#LGRW Preview: Red Wings look to repeat stellar play against Predators

DETROIT -- When the Detroit Red Wings last played the Nashville Predators almost two weeks ago, the Wings outplayed the Predators for 119 minutes in what was Detroit's best two-game stretch of the season.

Detroit split its first series with Nashville on February 11 and 13, losing the opener, 3-2, on a last-minute goal, but rebounded with a 4-2 victory in the series finale. The Red Wings are hoping to continue their stellar play against the Predators Tuesday and Thursday night as the two clubs meet for a mid-week series at Little Caesars Arena.
The Predators (7-10-0) and Red Wings (5-12-3) have both suffered offensive hardships this season, with each scoring just 39 goals so far, but Detroit has been the slightly better defensive team, giving up 3.2 goals per game, compared to Nashville's 3.4 goals against per contest.
But despite the Predators' struggles, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said Nashville is still an extremely dangerous team that can punish you if you don't bring your best effort.
"They've got a great coach over there in John Hynes, they've got a number of good players, they're missing some good players and they might get some of those players back," Blashill said. "It's going to be a hard game. We have to be at our best. We can't come at an 80-percent effort, a 90-percent effort. We've got to make sure we're ready to go."
Fans can catch Tuesday's action on FOX Sports Detroit Plus or 97.1 The Ticket, with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m.

Red Wings Storylines

• Veteran forward Darren Helm has been extremely solid since missing six of the first seven games this season with an injury. The 14-year forward earned a promotion to the Red Wings' top line in Saturday's win over the Florida Panthers and was a big part of Detroit's success, playing 18:31 with a season-high five shots in the victory.

• Despite his offensive numbers being slightly down, defenseman Filip Hronek has been Detroit's most reliable blueliner this season, averaging 3:17 more ice time per game than any other Red Wings skater. Hronek leads Detroit's back line with nine points, he leads the club with three power-play points and he's tied for second in hits with 25.
• Jonathan Bernier has seen the most success between the pipes for Detroit this season, boasting a 4-2 record in seven starts, with a 2.74 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. Since missing two weeks with an upper-body injury earlier this month, Bernier is 2-1, only giving up four goals in three starts, including a win against Nashville in the last meeting.

Scouting the Predators

• Center Filip Forsberg leads the Predators with 15 points this season, which is seven more than any of his teammates. The 2012 No. 11 overall pick earned three points in the first series against the Red Wings and has cracked the scoresheet in each of his last five games against Detroit.
• Defenseman Ryan Ellis tallied a goal and an assist in the first series against the Wings, tying for the points lead among Predators blueliners this season with eight. Ellis is tied for the team lead in power-play goals with two and isn't afraid to throw his body around, leading the club in blocks with 32.
• Veteran goalie Pekka Rinne continues platooning between the pipes with 25-year-old netminder Juuse Saros this season, as the two Fins have each played in 10 games. Rinne boasts the better goals-against average and save percentage, with 2.65 and .908, respectively, compared to Saros' 3.47 goals-against average and .882 save percentage.