right back to Legwand, and he lifted the puck over a sprawling Howard to knot the game at 1.

Tied going into the second period, the Wings asserted themselves. They outshot the Predators 15-5, controlled the puck for long stretches, and thoroughly stymied the Predators offensive effort. Oh, by the way, they also scored two goals.

The first of those goals came at 10:03 of the second with the Wings on another power play. Jerred Smithson was in the box for hooking, and the Wings got control of the puck down low. A nice tic tac toe pass from Todd Bertuzzi to Juri Hudler to Henrik Zetterberg found Zetterberg alone at the side of the net and he had a virtually empty net in which to shoot the puck to give the Wings a 2-1 lead.

Nicklas Lidstrom made it 3-1 Detroit at 11:30 of the period as he beat Rinne with a shot from the blue line at even strength. For Predator fans, things looked grim. Detroit was 18-0 when they had a 2 goal lead and the Predators offense was virtually invisible, having failed to record a shot on net for 11 minutes in the period.

The Predators would show some signs of life as Jordin Tootoo tallied off a rebound of a Kevin Klein shot to beat Howard and make it 3-2 Detroit at 17:22 of the period. Tootoo continues his strong play with his 9th point in the last 10 games, and he has brought a spark and a scoring touch to his line that the Predators have long expected out of him and that they have desperately needed.

Detroit is strong on the puck, and in the third period, they continued to control the puck and keep the Predators hemmed in their own end. With the clock melting away, it appeared as if the Wings would strangle the life out of the Predators.

The momentum would turn toward the Predators at the 15:14 mark of the third period, as Jimmy Howard was called for hooking, the only Detroit penalty of the night. The Predators would make the Wings pay for this transgression at 15:36 of the third as Shea Weber unleashed a blast from just inside the blue line. Patric Hornqvist was screening Howard, and the puck flew past the Detroit netminder to tie the game at 3.

That goal energized the crowd, who was in full throat in support of the Predators, and the home team responded.

The Predators got the puck into the zone, and Jordin Tootoo got the puck to Weber at the blue line. He took a wrist shot that bounced about 10 feet in front of Howard and skipped over his shoulder to give the Predators a 4-3 lead.

The Predators were able to hold off the final push by the Wings with Howard out of the net and the extra attacker on the ice. As they horn sounded, the crowd erupted, and as improbable as it might seem, the Predators had the 4-3 win over their rival.

After the game, I heard someone say that the Predators "stole" that game from Detroit. Here is the aspect that one should keep in mind: the Predators kept themselves in a position to win that game- "steal" it if you insist- by persevering. It would have been easy to quit, to let Detroit continue to dominate and choke the life out of the Predators. The fact that this team didn't quit and kept fighting is telling.

The bottom line is that they put themselves into a position to win the game.

Here is a blinding flash of the obvious: Detroit is talented. They are well coached. They are experienced. Those characteristics overshadow the fact that the Predators faced adversity and they were in a 2 goal hole, but they continued to push, they continued to skate, and there was no quit in them.

This is a young team that is growing up right before our eyes. They are learning to fight, to scrap, and to persevere.

More importantly, they are learning to win.

This is the result of a total buy in of what the coaching staff has been teaching. It is a result of believing in the coaches and the teammates on the ice.

There will be more tests of this young squad, and more chances to persevere.

This contest with the Wings shows this team that they are never out of a contest.

Just keep persevering.

My three stars:

1. Shea Weber

2. Jordin Tootoo

3. Nicklas Lidstrom

Predators Fail to Measure Up, Fall to the Red Wings 4-1

The Nashville Predators often say that the Detroit Red Wings are their measuring stick, that they want to be as consistently good as their Central Division rival.

If the first period of tonight's game at the Joe is any indication, the Predators have a ways to go.

Pekka Rinne opened in net for the Predators, and he was under assault during the first period. Jimmy Howard got the start for the Wings, and he could have spent a lot of time listening to his i-Pod. Don't believe me? The Wings out shot the Predators 14-3 in the first period.

The Predators never established any offensive presence in the first, getting one significant scoring chance, while the Wings peppered Rinne with shots. Rinne was solid in turning away the Wings attempts and keeping the Predators in the game.

The Wings broke through on the power play with Mike Fisher in the box for tripping. Todd Bertuzzi took a shot that Rinne amazingly kept out of the net. The rest of the Predators PK must have thought that Bertuzzi scored as they stopped. Valtteri Filppula pounced on the loose puck at the side of the net and lifted a backhand shot in for the Wings score at 13:23.

Frankly, after that first period, it could have been much worse for the Predators save (pun intended) for the efforts of Rinne.

The Wings extended their lead to 2-0 at 18:29 of the second period as Henrik Zetterberg took the puck behind the net and faked a wraparound shot. Rinne went down to the ice and Zetterberg smartly backed away and lifted the puck over a sprawling Rinne.

