Saros, Arvidsson help Predators edge Red Wings

DETROIT -- Juuse Saros made 34 saves to help the Nashville Predators to a 3-2 victory against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday.
"This is a huge win for us, especially on the second night of a back-to-back," Saros said. "I knew I had to do enough for us to win this game."

Saros is 6-5-5 this season but Predators coach Peter Laviolette thinks his value is better represented by a .926 save percentage and a 2.39 goals-against average.
WATCH: [All Predators vs. Red Wings highlights]
"Juuse is a key part of this team because the players have confidence in him and we know that he's going to give us a chance to win every time," Laviolette said. "He's been good all year but we didn't give him any help at the start of the season."
Scott Hartnell, Kyle Turris and Viktor Arvidsson scored, and Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis each had two assists for Nashville, which is 7-2-2 in its past 11 games. The Predators (36-14-9, 81 points) are in first place in the Central Division, two points ahead of the Winnipeg Jets, who lost to the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 on Tuesday.
Saros lost 3-1 to the Red Wings on Saturday in Nashville, but the Predators took a 2-0 lead in the first period on Tuesday. That provided the margin needed to end a seven-game losing streak against Detroit (0-6-1).
"We knew we had to do a better job of containing their speed this time," Arvidsson said. "If you make a mistake against them they can put it in your net in a hurry."
Andreas Athanasiou and Tomas Tatar scored for Detroit, and Jimmy Howard made 26 saves.
"We weren't good enough from the start of the game, and they scored two goals in the first period," Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg said. "That's making it hard on ourselves to win."
The Red Wings (24-26-9, 57 points) are eight points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
"They outplayed us, outworked us and outhustled us in the first period," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "We were great in the second and third periods, but we can't have those kind of starts."
The Predators took a 1-0 lead at 4:18 when Josi's point shot deflected off Hartnell's skate and past Howard. The Red Wings challenged for goaltender interference, but the goal stood after a replay review.

Turris made it 2-0 at 9:35. Josi's shot was blocked in the slot, and Turris controlled the loose puck before tucking it past Howard for his 10th goal.
"Josi came down into the slot and we got a good block on his shot, but it happened to bounce right to Turris," Howard said.
Athanasiou scored on a breakaway off Dylan Larkin's outlet pass to make it 2-1 at 10:12 of the second period. The goal came seconds after Howard's poke check had stopped an Arvidsson breakaway.

"Jimmy made a big save, and when I saw [Larkin] pick up the puck I headed for the open ice," Athanasiou said. "He made a great play to hit me."
Arvidsson made it 3-1 at 4:50 of the third period, breaking in alone after the puck hopped over the stick of Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson. It was Arvidsson's third goal in two games.
"Our line has been playing really well in the last two games, and [Arvidsson] has been a big part of that," Ryan Johansen said. "He's making plays all over the ice."
Tatar made it 3-2 at 7:54, knocking in a loose puck after a scramble in the crease. The Predators challenged for goaltender interference, but the call stood after a review.
"I stopped the first shot but I never saw the puck after that," Saros said. "You always hope for the best when there's a review, but once I saw the replay it was a pretty obvious goal."

Goal of the game

Arvidsson's breakaway goal at 4:50 of the third period.

Save of the game

Saros' point-blank save on Gustav Nyquist at 14:43 of the second period.

Highlight of the game

Turris' goal at 9:35 of the first period.

They said it

"When [Arvidsson] hits top gear his desire can carry our entire team. He works and competes so hard that he commands the ice and he demands the puck." -- Predators coach Peter Laviolette
"It is out of our control, and I think we've done a good job of canceling out all the noise and staying focused. It's unfortunate that we're in this position again, where we are going to be sellers."-- Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader on blocking out trade rumors

Need to know

Josi's assist on Hartnell's goal was the 200th of his NHL career. … Arvidsson has 10 points (six goals, four assists) in his past 11 games. … Six of Detroit's seven straight wins against Nashville, including Saturday, came with Petr Mrazek in goal. Mrazek was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

What's next

Predators:Host the San Jose Sharks on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; FS-TN, NBCSCA, NHL.TV)
Red Wings: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-D, MSG-B, NHL.TV)