Shanny’s Hat-trick Lifts Wings over Preds

Brendan Shanahan scored the only goals for the Detroit Red Wings and carried them to a 3-2 overtime win over the Nashville Predators Sunday night as the Red Wings extended their unbeaten streak to eight games. Goaltender Curtis Joseph earned the win in only his second start since returning from a sprained ankle last week.

The win moved Detroit past the Tampa Bay Lightning and into the top spot in the National Hockey League standings. The Red Wings have one game in hand on the Lightning.

Shanahan scored his third goal of the game just forty seconds into overtime. Defenseman Chris Chelios intercepted a Nashvilee pass in the Detroit zone and carried the puck up the ice with Shanahan and Nicklas Lidstrom. After gaining the Nashville zone, Chelios fed the puck to Shanahan at the right faceoff circle. Shanahan stepped up to the faceoff dot and wristed the rolling puck over the shoulder of Predators’ goaltender Tomas Vokoun.

Both of Shanahan’s previous goals pulled the Red Wings into a tie with the Predators.

The first goal came on the power play 8:33 into the game. Steve Yzerman passed the puck to Tomas Holmstrom at the right side of the Nashville net. Vokoun and the Predators’ defense moved to cover Holmstrom, who slid a pass across the ice to Shanahan, who put in a bad-angle shot from the left side of the goal.

Shanahan’s second goal tied the game at two 9:16 into the third period. The rebound from a Brett Hull shot bounced around the edge of the crease before Shanahan pounced on it and flipped it into the side of the net.

The Predators had gained a 2-1 lead on a goal by Denis Arkhipov just 2:20 into the second period. Martin Erat skated out from behind the Red Wings goal and Arkhipov slipped behind Detroit defender Jamie Rivers to take Erat’s pass and put the puck between the pads of Detroit netminder Cutis Joseph.

Nashville opened the scoring on a disputed power play 5:16 into the game. Detroit’s Kirk Maltby appeared to score at 4:38 but the goal was waved off and Maltby was put in the box for a soft interference penalty that should have been assessed to Darren McCarty.

On the ensuing power play, Marek Zidlicky fired a high shot from the blue line that deflected in the slot off the back of Jeremy Stevenson and straight down to the ice, bouncing past Joseph to put the Predators on the board.

It was the first power play goal allowed by the Red Wings in forty chances.

Joseph stopped 27 of the 29 Nashville shots he faced in the game, while Vokoun made 28 saves on 31 Detroit shots against.

The Red Wings are next in action on Tuesday night when they host the Calgary Flames in their last home game before embarking on a five-game road trip.