This One Bothers Me: I get that in an A-game to A-game head-to-head matchup, the Wings might very well lose to the Predators. They’ve got speed, size and a ridiculous goalie to go with a healthy dose of talent. So it’s not about the loss so much as it is (wait for it) about how the game was lost.

The Wings looked like a team unprepared for the battle the faced. They looked surprised that the Predators came out of the gate they way they did (read: primed to take a road game) and looked nothing like a team in the middle of a barfight. By the time they started shoving back, it was (wait for it) too little, too late.

After this season is over, I should go back through the archives and see how many times I had to type “too little, too late” or some variant. I’m sure it’ll make me sad.

Weber: He would score again. You know, I’m fine with the team giving him the one physical challenge and winning Game 2 as a way of getting revenge, but after watching him score again, I’ve decided I have a new requirement for making him pay the debt he incurred by slamming Z’s head into the boards: the Wings should keep him off the scoresheet. Sound good?

Zetterberg: Player of the game in my book. Datsyuk lead the charge in the third, but Z was the guy driving the offense in the first two periods when everybody else was dragging their feet.

Datsyuk: As for Pavel, it was about time. More. Now. Well, not now, but you get what I mean. Game 4′d better be your best.

Also, that goal was sweet.

Stuart: Is anybody out there not done with him yet? How many more goals against does he have to be on the ice and actively not-involved-in-stopping for?

Joe Crowd: The crowd at JLA was incredible. They were chanting before the game and booing Weber beautifully during it. They put out a great noise throughout the game and really did a good job.

The Officiating: It started with the chintzy call on Miller that was wrong either because he did try to stop or because he was pushed into Rinne (or both). And the lopsided standard continued all night. I don’t think the Wings even got a crowd call despite the well-timed gasping that went on.

It wasn’t enough to blame the outcome on, but it is still very frustrating that the abject incompetence of NHL officials continues. They suck.

Franzen: I thought he looked decent, though I’m still mad at him for his idiotic penalties.

Special Teams: The PK finally gave up a goal, but otherwise looked very strong. The PP had a good start to the third period and managed to put one in the net lat in the game, but otherwise was not awe-inspiring. Unless you’re awed by suck.

Emmerton: I’ll shut up now.

New Practice Idea: Focusing on teaching White how to get shots through. I feel like his shots get blocked a ton.

Faceoffs: Awful day on the dot for the Wings. Can they get Kris Draper to give the guys some tips?

Game 4: Obvious must win situation is obvious.

Correct Response: As I suggested last night, the total of this game was the right response to the Weber situation. Todd Bertuzzi stepped up for his teammate in the old fashioned way and settled the matter from a physical perspective. The important thing to point out is nobody else at any point went out of their way to get Weber: he paid with that early fight.

Then the Wings took care of business after that. They got the win in spite of Weber and that’s the right response.

Jimmy: The best Wing on the ice last night. He was incredibly sharp in the first period when the Wings were giving up disturbingly good scoring chances and carried them through the rest of the game whenever the Predators threatened. Neither of the two goals looked particularly great, but both included Predators being given far too much space. I’d mark those down as more negatives for the defense than for Jimmy.

The PK: Continues its surprising dominance. I did not anticipate this.

Stuart: Overall had a good game. About time. It doesn’t make up for his weeks of sub-par play, but if he can keep it up, I’ll stop being so frustrated with him.

Emmerton: Sweet shot on his first playoff goal. It was good to see him provide value beyond simply being a center. The fourth line had a very good game, I thought, and Emmerton was a big part of that. Keep it up and I’ll be glad to be proven wrong to be skeptical of his place in the lineup.

Nyquist: No points, though he should have gotten an assist on the Emmerton goal. He was creating opportunities on each shift he got, though there weren’t many: he finished second last in TOI with 7:16.

Franzen: Maybe we need Mike Fisher to mug him early in every game, because it looked like he was much more motivated than usual in this game. He scored the game-winner by virtue of going to the front of the net and having Stuart use his leg as the redirect. Maybe he scores goals on his own in Game 3.

