#LGRW Daily: Red Wings hit the road to face Predators in midweek series

DETROIT --The Detroit Red Wings are hitting the road for the first time in three weeks as they look to take advantage in the season series against the Nashville Predators, which is currently knotted at 2-2.

Detroit (10-18-4, 24 points) travels to Nashville (14-17-1, 29 points) for a Tuesday/Thursday series at Bridgestone Arena as both clubs hope to gain ground in the Central Division.
The Predators come into the series having won three of their last four games overall, including a 4-3 shootout win against the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
The Red Wings also played the Stars last, beating Dallas on March 18 to earn five of eight points against three of the best teams in the NHL, but Detroit suffered a setback Saturday night, with a 3-0 loss to the defending Stanley Cup runners-up.
Wings coach Jeff Blashill said he was pleased with his team's process and progress throughout their six-game homestand, in which Detroit went 3-2-1.
"As it went along, we played better and better defensively. I thought as it went along, we played faster and we managed the puck better. Those three things are real important," Blashill said. "We've got to manage the puck. When you manage it and you execute, you play faster out of your end and faster in the neutral zone, and you have to defend well to have a chance to win."

The Red Wings now transfer their attention to the Predators, who are five points ahead in the Central Division. Blashill said with the way the Wings have played of late, they have a good opportunity to climb up the standings and make some noise in the division.
"We have opportunities here with teams above us that we think we can close the gap on, so let's make sure we're doing that," Blashill said. "But the first and foremost thing is to make sure that we're focused on a good process. But certainly as a group, we don't want to be at the bottom of the standings. We want to claw our way up the standings, and so we've got the opportunity to go down to Nashville and do that."
Fans can catch the Predators' series starting Tuesday night with puck drop set for 8 p.m. ET on FOX Sports Detroit or 97.1 The Ticket.

Red Wings Storylines

• Center Robby Fabbri has been on a tear lately, scoring five goals in his last five games, including a hat trick in Detroit's 3-2 win over Dallas on Thursday. Fabbri's 15 points rank third on the team, despite playing only 23 games, and he's on pace to produce the most points since his rookie season in 2015-16 with the St. Louis Blues.

• Defenseman Dennis Cholowski was recalled from the Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday and made his season debut for the Red Wings on Saturday against the Stars. The 23-year-old blueliner began this season in the AHL despite making the Wings' Opening Night roster in each of the last two seasons. Cholowski has worked hard on all aspects of his game to earn the re-call, and he can provide the Wings' back line with some much-needed offensive production.

• Before suffering a lower-body injury against the Stars on March 18, goalie Jonathan Bernier started four straight games and was playing extremely well. With Bernier remaining day-to-day, Thomas Greiss has had to pick up the slack. Greiss preserved the win against Dallas last Thursday and shut out the Stars for 37 minutes before allowing three goals on Saturday.

Scouting the Predators

• Former Red Wings second-round draft pick Calle Jarnkrok was named the NHL's First Star of the Week last week for earning six points in a four-game span. The center's 15 points ranks third for the Predators this season, but the former Wings prospect has struggled against his former club in his career, earning only four points (all assists) in 16 games against Detroit.
• Defenseman Mattias Ekholm has stepped up alongside Roman Josi to help the Predators' blue line provide offense. Ekholm, who ranks fourth on the club with 14 points this season, has earned four points in his last four games and is one of only three Nashville regulars with a plus rating, leading the club at plus-six.
• After platooning with goalie Juuse Saros for the first half of the season, it appears veteran Pekka Rinne has taken the reins as the No. 1 netminder in Nashville. Rinne has started seven of the last nine games for the Predators and has won his last two games. Rinne has started all four games against the Red Wings this season, giving up nine goals, all of which were even-strength tallies.