Preds Conclude Homestand with Loss to Red Wings

Filip Forsberg and Rocco Grimaldi scored in the third period, but it wasn't enough on Saturday night in Nashville.
Detroit jumped out to a 3-0 lead against the Predators, and they held on for a 4-2 win at Bridgestone Arena to give the Preds and Red Wings a split of their two-game set. The result sees Nashville's record move to 6-9-0 overall as they collected a single win during their four-game homestand.
After Nashville beat Detroit on Thursday, the Red Wings were the better team from the start on Saturday, and the Predators registered just 10 shots on goal through the game's first two periods. The Preds made a push in the third period, but they were unable to find their way back to even.

"[Detroit] upped their game, but we didn't show up to play," Forsberg said of his team's effort. "We're not going to beat any team in this League if we play like we did. You've got to give them credit. They're playing a lot better than the other night, but at the same time, we didn't make it hard for them enough, that's for sure."
"I don't know what's behind [slow starts], but that's something, without a doubt, we need to clean up in our game," Preds Associate Captain Ryan Ellis said. "It's like we don't want to play until we're down and we're chasing, and then you see some good hockey, but it's unacceptable. There's no excuse for that."
Detroit had a 2-0 lead after one period courtesy of goals from Robby Fabbri and Adam Erne, and Luke Glendening beat Pekka Rinne late in the second stanza to put the Wings up by three after 40 minutes.

"It's like we want to see how the game is going to be played instead of understanding what it takes to win every night," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. "And if you want to get off to a good start and you want to establish your game, you've got to be skating, have to be competing, you have to execute with the puck, and if you're going to put another team on their heels and establish your game, then there has to be a competitive nature to you in that area of the ice. We kind of take the temperature of the game and see how it goes, and that's something that we've addressed, but we've got to find a way to make it better and make it more consistent and then do it on a more regular basis."

Forsberg put Jonathan Bernier's shutout bid to rest when he banked a puck in off a Detroit defender at the 7:57 mark of the third period, but Grimaldi's goal didn't come until after Anthony Mantha had scored the fourth goal of the night for the visitors.

"Some composure with the puck," Ellis said on what needs to change. "I feel like we get out of our D-zone fine. I mean, it can always be better, but it's fine. And we get into the O-zone, and we don't set the next guy up for success. We just move pucks and hope he makes a good play, and that's not winning hockey. That's not how we're supposed to play, and it needs to change."
The Predators will now prepare to embark on a six-game road trip, and with the season more than a quarter of the way through, Nashville knows they simply have to find a way to collect more points.
"It's very frustrating," Ellis said. "There's no excuses - we're not making excuses; we're not feeling bad for ourselves; our play right now is unacceptable. The results are unacceptable, and it needs to change. It's not like we have a lot of time. The good thing is every game is a division game, and it gives us an opportunity to catch up, but we're digging ourselves a hole, and it's only due to ourselves. No one else's fault but the guys in the locker room."

Notes:
Prior to Saturday's game, forward Eeli Tolvanen was recalled to the active roster, and defenseman Ben Harpur was reassigned to the taxi squad. Nashville had no scratches on Saturday night.
Up next for the Predators is a six-game road trip, starting with a back-to-back against the Dallas Stars on Monday and Tuesday night. Nashville will then head to Columbus and Detroit before returning home two weeks from tonight.