#LGRW Final: Gagner's hat trick leads Red Wings to 5-2 win over Predators

DETROIT --Sam Gagner's first NHL hat trick since 2012 and a strong performance from goalie Jonathan Bernier helped the Detroit Red Wings earn a split in their two-game series against the Nashville Predators with a 5-2 win on Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena.

Gagner's second goal of the game broke a 2-2 tie with 10:02 remaining in the third period to give the Red Wings the lead for good. Gagner completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal, while Luke Glendening and Adam Erne each added goals to help Detroit record its best offensive performance of the season.

Bernier made 37 saves to notch his fifth win of the season, and his second against Nashville. Bobby Ryan and Darren Helm each tallied a pair of assists.
Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill was happy with the team's compete level and knows the Red Wings' path to victory this season will be rooted in their effort.
"I thought as a team, we competed hard for each other," Blashill said. "At the end of the night, we've got to be a team that competes extraordinarily hard every night and works extraordinarily hard every night. I think we did a good job of that today. Our structure was good again. We did have some breakdowns at times. Bernier was real good, but I thought structurally it was good, so that puts us in a position to win hockey games."

Mikael Granlund and Eric Haula both found the back of the net for the Predators, while Pekka Rinne had 27 saves in the losing effort.
Glendening opened the scoring in the first period with an incredible effort to collect a rebound and use his patented backhander -- while on one knee -- to get it past Rinne.

After Granlund tied the game with a power-play goal later in the first, the Red Wings re-claimed the lead in the second period as Gagner threw a shot at the net from below the goal line, and got the right puck luck to beat Rinne at the 8:38 mark.
"I actually feel like I've played pretty well this year. Trying to do my part to drive play and do a lot of different things," Gagner said. "Haven't found a way to get one, and then that one goes in, and I actually didn't think I was playing very well. So, it's sometimes the way this league works, and you've just got to try to remain consistent with it, and keep trying to create chances, make plays and eventually throughout a year, it all evens out."

Detroit entered the third period with a 2-1 lead and a perfect 5-0-0 record when leading after two periods, but the Predators quickly tied the game (2-2) thanks to Haula's goal.
The eventual game-winner was set up by the Red Wings keeping the Predators in their own zone, followed by the puck ending up on Gagner's stick. He worked his way to the front of the goal, and took a spinning shot that pinballed off of Rinne and into the back of the net to give the Red Wings a 3-2 lead.
"[The Predators], I thought, were a little bit better than us in the first," Blashill said. "I thought the second, we were a little bit better. They scored - tied it up - and I thought we answered that pretty well. If there was a storyline for me, it would be that. After they scored, we stood tall and answered it."
At 16:22 of the third period, Erne gave the Red Wings some insurance by driving to the net and finishing a rebound that followed a shot from Helm. Less than 40 seconds later, Gagner completed the hat trick by scoring from the defensive zone into the empty net.

"We have to keep the momentum going where we can, but we also have to reset and get our minds right, in terms of, we've got to come and work and compete hard," Glendening said. "That's going to set the tone for the next game, so we'll get back to it at practice tomorrow and hopefully have a good weekend."
The Red Wings begin a three-city, four-game road trip on Saturday, with their final trip to Chicago this season. Puck drop for the series opener against the Blackhawks is set for 8 p.m. from the United Center (Fox Sports Detroit, 97.1 The Ticket).