Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings seeking fresh winning momentum – NHL Preview
Whenever it begins to appear that the Detroit Red Wings have found their winning momentum back, they prove the observers wrong.
With just five more games left for Red Wings to play in the National Hockey League (NHL) regular season, they desperately require victories so as to carry a winning momentum into the playoffs.
The same is the case for the Nashville Predators, who are also expected to qualify for the postseason, but they are slightly struggling with their consistency and they should address the issue immediately.
Red Wings and Predators are going to face each other on Friday, March 30, 2012, at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan.
Let’s have a look at both teams.
Red Wings
Red Wings are ranked at fourth spot in the Western Conference with 97 points after 77 games and have already qualified for the playoffs.
They have only won four games this month and lost nine with the recent defeat coming against the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets, who were defeated by Red Wings a game earlier.
Red Wings’ captain, Nicklas Lidstrom, said after the defeat:
"We weren't happy with our performance. We knew they were going to be better. We as a team didn't respond well to that. We made some mistakes early and that they capitalized on and that gave them a lot of momentum."
Predators
Unlike Red Wings, Predators have not yet officially qualified for the playoffs, but they will do so pretty soon.
They are ranked at fifth spot in the Western Conference with 96 points after 77 games.
Predators have played 13 games this month and won seven.
In their last game, Predators were defeated by the St. Louis Blues, who snapped the former’s two-game winning streak.
Predators were crushed rather badly as they were unable to provide even a single scoring move while Blues scored three goals.
Predators’ defenseman, Kevin Klein, said of the defeat:
"We didn't get much going offensively. We played a lot in our end and that doesn't equal success. We didn't do the little things like we normally do and we didn't execute. We have to put this behind us and move on."
Predictions
It is going to be a tough encounter with Predators having a slight edge.
The sum of goals scored by both teams might stay under six.
If Red Wings win, the winning margin will be less than two goals.
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