DETROIT – Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi scored in the shootout to lift the Nashville Predators over the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Tuesday night.
The Predators improved to 4-0 in shootouts and have won 10 of their last 12 games.
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“(Goaltender Juuse Saros is) really good in shootouts, we see it every day in practice when we do shootouts,” Josi said. “He’s really good. Just the way he’s playing in general, we knew we had a really good chance if we scored one to win.”
Dylan Larkin and Filip Zadina failed to score in the first shootout of the season for the Red Wings.
Adam Erne and Danny DeKeyser scored in regulation for Detroit. Thomas Greiss had 29 saves.
Mikael Granlund and Luke Kunin scored for Nashville. Saros made 25 saves.
“We didn’t have the lead in the game, but I thought the way that we played to get ourselves back in the game was the right way,” Predators coach John Hynes said. “And it was contributions throughout the lineup. I thought it was a good, gritty effort, focused and did what we had to do to find a way to win.”
Erne scored on a rebound at 12:02 of the third period, snapping a 1-1 tie.
The goal was Erne’s ninth of the season, extending his career best and setting a career-high four-game point streak. Erne has 12 points (8-4-12) in his last 20 games after recording just seven (3-4-7) in his first 69 games with Detroit.
“He plays hard every game with Luke (Glendening) and (Darren) Helm,” Larkin said. “They are hard to play against and they create offense because they make the other team’s lines work that much harder.”
The Predators answered when Granlund scored a power-play goal at 16:02 of the third, sending a rebound past Greiss.
“I think we didn’t have our best game in the first one, but then we started getting our game in the second one and then just kept going in the third one,” Granlund said. “We’ve been playing that way, which is keep going and keep playing, all four lines going. It really seems like we are finding a way to win these games right now.”
The Red Wings opened the scoring with 56.7 seconds left in the first period when DeKeyser’s shot from the high slot eluded Saros. The unassisted goal was DeKeyser’s first in 24 games.
The Predators tied the game on Kunin’s breakaway goal at 3:32 of the third period. He beat Greiss from the mid-slot.
Wings coach Jeff Blashill said the team had a bad line change that led to Kunin’s goal.
“That’s a terrible change. Terrible,” Blashill said. “We talk a lot about execution and discipline and tonight we had a too many men penalty on a power play and a terrible change that led to a goal. Those are inexcusable and totally avoidable.”
ON THE MOVE?
The NHL trade deadline is Monday and players on both teams may be moved before the end of the week.
“I’m not stressing about it,” Detroit forward Darren Helm said. “If it happens, it happens.”
The Red Wings are hopeful a few of their injured players — goaltender Jonathan Bernier, forwards Bobby Ryan and Sam Gagner — will play on Thursday, at least in part to show other teams they’re healthy enough to be acquired.
TAXI SQUAD
Nashville recalled forward Rem Pitlick from the taxi squad.
Detroit recalled forwards Frans Nielsen, Michael Rasmussen, Givani Smith, Evgeny Svechnikov and defenseman Alex Biega from the taxi squad. In addition, the Wings reassigned forward Mathias Bromé and defensemen Dennis Cholowski and Gustav Lidstrom from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins to the taxi squad.
MILESTONE
Detroit forward Anthony Mantha played in his 300th NHL game Tuesday.
UP NEXT
The Red Wings and Predators play again Thursday night in Detroit, the last of eight meetings between the teams during this pandemic-shortened, division-only regular season.