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4/9 Injury Update

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 9, 2008
in Brad Stuart, Injuries, Justin Abdelkader, Mikael Samuelsson, Playoffs, Predators and Tomas Holmstrom
. 2 Comments

Update (3:55 PM): Bruce MacLeod has an expanded version of the Babcock quote on Samuelsson provided by Ted Kulfan (below). - Matt

Update (3:08 PM): More from Kulfan. He characterizes the final statuses of Stuart, Samuelsson, and Holmstrom as game-time decisions. - Matt

Update (2:48 PM): A correction: The lineup as provided below has one of the “three of Abdelkader, McCarty, and Downey” in it: Downey (though St. James says it’s McCarty). Sorry about that. It’s what I get for writing a post during class.

That said, I’d still like to see Abdelkader or Downey play over Samuelsson, unless #37 is absolutely ready to go. On that note, here’s a great quote from Babcock via Ted Kulfan:

“[Samuelsson] just told me if it was up to him he wants to play. But my kid wants to play for us tomorrow, too. He’s one of those guys that’ll skate again tomorrow and we’ll see how he reacts.”

- Matt

Helene St. James reports that Brad Stuart (broken finger), Tomas Holmstrom (groin), and Mikael Samuelsson (groin) are all “questionable” for Game 1. She tempers that claim with quotes from Babcock that indicate the team is just practicing its usual caution by not saying for sure.

Bruce MacLeod, on the other hand, reports that it “appears that defenseman Brad Stuart will be ready to play.” He says nothing specific about Holmstrom, but lists him on the probable top line. He says it’s possible Samuelsson “might be ready.”

Ansar Khan says the final decision on Homer, Stuart, and Sammy won’t be made until tomorrow.

Based on all three reports, it doesn’t look like Justin Abdelkader will be in the lineup after all. MacLeod lists him as a likely stratch and St. James says Abdelkader told her he doesn’t think he’ll play.

A projected lineup via MacLeod and Khan:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom
Filppula-Franzen-Cleary
Hudler-Draper-Samuelsson
Drake-Hartigan-Downey

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Lilja-Chelios

Healthy scratches …
McCarty
Abdelkader
Helm
Lebda
Meech

Injuries …
Maltby (hamstring)
Kopecky (knee)

Not sure I’m a fan of that look. Unless Samuelsson is absolutely 100%, I’d much rather see someone more abrasive in that spot.

The Wings need to set a tone physically as well as offensively and defensively. Playing as much talent as possible is great, of course. But sitting all three both of Downey, Abdelkader and McCarty after Samuelsson’s had just one full practice (if that) since his injury? Not so much.

4/9 Links

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 9, 2008
in Henrik Zetterberg, Hockey Bloggers, Hockey Media, Injuries, Ken Holland, Mike Babcock, Playoffs, Predators and Sergei Fedorov
. 3 Comments

Update (3:53 PM): Bruce MacLeod provides some perspective here. - Matt

Update (12:29 PM): Over at the NHL Fanhouse, the gang has a roundtable on the Western Conference playoffs. - Matt

Update (12:15 PM): Here’s yesterday’s obligatory read, in case you missed it: Scotty Bowman’s Q&A with the fans on Slapshot. Be sure to check out George Malik’s question. - Matt

Update (10:55 AM): Dave of Gorilla Crouch has a look at the Wings’ faceoff trends against Nashville this season here. Direct link to his handy Google Spreadsheet on the topic here. - Matt

Preview coming. For now, some links:

… IwoCPO, who’s been a veritable posting machine the past couple days, has his first round predictions up at Abel to Yzerman.

He also appeared on the New York Times’ Slapshot blog here.

… Bruce Ciskie previewed the Wings/Predators series over at the NHL Fanhouse.

… For those fluent in Portuguese, Humberto Ferndandes has a preview of the series at Red Wings Brasil. Here’s a rough translation.

… One of the few Predator bloggers, PredJoe, has some comments on his team here. His outlook is positive.

… Most media are writing the Wings off, but James Mirtle is one journalist who isn’t. He has them going all the way.

So does the Denver Post’s Terry Frei.

… Ansar Khan “dispels” some myths about the Wings in his latest. It’s pretty basic stuff and what’s surprising is so much of the hockey media just doesn’t get it.

… The Wings have noticed the animosity coming out of the media and, predictably, they are less than appreciative. George Malik has a brief roundup here. Note McCarty’s quote especially.

… Malik also has a roundup of the latest injury updates.

… Did you know that Mike Babcock is on the hot seat? Neither did Ken Holland.

