Nashville Predators at the Detroit Red Wings
The Nashville Predators will travel to the Joe Louis Arena for the second of three times in 2010-11 on the 8th of December, the last time the Predators and Detroit will see each other until the Red Wings’ first trip
to Nashville on the 5th of February, 2011.
Detroit is the only Western Conference team that has not suffered three straight losses. Given the Detroit’s home dominance over the Predators, a game with Nashville could be what they need to avoid a three-game losing streak.
After suffering consecutive defeats just once through its first 23 games, the Red Wings fell 3-2 in overtime to the Los Angeles Kings on the 4th of December and 5-2 to the San Jose Sharks on the 6th of December.
The Red Wings had been 7-0-1 in its previous eight home games.
Detroit hasn't suffered too many losses at Joe Louis - in regulation or otherwise - over the past 12 seasons against Nashville, going 25-4-5 with two ties.
The Red Wings are 3-0-1 at home versus its Central Division rival since the start of this year, including a 5-2 win on the 30th of October as Detroit’s centerman Pavel Datsyuk had two goals and an assist.
Datsyuk, who has four goals and nine assists in his past seven home games against the Predators, will try to help the Red Wings to avoid three Consecutive defeats this season.
In the their last clash with Detroit, an injury-ravaged Predators squad, missing five players including two of their top-four defensemen (Ryan Suter and Francis Bouillon) and two of their top-four centermen (Marcel Goc and Matthew
Lombardi) received goals from Kevin Klein and Joel Ward, but fell by a 5-2 score. Linus Klasen made his NHL debut for the Predators, while Alexander Sulzer played a career-high 28:18 to lead the five-man defensive unit.
After missing out on a season-high fourth straight Victory, the Predators came off a 3-2 overtime defeat at the Atlanta Thrashers, losing 36 of 51 face-offs.
"They got both of their goals off face-offs," Coach Barry Trotz said. "We were only 29 percent. That's not very good. They started with the puck a lot of time, and a lot of times it's in the offensive zone and that's always dangerous."
Nashville is winning 49.8 percent of its draws this season, while Detroit is claiming 51.7 percent of its draws.
In order to win face-offs against the Red Wings, the Predators will be relying on rookie goaltenders in place of their goalie Pekka Rinne who injured his left knee during a shootout against the Columbus Blue Jackets on the 1st
of December.
With Rinne expected to miss at least two more weeks, goaltender Anders Lindback will continue to see the majority of action for the Predators with Mark Dekanich serving as the backup. Linback has been ranked 15th in
the NHL with a .915 save percentage (second among rookies).
While neither of the Predators’ goaltenders has faced the Red Wings, the Detroit’s goalie Jimmy Howard is 3-0-1 with a 1.84 goals-against average in five career appearances against Nashville. Overall, he boasts a sparkling 15-2-2
record, which puts him just one 'W' back of Carey Price for the league lead. Goaltender Chris Osgood has earned back-to-back wins over the Predators, including the victory on the 30th of October.
In the last six matchups with Detroit, Nashville (1-3-2) has at least one point in five straight contests but has lost three of four on the road.
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