DETROIT – The Nashville Predators were disappointed in not defending home ice and splitting the opening two games of the series with Red Wings. But since coming to Detroit the Predators have felt just fine in first building a 2-1 series lead in game three before taking the ice on Tuesday night in game four.
Pekka Rinne and Jimmy Howard exchanged saves in keeping their respective sides in the match. The Red Wings were looking to avoid going down 3-1 to a hungry Nashville squad.
Defensively Detroit played a strong game inside their own zone in allowing only 10 shots through 40 minutes of play including 3 shots on goal in the second period. In the offensive zone the Red Wings were throwing everything at Rinne who stood tall through two periods. Rinne stopped all 28 shots through the first two periods.
At 1:55 of the third, Gabriel Bourque finally beat Howard for the Predators first goal of the game. Alexander Raulov had picked up the puck in the right corner and skated to the far boards where threw a backhand shot to the slot. Bourque reached down and netted the puck with a shot over Howard’s outstretched glove.
At 3:14 Detroit’s Jiri Hudler broke through on RInne on a tip-in of a blast from Niklas Kronwall. The goal gave life to the fans and hope the Wings could knot the series at two.
But the Predators came back to retake the lead just over three minutes later when Kevin Klein wristed a shot into an open net when Howard was caught out of position on a bang-bang play. Martin Erat had rushed the puck into the Detroit zone and took two defensemen with him to Howard’s right. Howard followed the puck and no one on Detroit picked up Klein who had a wide open net to writ home the eventual game winner. For Klein it was his second of the series.
The insurance marker came off the stick of David Legwand who stripped the puck from a Wing and slapped the puck past a stunned Howard. Detroit was looking to break out quickly from behind their own goal line when Legwand tried to tie up the play and delay the break out. Instead he slapped at the puck and stick blade for the goal with 38 seconds left in regulation.
The win gives the Predators a 3-1 lead in the series and backs the Red Wings into an unfamiliar corner, one they rarely face. Now they go back to Nashville needing to win three straight or face an early exit from the playoff round.
Nashville managed only 17 shots on goal to 40 for the Red Wings. Rinne was brilliant when he needed to be while Howard was left to fend off few shots but failed to stop the tip-ins.
Game 5 is Friday night in Nashville.
Contact Lou.Lafrado@prohockeynews.com
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