… The News’ Bob Wojnowski has a nice long piece on Henrik Zetterberg in today’s edition. The best part? Hank’s final quote:

“Hopefully, we can come to an agreement and I can stay here for a long time. I’ve noticed the last two years, when I’m in Sweden at the end of August, I really want to come back home. They take care of us here and we have a good team. It’s nice.”

… The Washington Post has a piece on former Red Wing Sergei Fedorov that’s worth reading. (via Abel to Yzerman)

… TSN has a new look, but still doesn’t have sport-specific RSS feeds. What’s that about? On the new look: it’s slick, but will take some getting used to.

… On a related note, the new NHL TV portal has launched. It looks good. The Hockey Show is on at 11:30 AM ET today.

Quote of the Day

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 5, 2008
in Mike Babcock, Playoffs, Predators and Quotes
. 1 Comment

The smack talk begins:

It was pretty obvious last night they’d chosen to play us. I watched the game, so it was apparent to me.

– Mike Babcock on the Predators, whose loss last night locked them into 8th place.

The implication is obvious and won’t be missed by Nashville. I’m sure this quote will find its way onto their lockerroom bulletin board.

(via Helene St. James)

Nashville it is

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 5, 2008
in Links, Playoffs and Predators
. 0 Comments

Update (1:06 PM): Christy Hammond has a reaction to the news here. - Matt

With Chicago’s 3-1 win over the Predators tonight, the Wings have drawn Nashville in the first round for the second time in four seasons. The Wings won the first ever series between these two teams 4-2 in the 2004 playoffs.

Helene St. James presents some preliminary thoughts on the matchup here. I’ll have more over the coming days. For now I’ll just say that the light travel and lack of late starts are definite positive aspects of this final seeding.

Wings 1, Predators 0 (OT)

Published
by
Matt Saler
on March 31, 2008
in 2007-2008, Game Reports and Predators
. 0 Comments

There isn’t much to say about this one. Both teams played very conservatively down to the end and kept things relatively unexciting. It was good to see the Wings pull out a win in such a tightly-played game.

… Dan Ellis stole the show with a 35-save effort, but Dominik Hasek was very strong as well, finishing with a 22-save shutout. He was aided by the post and crossbar about four times, but made a number of big saves on his own. If that was any indication of how he’ll play in the post-season, the Wings should be in fair shape.

… Johan Franzen still cannot be stopped. Here’s hoping he can keep it up in the post-season.

His game-winner took entirely too long to go into the net, though.

… I so wanted to see Aaron Downey go with Jordin Tootoo. I understand why it didn’t happen, balance of momentum and all that, but it would have been fun to see.

… This hit by Dallas Drake on Rich Peverley kicked off a series of three notable hits in about 15 seconds, the next being Dan Hamhuis’ hit on Aaron Downey. Downey went into the empty space between the benches, nearly taking out Larry Murphy.

… This hit by Niklas Kronwall on Alexander Radulov was one of the highlights of the game. I love seeing him wreck people like that, but I also cringe at the sight as his injury history automatically comes to mind.

… The win put the Wings within a point of clinching the President’s Trophy. It would have been theirs last night had San Jose lost, but the Coyotes couldn’t pull off the upset. If San Jose loses in regulation or extra time, or the Wings gain a single point in any of their three remaining games, Detroit clinches first place.

… The Canucks leapfrogged Nashville last night after defeating Calgary 6-2 at home. The Predators are now one point out of the playoffs with 87. Edmonton is just two points behind Vancouver with two games remaining.

… The Wings now have a couple days to rest up and prepare to face a Chicago team that’s looking to make an improbable run at the playoffs Wednesday. The Hawks have two games against the Wings sandwiched around a game against the Predators to round out the season.

… In injury news, the Freep reports that the team is waiting to see how Tomas Holmstrom feels after getting the cortisone shot on Friday. Evidently, he felt some pain Saturday, but the jury is still out on his status for the rest of the regular season and the start of the playoffs.

Also, Babcock told Helene St. James that Brad Stuart (broken finger) will be ready to go for the first round. I hope that means Game 1.

GameDay: vs. Nashville (39-31-8-86 Pts) 3:00 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on March 30, 2008
in 2007-2008, GameDay and Predators
. 0 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings host the Nashville Predators this afternoon in the eighth and final meeting between the two Central Division teams this regular season. The Wings hold a 4-3 edge over the Preds thus far in the series, with wins November 7th (3-2 SO), December 10th (2-1), March 9 (4-3), and March 20th (6-3). The Predators won November 22nd (3-2), February 12th (4-2) and March 15th (3-1).