Detroit made it 3-0 at 11:26 as Juri Hudler launched a shot from the blue line that got past Rinne when it was re-directed by Valtteri Filppula, who was camped at the top of the blue ice and was immoveable by the Predators defense.

As poor as the Predators offense had looked to this point in the game, that 1-0 lead would have probably held up. A 3-0 lead against this team is insurmountable.

The only question now would be if the Predators would show any push back at all.

That would be a resounding "no".

The Predators offensive efforts were completely stymied by the Red Wings, and what offense the Predators did generate never seriously challenged Howard.

Lest you think I'm being too hard on the Predators, consider this. In the second period, the Predators were out shot 11-5, making the shot totals through two periods 25-8 for the Wings.

Inexcusable and unacceptable.

The outcome was no longer in the balance. It was now just a matter of how bad would this debacle be?

Darren Helm stole the puck from Mike Fisher and fed Dan Cleary, who one-timed the puck past Rinne to make it 4-0 Red Wings at 15:57 of the third.

The Predators finally got on the board as Jack Hillen drove the net and took a perfect feed from Colin Wilson at 14:26 of the period.

The goal gave the Predators some jump, and for the first time in the game, the team started to move their feet and skate some.

The Predators finally started playing Predator hockey and shooting the puck and crashing the net, but they still could not solve Jimmy Howard, who was solid in the face of several Predator flurries around his crease.

There was a scary moment with about two minutes to go in the game as Patrick Eaves went down to block a shot by Roman Josi and took the puck off the side of his head. Eaves was carried off the ice on a stretcher but was conscious.

The aforementioned Josi saw his first ice time of the season for the Predators as he was called up prior to the game. The Predators lost Frankie Buillon in the third period to a lower body injury, which meant Josi saw more ice time. For the game, Josi logged 12:20.

The final was 4-1 Wings. The reality was that the Predators were dominated from start to finish and were never in this contest.

The Predators have dropped 4 straight games, and they have not looked good in doing so. In every loss, there has been at least one period in which the Predators have not shown up.

Tonight, there were three.

And for the life of me, this makes no sense. This is a young team, but the time for excuses is past. There is no excuse for not skating hard. There is no excuse for playing a period like you don't want to be on the ice. There is no excuse for no being hard on the puck and using the talent that this team has to move through the neutral zone and establish offensive presence.

Once again, the shot totals are indicative of the lack of effort. Detroit out shot Nashville 37-18.

This is frustrating beyond words.

Every team hits a rough patch. I can accept that.

What I cannot accept is guys on the ice not working hard.

The only way out of this funk is for this team to get back to basics, back to playing Predator hockey. And the first step in doing so is to work hard.

Harder than you worked tonight.

My three stars:

1. Valtteri Filppula

2. Dan Cleary

3. Jimmy Howard

Halting the Head Shot Horrors

Once again, the NHL has found itself dealing with an on-ice incident that has left one player with a severe concussion and the League having to mete out discipline based on less than concrete guidelines.

Boston's Nathan Horton was destroyed by a late hit from Vancouver's Aaron Rome in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The destructive power of the hit left Horton prone on the ice, his mind in some other arena than the TD Garden, and being wheeled off the ice on a stretcher. Rome was given a 5 minute major for interference and a game misconduct. In a hearing the next day with the League's temporary sheriff, Mike Murphy, Rome was suspended for four games, removing him from the rest of the Stanley Cup finals.

There has been argument on both sides, with Boston fans claiming this was not enough of a punishment and Vancouver fans claiming the suspension was either too harsh or altogether unwarranted. From the perspective of the fan base, those arguments will never be resolved.

The real issue for the League is how to resolve the fact that the game is a fast paced , intense, and physical with the desire to protect players.

The League took a step in that direction with the establishment and emphasis on the Rule 48, the illegal check to the head. This rule prohibits the blind side hit (from behind) and lateral hit (from the side), and the heightened emphasis from the League has helped to cut down on the number of dangerous plays that resulted in serious injuries to players.

So why are we still talking about this? And more importantly, why did we see another player carted off the ice with his playing career in jeopardy?

There are three factors that contribute to the on-going problem with these types of hits.

The first is that Rule 48 is open to the vagaries of interpretation. For instance, how many times during the regular season did you hear an announcer talk about a player "turning into the hit" before being blown up by an opponent? Or ask if the contact was first "shoulder to shoulder" before witnessing a player nearly being decapitated? Oh yeah, all of us have heard a hit being described as a "hockey play" as a player is being destroyed by a check to the head, much like Raffi Torres did to Chicago's Brent Seabrook in Round 1 in a collision behind the net.

And nowhere in the language of Rule 48 does it prohibit a shot to an opponent's head if it coming from straight ahead.

