Tommy Novak and Juuse Saros continued their excellent play and Kiefer Sherwood scored to earn the Nashville Predators two points in the playoff chase.

Tonight the Nashville Predators returned to home ice at Bridgestone Arena after a six game road trip and welcomed the Detroit Red Wings. The 30-27-9 Red Wings are coming off a 5-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday that saw Detroit go up 4-0 but allow Boston to push back in the third period. Dylan Larkin leads the Red Wings in points and goals in the last five outings, while Moritz Seider recorded three assists in the same span. Alex Chaisson, a recent call up from the AHL has played five games for Detroit and has two goals and two assists in his NHL ice time. Ville Husso, who earned a shutout in the November matchup, got the start in net for the Red Wings. 

Nashville has a roster with several players who began the season in the AHL but are now seeing playing time for the Predators. Egor Afanasyev started his third NHL game tonight joining former Milwaukee Admirals teammates Kiefer Sherwood, Phil Tomasino, Juuso Pärssinen, and Tommy Novak. Novak has been red hot for the Predators recently, scoring three goals and two assists in his last five games. Today defenseman Kevin Gravel was also recalled from the Admirals as Ryan McDonagh is day to day with an upper body injury. 

Game Recap

Early in the first period Matt Duchene headed to the penalty box for a tripping call giving the Red Wings the first power play chance at 3:07. Just :31 seconds later Mo Seider headed to the box for hooking. The teams played four on four, and then Nashville attacked on a brief power play before the teams returned to full strength. 

Detroit got a second chance on the man advantage at 9:15 as Kiefer Sherwood was called for a slash. The Red Wings got two shots on net, but they were handle by Saros well and the teams returned to five a side. Nashville went on the power play at 15:20 thanks to a tripping call against Dylan Larkin. The Predators struggled during their two minutes, and Husso handled the single shot on net easily. The Red Wings peppered Saros as the period wound down, but the first twenty minutes passed with no score and somewhat anemic offense from both teams. 

The second period began with an early Nashville power play after a Detroit too many men on the ice call. The Predators' power play struggled again, and the teams returned to five a side with just one shot on goal. The march to the penalty box continued as Roman Josi took two minutes to think about a hold he committed at 5:49. Alex Chiasson pressured Saros, but the Red Wings also couldn't take advantage. 

At 8:34 Robert Hagg was also called for a hold, and the Predators tried again on the power play. While Nashville pressured Husso on that man advantage, it wasn't until the teams returned to full strength that Nashville finally opened the scoring. Kiefer Sherwood tapped in a net front feed from Phil Tomasino to give the Preds the first goal of the game at 10:58. The teams exchanged trips down the ice through the second half of the period but headed into the second intermission with Nashville ahead by a score of 1-0. 

Red hot Tommy Novak kicked off the third period with a tip in goal at 2:22 to give the Predators a two goal lead. The Red Wings answered back with extended offensive pressure, but Saros managed the buzz in front of him well. 

At 11:49 Matt Duchene drew a tripping penalty, and Nashville earned their fifth power play of the game. Again, the power play floundered, and the two minutes expired with no offensive threat on the man advantage. 

As time wound down in the final period, Nashville worked to keep Detroit from establishing extended zone time again despite pressure from the Red Wings. With less than three minutes to go in the game, the Red Wings went empty net and Dante Fabbro headed to the oft visited penalty box to give the visitors a two man advantage. Recent call up Alex Chiasson battled Saros net front and got the puck past the goal line to cut the lead to one with 2:16 left on the clock. The goal was reviewed for a kicking motion, but the officials ruled it a good goal. 

Nashville jockeyed for possession keeping Husso in net as the clock counted down. Detroit added an extra attacker once Husso headed to the bench, but Nashville was able to make the Red Wings chase the puck. The final horn sounded as the Predators walked away with a 2-1 win. 

Game Notes

1. The Predators didn't generate many high danger chances this game. With just 16 shots on goal and only a handful of them quality chances, tonight was a night when the Preds missed Filip Forsberg and what he adds to the offensive arsenal. 

2. Tommy Novak is playing outstanding hockey right now. Novak had a well executed tip in goal tonight to add to his 12 goals already accumulated in 33 games. He is playing with confidence and looks right at home in the top six in the NHL. 

3. The power play needs adjustments. Tonight the Predators struggled on the man advantage after finding a successful groove back in late February and early March. Getting that back on track will be a priority this week as the team continues to battle in the standings. 

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