"I thought our guys played hard; we did some things that shot ourselves in the foot, but they competed and played hard, especially with the short bench," Laviolette said.
It doesn't get any easier for the Preds on Saturday as they return home to host Pittsburgh while searching for their second victory of the season.
"It was a close one, and guys were playing through stuff," Fisher said. "It felt like one of those games where we were going to come back, and we just didn't give up. It's frustrating to lose, but we have to get back at it tomorrow."
Notes:
The Predators played the majority of the game without the services of forwards Ryan Johansen and Craig Smith, who left the contest due to illness.
Nashville skated in their final regular-season game at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, 18 years to the day after playing there for the first time ever. The Predators next game in Detroit will be played at Little Caesars Arena, barring a 2017 Stanley Cup Final matchup between the two teams.
The visiting Preds wore Gold jerseys and helmets - usually reserved for home games - at the Joe on Friday. The wardrobe changeup marked the first time the Predators have ever worn their Gold helmets on the road for an NHL game.
Nashville will skate in its second back-to-back set of games already on the young season when they return to Music City to host the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.