The Predators are 7-6-0 in March. They have won their last three, beginning with a 2-1 shootout win over Chicago on the 22nd and continuing with a pair of wins over Columbus on the 25th (3-0) and 28th (2-0). Prior to that, they had lost two in a row, first to Washington, then to Detroit.

Nashville is currently in eighth place with 86 points through 78 games. Ninth-place and idle Vancouver also has 86 point through 78 and would move into 8th place with a Nashville regulation or overtime loss if they are able to beat the Flames tonight.  For the Predators, then, this game is especially important.

The Preds’ remaining schedule consists of two games against St. Louis and a finale in Chicago.

Nashville will be without Darcy Hortichuk (knee), Greg de Vries (rib), David Legwand (foot), Steve Sullivan (back), Martin Gelinas (knee), and Jed Ortmeyer (knee).

Dan Ellis will be in net tonight. He has shutout opponents for the last 170:18.

For the Preds’ side of things, see Pred-Joe and On the Forecheck.

The Wings are 9-2-1 in March. They are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to St. Louis Friday night at home. They staged a thrid period comeback, but couldn’t hold the Blues off in the extra period. Prior to the loss, they had won four in a row. The two regulation losses came together on the 15th and 16th and halted the five-game winning streak with which they began the month.

Detroit occupies first place overall with 109 points in 78 games and has a five-point lead on the San Jose Sharks, who have also played 78. The Sharks can max out at 112 points and 51 wins. Given that they are red-hot lately, that is not outside the realm of possibility. So, the Wings would need at least three more points, two of which must come from a win (112 points, but 52 wins), in order to clinch. Otherwise, a Red Wings win and a Sharks loss will clinch first place for Detroit.

The Wings will be without Mikael Samuelsson (groin) for the second consecutive game.

Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen, groin) remains out, but could be close to returning. He had a cortisone shot Friday and apparently zipped around practice yesterday wearing a no-contact sweater.

Brad Stuart (broken finger) remains out, but is keeping up his conditioning and should be back for the first round.

Darren McCarty will sit today in favor of Aaron Downey. Mark Hartigan also inexplicably remains in the lineup. Over at A2Y, IwoCPO asks a legitimate question: “Answer me this:  if Babcock’s trying to figure out if McCarty’s able to add something to the playoff mix, why is he out today and Hartigan in?”

Projected lines:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Cleary
Hudler-Franzen-Filppula
Kopecky-Draper-Maltby
Drake-Hartigan-Downey

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Chelios
Lebda-Lilja

Dominik Hasek will start today after sitting out with the flu. Chris Osgood will back him up.

For more of the Wings’ perspective, see Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, Red Wings Brasil, BR Red Wings, and Winging It In Motown.

The Predators will go into this game knowing that they need a win to keep their grip on eighth place. The Wings go in knowing they can’t let the foot off the pedal with San Jose looking to finish their 12-0-2 month off with a win. They also know that they can’t demonstrate weakness to a likely first round opponent. A win here will be a key moral victory for both teams, so you can expect solid competition this afternoon.

Wings 6, Predators 3

Published
by
Matt Saler
on March 21, 2008
in 2007-2008, GameDay and Predators
. 7 Comments

A few thoughts on the game:

… Dominik Hasek had more than a few moments of brilliance last night, but they didn’t completely make up for the bad taste left in my mouth after the Predators’ first and second goals. Both game off bad deflections or bounces, but both could have been avoided through better positioning. On the first, the play was well covered by Kronwall and Lidstrom. Dom just needed to make the save. On the second, it was a broken play, but if he had covered the post better, he would have stopped the shot.

At a number of other points in the game, Hasek looked great. But those two goals are something of a concern.

… I’m still not sure how Dan Ellis missed Niklas Kronwall’s shot on the Wings’ first, and based on the fact that he looked down at his glove in disbelief, I don’t think he knows how he missed it either.

… I think Chris Chelios was the last player on the ice to know his shot went in the net on the Wings’ second. Pulling Ellis at that point was an odd move.

… It was good to see Brian Rafalski make Dan Hamhuis pay for his bone-headed up-the-gut clear for the Wings’ third.

… The second period ended with the Predators really looking like little children, eh? How Mason avoided an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for shooting the puck at Hasek, I don’t know. At least they gave that classless piece of donkey refuse Dan Hamhuis two minutes for his big man attack on Henrik Zetterberg.

… The first five minutes of the third period made me sad. That is all.

… Johan Franzen, where did that come from? Please do that again and again in the playoffs.