These loopholes leave the on-ice officials with the dilemma of interpreting a play that has just occurred at full speed and trying to make a decision as to a penalty call and any further discipline.

So it should be easy for the League's disciplinarian, which will soon be former player Brendan Shanahan, to look at these plays and make a valid ruling as to the type of discipline that should be meted out when a violation of Rule 48 occurs?

Right?

Not really.

This is because of the second factor that comes into play in these situations, and that is the reliance on "intent" to determine the level of punishment. In reviewing these incidences, the League often relies on an interpretation- theirs- of the players intent in the play in question.

I would submit to you that is ludicrous.

Egregious offenders of League rules- think Todd Bertuzzi after his malicious hit on Steve Moore or Matt Cooke after his devastating hit on Marc Savard- never once have said it was their "intent" to hurt the other player. Believe that if you want, but please tell me how the League is going to judge intent in those situations or in any situation that is occurring at high speed and requires split second decisions on the ice?

Frankly, the League cannot determine intent and it is the height of arrogance on their part to think they can. Using intent as a basis for determining disciplinary action is so nebulous as to not be a standard at all.

Every parent has had the situation with their child where something has gone wrong, and one of the first things out of their innocent mouth is "I didn't mean to..." We as parents know that judging the intent of our children is next to impossible. More often than not, "I didn't mean to" translates into "I didn't think something bad would happen."

What the league is doing with the vague and subjective standard of determining intent is in essence saying, like a child, "I hope nothing bad happens." This is eventually going to lead to a disastrous outcome on the ice and is just insane.

"Hoping that nothing bad happens" is the third factor that comes into play in these dangerous situations. The League calls it "outcome", and they look at the result of the play to determine the measure of discipline that will be meted out to the offending player.

This begs the question, if Nathan Horton had gotten back up after that hit and was able to play, would Aaron Rome have received any supplemental discipline? Irrespective of the fact that Rome put a player in a very dangerous situation, would the League have done anything else if Horton was still playing?

Probably not.

And this is outrageous and will eventually lead to a player suffering a horrific injury.

Using the outcome of a play to determine any supplemental discipline continues to invite these types of plays. Regardless of outcome, a dangerous hit is a dangerous hit, and using outcome to mitigate the punishment of a player that puts another in peril with a dangerous hit is foolish.

There is much talk from players, coaches, management, and owners about players about the lack of respect for players by other players; that if we want these injuries to be eliminated, then players have to respect one another.

Frankly, respect has been talked to death.

Telling players to respect the game and to respect each other just isn't working.

So how do we keep the physicality in the game without endangering the players?

First, if the League is serious, eliminate all head shots. I know, purists will immediately say that it will take away the physical aspect of the game and forever alter the character of the on-ice product. I call B.S. The NFL has eliminated the helmet to helmet hit and the game is still a violent, physical contest. This doesn't mean that hits to the head don't occur in the NFL and would not occur in the NHL. They will. The NFL reviews those plays and any violations are adjudicated within 24 hours, usually with a fine.

The NHL could implement a similar system of fines or keep a system of suspensions in place, or some combination of the two. The important point for the League and the protection of the players is that the system be consistent and equitable. The penalty that  a grinder receives for delivering a blow to the head of an opponent should be no diffrent than the penalty that a "star" receives for the same action.

Which leads to the second, and I think obvious, necessity in reforming the system. Eliminate the inane attempt to determine intent. The League cannot determine intent, the officials on the ice cannot, and many times a player in the heat of a tightly fought contest cannot determine intent either. The League has to have consistent standards based on the action on the ice regardless of the motive in a player's heart.

Finally, remove the obscene standard of outcome. Using outcome to determine the type, if any, of the disciplinary action is beyond reason. Suppose I fire a gun at you with the intent to kill you and I miss (in real life, my aim is better than that, but we can talk about that later). If the American legal system used the NHL's "justice" standards, although my desire was to hit you with the shot and I missed, the outcome was not so bad, so I would receive a nominal punishment. Using outcome in this example has shown that a standard such as that devalues your life. Using outcome of a rules violation in the NHL shows that the players on the ice have been devalued by the League.

Obviously, a consistent and agreed upon set of disciplinary measures must be established with the players. With the upcoming CBA negotiations, what better time to bring this issue to the table. Players have to know without a doubt what will happen when they cross a line of behavior on the ice. Having a clearly defined set of standards and consequences has to be better than the League's chief disciplinarian having to call to currently recused disciplinarian as well as a rival team's GM to get input on the punishment. I don't care if Brian Burke formerly occupied that role, he is now the GM of a competing team and has had some not so stellar relations with the current owner of the team whose player was going to be disciplined.

Frankly, that is an embarrassing circus that the NHL has to determine discipline in this manner.