Defensive Zone: One of the negatives of the night was the Wings play in their own end. Too often, they were too casual with the puck and if they’d had a lesser goalie, they would have paid for it. It’s great that Jimmy’s such a boss, but I’d like to see them have some better puck security.

White: Made a nice play on his goal to change the angle. He looked pretty good.

The Power Play: Mostly flat, again.

Nashville Fans: I noticed Zetterberg was booed later in the game. Stay classy, Tennessee.

Reverse: This game had elements of reversal from Game 1. The Wings got their bounces and the Predators got their fruitless scoring chances. But I wouldn’t take claims of reversal too far. The Wings were much closer to their Game 1 control than the Predators were to the Wings’ level in Game 1.

Home Ice: Now the Wings have home ice. That’s pretty good news for them.

Reasonable Start: Like I said last night, this was a strong game for the Wings. I’d even go so far as to say they were the better team. The Predators really just got the better luck. This would have been an entirely different game if just two bounces had gone the other way for the Wings.

Of course, luck is a huge part of the playoffs, so the fact that the Wings didn’t play well enough to overcome it is something they need to address in Game 2. The Predators are sure to be better tomorrow.

Weber: The news today is that Henrik Zetterberg is okay, which is fortunate for everyone involved. It could have been a lot worse. Weber really looked like an animal on that play. It sounds like he won’t face any discipline for it, either, which sucks.

Note that I mean the penalty he did receive on the play doesn’t count as discipline. If he gets a fine, that will do next to nothing in the discipline department.

Helm: As unfortunate as Weber getting away with his move on Zetterberg would be, the real tragedy of last night is the Helm injury. As is typical with skate injuries, it was a total freak accident. Fortunately, his surgery was successful and he’ll apparently be ready for next season. But it’s a huge blow to the team. He’s exactly the kind of player you want in your lineup in the playoffs. There’s no replacement for him. Conner would help, but Helm’s a special guy in this organization.

Howard: I thought he looked very, very good. The Predators are a dangerous team and Jimmy made a lot of his saves look easy when a lesser goalie would have looked lost. He was the victim of some bad bounces and a surprising defensive breakdown, unfortunately. Game 2 might be an epic one in his career, though.

Rinne: Dude’s a Goalie. But I noticed he got slightly shakier later in the game. I think if the Wings can get over their obsession with racking up passes to set up some kind of Platonian ideal of the perfect goal and just throw the puck on net a few times while following up on it, they could actually crack the Rinne nut.

The PK: Great night for those guys. They certainly got enough practice. They could be a huge factor in this series.

The PP: Would it be ridiculous to pan a power play that still scored twice? I’m still majorly disappointed with that late 5-on-3. They needed a goal there and put almost nothing together.

The Refs: Nothing about what the refs did changed the outcome of the game. But they sure did ruin it. Let me be perfectly clear: there is no consipiracy. What we have is simply the least professional, most incompetent group of officials in sports. These guys suck at their jobs. And guess what? Their utter lack of professionalism means Babcock’s comments will come back to bite the Wings however long they’re in the playoffs.

Emmerton: 2:52 TOI. Just saying.

Stuart: One negative for the Wings was Brad Stuart. On ice for all three Predator goals, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Red Wings player make such a hard 180 in the span of just a couple months. It was not long ago that I considered Stuart to be the second-most reliable defenseman on the team. Now? I don’t trust him at all. I don’t doubt his professionalism so far as to say he’s actively checked out, but something is going on and the Brad Stuart we were begging not to leave has already gone. We’re watching a shell of that player out there.

Gaustad: Okay, I admit it. I laughed at the Deadline Day worst case scenario talk of Paul Gaustad pulling a key faceoff win out of the dot in a playoff series. I thought, “Whatever, the Wings have decent faceoff men. It’ll be okay.” But I tell you i’m not laughing now. Gaustad was huge in the faceoff circle in key moments for the Preds last night. That 5-on-3 was one of them.

Next: The Wings need to improve their baseline play and make sure they’re elevated higher than the Preds are sure to bring their game up. They also need to work on making more of their own luck by simply putting the puck on net. That’s how they scored their two last night. The perfect play isn’t as valuable as the junk play that gets it in.