… Henrik Zetterberg’s pass to Pavel Datsyuk to set up the breakaway that led to the Wings’ 5th goal was a thing of beauty. Datstyuk breakaways don’t happen often enough.

… Poor Kirk Maltby couldn’t hit the empty net from 20 feet out, but got to see Datsyuk do it from halfway between the red line and the blueline. Kirk was shaking his head all the way to the bench.

… All in all, I think that game will be good for the Wings. They gave up a lead, but found a way to pull away again despite the determination of a fast and physical opponent. Hasek was able to improve his game as the night went on and hopefully regained confidence after being pulled Sunday. Here’s hoping they can carry on through with a win over Columbus on Saturday.

The win effectively ended the Predators’ playoff hopes, though they aren’t mathematically eliminated yet. The Wings, on the other hand, pulled two points further ahead of the San Jose Sharks, though the latter have a game in hand.

Highlights

DetroitHockey.net

GameDay: @ Nashville (36-30-8, 80 Pts) 8:00 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on March 20, 2008
in 2007-2008, GameDay and Predators
. 0 Comments

Update (21. Mar, 1:25 PM): A correction: I erroneously stated below that, at the time of the original posting, the Predators needed five points to pass a stationary Colorado. Actually, they just needed four because they would have won the first tie-breaker due to having a better points percentage. - Matt

Update (2:52 PM): Ansar Khan now has more about Stuart at the same post. No news on which hand or what finger it is because the team isn’t saying. The team is also pegging his return at close to three weeks. Stuart will evidently start skating next week so that he can maintain some level of conditioning.

For now, at least, Chris Chelios will move up to the second pairing, not Andreas Lilja, who will make up one half of the third pairing with Brett Lebda.

Also, none of the injured players will dress tonight. Draper is still looking at a Saturday return, and it’s possible Dan Cleary could make it back then as well. A Tuesday or March 28 return is more likely, though, Khan says. Valtteri Filppula is now listed as out with both a twisted knee and a groin injury. Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen) won’t be back until next week, apparently, and Darren McCarty is expected to be available only for the last 3-4 games and beyond. - Matt

Update (1:43 PM): According to Ted Kulfan, Stuart’s finger was broken when he blocked a shot. The team is looking at a 3-6 week recovery period.

Three weeks would have him back right around the start of the playoffs, while six weeks would be more like the middle of the second round. Obviously, three weeks would be preferred. - Matt

Update (1:15 PM): Bad news via Ansar Khan: Brad Stuart will miss the rest of the regular season and possibly some playoff time with a non-displaced finger fracture. Evidently, the injury took place during the third period last night.

That will probably put Andreas Lilja back in the top four and opens the door for Derek Meech to crack the lineup in the final eight games.

This is really quite unfortunate, as Stuart and Kronwall were becoming quite the pair and could only benefit from continued regular playing time together. Here’s hoping he’s able to make it back no later than one or two games into the post-season. - Matt

Update (10:49 AM): An interesting note on the Griffins game that I forgot to mention below: while the Wings’ were utilizing Derek Meech as a forward last night, Grand Rapids was doing the same with Jonathan Ericsson, the former center, for much of the game. I’m told that was a first for the big Swede since he arrived in GR. He looked pretty good in that role, though I think he’s better suited to defense.

Also, Ansar Khan, writing for The Hockey News, recently ranked Jakub Kindl as the top Red Wings prospect. If true, it’s on potential alone, because he’s very, very green. To put it bluntly, I thought he was awful last night and that’s not been unusual for him this season. In my mind, Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Ericsson are the Wings’ 1A and 1B prospects at this stage, not young Mr. Kindl. - Matt

The Detroit Red Wings are in Nashville tonight to play the Predators for the 7th time this season. The series is tied 3-3, with the Wings winning the November 7th (3-2 SO), December 10th (2-1), and March 9 (4-3) meetings. The Predators won November 22nd (3-2), February 12th (4-2) and March 15th (3-1). The 8th and final game between the two Central Division teams will be played on March 30th in Detroit.

Nashville is 4-5-0 in March. They began the month with a pair of wins, but went 1-1 over their next two. They then dropped three straight, beginning with the loss to Detroit on the 9th. Their March 15th win over the Wings cut that skid short, but they returned to losing on Tuesday with a loss to Washington.

The Predators are four point behind the 8th place team in the West, Colorado, but would need five to pass the Avs.

JP Dumont leads the team in goals with 28, but Jason Arnott is not far behind with 26. Alexander Radulov (24) and Martin Erat (22) also have cracked the 20-goal barrier.