The inconsistency in dealing with these types of hits sullies the perception of the League among fans of the game as well as casual fans. More importantly, it places the players at undue risk. It is time for the League to step up and take responsibility for protecting players by implementing a consistent standard of no head shots and disciplinary action for violation of the rules.

Only then will the League halt the horrific injuries from head shots.

Young Guns Lead the Predators Over the Wings 3-1

The Nashville Predators made a strategic decision at the trade deadline to stand pat and rely on their young players to help carry the load over the remainder of the season. Tonight, youth was served as two first year players led the Nashville Predators to a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

With the win, the Predators have captured 4 of 5 games against the Red Wings this season. More importantly for the Predators, this was their 4th win in the last 5 games and currently moves them back into a playoff spot in the tightly bunched Western Conference race.

The win give the Predators a record of 37-25-10 and good for 84 points, tied with Chicago for the 7th position in the Western Conference.

Detroit opened the scoring on the power play at 19:38 of the first period. Sergei Kostitsyn was called for elbowing, and just 8 seconds into the power play, the Wings capitalized as Dan Cleary was able to tip the puck over the shoulder of Pekka Rinne for his 23rd goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.

The score could have been 2-0 as an apparent goal by Niklas Kronwall was waved off by referee Stephen Walkom because it was ruled that Tomas Holmstrom interfered with Rinne. The first big break of the game had gone to the Predators with this call.

It was going to be important for the Predators to respond to the score by the Wings. They could ill afford to fall behind by two goals.

Respond the did.

In the second period, the Predators did an excellent job of forechecking and limiting the scoring chances by the Red Wings. They outshot Detroit 18-9 in the period and generated some quality scoring chances.

The offensive effort paid off at 8:42 of the period as first year player Blake Geoffrion scored his third goal of the season and his first on home ice to tie the game. Geoffrion took a centering pass from Patric Hornqvist and tipped the puck over the shoulder of Detroit netminder Jimmy Howard. The goal was very similar to the goal the Wings scored late in the first period and was the result of Geoffrion driving the net and scoring from the hard area at the top of the blue paint. A blue collar goal and typical of how the Predators have scored many of their goals this season.

Late in the second period, Mike Modano streaked in on a breakaway and hit the crossbar with 1:18 remaining. Rinne challenged Modano and was big in the net, forcing the dangerous Wings forward to shoot high.

The second big break of the game goes to the Predators.

Tied at 1 going into the third, this contest would be one that would be decided by who wanted the game more. Who was mentally and physically tougher and would capitalize on their opportunities?

That would be the Predators.

Shane O'Brien pinched in from his defensive position and drove the net. He was tripped by Henrik Zetterberg, and on the ensuing power play, the Predators made the Wings pay.

Sergei Kostitsyn ripped a shot from the slot that caromed off a leg of a Wings defenseman and came directly to Jonathan Blum, who was crashing the net from his defensive position. Blum rifled a shot between Howard and the far post to give the Predators a 2-1 lead at 8:12 of the third period.

One knew the Wings would be coming hard at the Predators over the remainder of the game. As he had done all night, Pekka Rinne made some huge stops for the Predators and kept the Wings off the board. Rinne had an outstanding game, stopping 39 of 40 shots that he faced.

David Legwand would seal the win for the Predators with an empty net goal at 19:38 of the third, and the Predators captured 2 precious points. This was especially sweet as they came at the hands of one of their fiercest rivals.

The Predators showed no quit and refused to yield to the talent and the pressure of Detroit. Throughout the night, the Predators were the more physical team, pounding Detroit with booming body checks. Their physical play was instrumental in setting the tone for the game and turning momentum in their favor.

A special mention should go to the play of Shane O'Brien. O'Brien was physical all night and agitated the Wings, especially getting under the skin of Todd Bertuzzi and taking the big forward off his game. O'Brien did a great job of moving the puck and creating opportunities for the Predators. In my view, it was one of the best games he has played as a member of the Predators.

One could question the reliance on the young players by the Predators. The truth is they have made some rookie mistakes during their time on the ice. Yet players like Blake Geoffrion and Jonathan Blum have accepted the challenge before them and they have contributed positively. Blum has shown that he can be a solid defenseman and his presence on the power play gives the Predators another offensive option. Geoffrion has shown a willingness to go to the hard areas and battle for the puck and for scoring chances.

Youth will be served.

There is no doubt that the young guys will have to contribute for this team to be successful. It will take the enthusiasm and effort of this entire squad to get into the playoffs.

This is the trial by fire, not only for the young guys but for every player on the Predators. This is playoff hockey right now. This is your challenge.

Continue to play with heart. Continue to bring it every game.

And the playoffs will be your reward.

My three stars:

1. Jonathan Blum

2. Blake Geoffrion

3. Pekka Rinne