#LGRW Final: Red Wings outplay Predators but come up short, 3-2

DETROIT --The Detroit Red Wings outplayed the Nashville Predators for 59 minutes on Thursday night, but Nashville took advantage of fewer opportunities and scored with 59.2 seconds left in the third period to hand Detroit a tough 3-2 loss in the series opener at Bridgestone Arena.

Thursday was the Red Wings' sixth one-goal loss of the season, and captain Dylan Larkin said it felt like a punch in the gut to play so well but come away empty handed.
"Yeah, it was a tough one there," Larkin said. "Simple hockey, we didn't get our puck out of the blue line. We played a tough game tonight, we've got to manage the puck there, and can't give up a last-minute goal. It was a tough pill to swallow, for sure."

After an exciting start to the game which saw both teams earn multiple Grade-A chances in the first five minutes, the Predators drew first blood on a great setup from Filip Forsberg who sent a cross-ice pass to Ryan Ellis who one-timed a slap shot that Red Wings goalie Thomas Greiss had no chance to stop.
The Predators' power-play goal marked the first time in four contests that the Red Wings failed to score the opening tally of the game.
With less than a minute to go in the first, the Wings answered back.
Robby Fabbri and his linemates were at the tail end of a long shift when Anthony Mantha quickly got up from a fall, pulled the puck off the boards near the left circle and delivered a perfect pass to Fabbri who snuck a lightning-quick shot under Predators goalie Pekka Rinne's left arm to knot the game at 1-1 at the first intermission.

Fabbri's goal, which was also assisted by Filip Hronek, was his second in the last three games after returning from the COVID-19 list.
The Wings dictated the pace in the second period, outshooting and out-chancing the Predators in the frame, but Nashville re-claimed the lead on a bang-bang play as Matt Duchene took a quick pass from Roman Josi and beat Greiss to make it a 2-1 game with 41 seconds left in the period. Former Red Wings draft pick Calle Jarnkrok also assisted on the go-ahead goal.
But Detroit quickly responded to adversity again as defenseman Marc Staal re-tied the game 14 seconds later, gaining the zone and beating Rinne to make it 2-2 heading into the final intermission.

The Predators and Red Wings went back and forth in the third, with each team again getting great looks to score. But while Detroit couldn't capitalize, Nashville did, taking advantage of a Wings turnover in the defensive zone which allowed Dante Fabbro to get a shot from the point that snuck past several bodies on the way to net and beat Greiss with less than a minute left for the game winner.
Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill echoed Larkin's comments about the frustration level after letting another close game slip away.
"Frustrating, frustrating for sure at this point," Blashill said. "I thought we put ourselves in a position to win another hockey game, and we didn't finish it. That's a step we need to learn to take."
But Blashill said the Wings can't dwell on their frustration, and instead need to take steps to build on the positives from Thursday as they prepare to face the Predators again in two nights.
"Now what we have to do is, we have to come tomorrow, and we've got to fight through the frustration," he said. "I've said it lots; frustration does you no good, it's a wasted human emotion. There's not one thing you gain from frustration. We're going to have to work past that and find ways to get better here tomorrow."
The Wings will look to avenge the loss Saturday night, wrapping up a six-game road trip, with puck drop for the series finale against the Predators set for 8 p.m. on FOX Sports Detroit and 97.1 The Ticket.