Predators score 5 in 3rd, defeat Red Wings to end 3-game skid

DETROIT -- The Nashville Predators scored five third-period goals in a 6-3 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday.

Nick Blankenburg, Roman Josi, Ryan O'Reilly, Erik Haula and Steven Stamkos scored in the final period for Nashville (7-12-4), which had lost three straight and eight of nine. Justus Annunen made 28 saves.

“This was huge for us,” Predators coach Andrew Burnette said. “It feels like we’ve been in a million games like this, where we struggled to get a second goal to help us put it away. Tonight, we got rewarded.”

O’Reilly had two assists to go with his goal, all in the final period.

“Nothing surprises me with him,” Burnette said. “He’s just such a highly competitive player and he put us on his back tonight. He made so many big plays at big moments.”

Alex DeBrincat, James van Riemsdyk and Ben Chiarot scored for Detroit (13-10-1), which has lost three of four. Cam Talbot made 23 saves.

“I didn’t like our game most of the night,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. “I thought we were quite casual early in the game and our passing was horrendous.”

After neither team scored at even strength in the first two periods, there were three such goals in 59 seconds early in the third.

Blankenberg made it 2-2 at 2:05. He took a pass from O’Reilly, split the Red Wings defense and put a backhand over Talbot’s shoulder for his third goal.

“I saw (Patrick) Kane slow up a bit, so I went to the net,” Blankenberg said. “I got hooked a little bit, so I went to my backhand, and it went in.”

Blankenberg, who grew up in the Detroit area and played for the University of Michigan, said he had more than 50 friends and family members in the stands.

“I don’t even know how many people my mom invited,” said Blankenburg, who also had an assist. “It might have been 100 people in total. I don’t normally get nervous before games, but I did tonight.”

Josi then gave the Predators a 3-2 lead at 2:20, scoring his second goal of the season.

“We went into the third period at home with a chance to win, and we have to be better than that,” Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond said. “We have to have a better sense of urgency.”

Detroit only needed 44 seconds to make it 3-3. Chiarot’s point shot through traffic snuck past Annunen’s glove at 3:04.

Nashville made it 4-3 at 14:14. Talbot stopped shots from Stamkos and Luke Evangelista, but O’Reilly put in the second rebound.

Haula gave the Predators a 5-3 lead at 14:42, beating Talbot after being left alone in front of the net.

Stamkos scored into the empty net at 18:45.

“In the third period, we gave up goals in every way possible - 4-on-4, face-off coverage, off a rush and off a d-zone breakdown,” McLellan said. “There’s really no other element to the game where you can get beat. A penalty shot, maybe.”

Nashville went ahead 1-0 with a power-play goal at 15:48 of the period. Michael Bunting scored his 100th NHL goal, tipping Blankenburg’s shot past Talbot.

The Red Wings tied it 1-1 at 5:30 of the second period on DeBrincat’s power-play goal. The goal was DeBrincat’s eighth in eight games.

Detroit took a 2-1 lead with their second power-play goal of the period at 16:34. Van Riemsdyk took a pass from Kane and, after Annunen made the initial save, he flipped the rebound into the top of the net.

“They are a good team that just hasn’t scored enough,” Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider said. “They did some things really well and we just weren’t prepared for it.”

NOTES: Stamkos also had an assist for his first two-point game of the season. The forward scored his 25th career goal against the Red Wings, tying Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals for the most goals against Detroit among active players. … Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson missed his third game with an illness. … Kane had an assist -- his 1,356th NHL point (495 goals, 861 assists). The forward needs 19 points to pass Mike Modano (1,374) for the most by a United States-born player in League history. … Josi scored on the 14th anniversary of his NHL debut, which also came in Detroit.