The Detroit Red Wings came from behind to earn a 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators Thursday night, closing out the eight-game regular season series between the two teams.
With the two points, the Red Wings move into a tie atop the Central Division and Western Conference with Nashville. The Predators hold the first tiebreaker, with two more wins on the season than the Red Wings. The Red Wings have one game in hand.
The Predators opened the scoring with a power play goal at 9:10 of the first period. Jean-Pierre Dumont got the puck near the left side of the crease but threw it down to David Legwand at the bottom of the left circle. Legwand lifted a shot over Detroit netminder Chris Osgood to give Nashville the early lead.
Johan Franzen evened things up with 5:52 remaining in the period. Franzen passed the puck off to Todd Bertuzzi to gain the Nashville zone and then jumped forward. Bertuzzi sent it over to Pavel Datsyuk in the high slot, who pushed it forward to Franzen for a quick wrister past Nashville’s Tomas Vokoun.
Datsyuk added a goal of his own on the power play at 7:30 of the second. Bertuzzi put the puck out front from behind the net to Tomas Holmstrom, who’s attempt from the top of the crease didn’t get past Vokoun. Datsyuk jumped in and pulled the puck away from Vokoun before banging it past him for what would hold up as the game-winning goal.
Osgood made 24 saves on 25 shots while improving to 3-0-1 against the Predators this season. Vokoun stopped 28 of 30 shots against.
Each team had a power play goal. Detroit three power play tries while Nashville had five, including one in the game’s final minutes during which Vokoun was pulled for the extra attacker.
The Red Wings will look to pass Nashville for the divison and conference lead on Friday night when they host the Dallas Stars.
The two assists were Bertuzzi’s first points as a Red Wing.