The Tennessean lists David Legwand (foot), Steve Sullivan (back), Martin Gelinas (knee) and Jed Ortmeyer (knee) as out.

It looks like Dan Ellis is the expected starter.

For the Predators’ perspective, see Pred-Joe and On the Forecheck.

The Wings improved to 6-2-0 in March with a 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets last night. I missed most of the game because I was watching the Grand Rapids Griffins lose 2-1 to the Toronto Marlies, but I made it back in time to see Henrik Zetterberg score the second of his three goals. From what I saw, the Wings looked pretty good in the third, but from what I read (here and here), it wasn’t so pretty in the first and second.

The strong third was sparked by the reunion of Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, with the former first tying the game at one, then putting the Wings ahead a goal, and finally extending the lead. Hank’s third goal came came 35 seconds after his second and prompted the usual shower of hats. And glasses, which were picked up by Chris Osgood. With the win, the Wings tied the season series at 3 apiece.

Because the San Jose Sharks beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in a shootout last night, the Wings still have only a five-point lead in the League.

Zetterberg’s goals were his 37th, 38th, and 39th of the season, the team high. Pavel Datsyuk (28) and Johan Franzen (20) are the only two active Wings to have cracked 20 goals.

The Wings will be without 20-goal scorer Tomas Holmstrom (abdomin) for the 7th game.

Dan Cleary (broken jaw) has been out since being injured on February 9th. He’s expected back soon however.

Kris Draper (groin) is unlikely to play tonight, though he could return Saturday.

Valtteri Filppula sat out against the Jackets with a sore groin (or is it a sore knee?) and is likely to sit again tonight. He had played a team-high 132 consecutive games prior to last night’s game.

Projected lines:

Hudler-Datsyuk-Samuelsson
Franzen-Zetterberg-Kopecky
Draper-Hartigan-Drake
Meech-Helm-Downey

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Chelios-Lilja

Dominik Hasek will be in net tonight for the Wings.

For more of the Wings’ perspective, see Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, Red Wings Nation, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, Red Wings Brasil, BR Red Wings, and Winging It In Motown.

This is another key game for the Wings, who will be facing a highly-motivated and skilled Predators team that had last night off. They will need to have a better start than they had against the Jackets or they stand a good chance of finding themselves in a deep hole before long. This is their chance to exact some revenge for Saturday’s loss to the Preds and if they can pick up where they left off in the third last night, they stand a good chance of pulling out a road win.

Wings 4, Predators 3

Published
by
Matt Saler
on March 10, 2008
in 2007-2008, Game Reports and Predators
. 3 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings held off a Nashville Predator comeback bid in the third period on their way to a 4-3 win at Joe Louis Arena. It was their third win in a row.

Just a few thoughts on the game:

… Despite the fact that he notched two assists, Nick Lidstrom looked a little rusty in his return. I’m thinking specifically of his uncharacteristic stumble which led to him being forced to take a penalty at 9:23 in the third. Overall, he looked himself. There were just some moments where you could tell he’d missed time.

He finished with 24:34 in TOI, second to Brian Rafalski’s 25:34. Nick is expected to play tomorrow against the Blackhawks.

… It was nice to finally see Jiri Hudler break out of that horrendous slump. Hopefully he can keep it up now.

… I was surprised to learn that it was Johan Franzen’s first multi-goal game. He’s now scored in three consecutive games and is warming up from the playoffs. He filled in for Tomas Holmstrom quite well, I thought.

Holmstrom, by the way, is having an MRI done on his groin today and will not play tomorrow.

… Jonathan Ericsson rather than Derek Meech played for Brett Lebda. I hardly noticed the big Swede all game. Of course, that may have something to do with the fact that he only played 10:18.

… Niklas Kronwall has played like a new man since his return from that freak injury. It’s obvious that he can be scary good if he can only stay healthy. Assuming he can fully break his habit of missing half the season, I would not be surprised to see him win a couple Norris Trophies down the road. His play on Hudler’s goal was just great.

… Brad Stuart scored his first goal as a Red Wing on a nice wrap-around effort. I’m still trying to figure out what he was doing so low during a 4-on-4. You can see him taking the open right wing from the point down to the goalline in the replay. Solid offensive instincts, I guess.

… Now, about the nearly-blown lead. The Preds’ first goal was just a bomb by Shea Weber through a crowd. Obviously, you’d prefer to see Dominik Hasek stop that, but it’s no big deal. On the second goal, the coverage ideally would have been better on the left wing man and you’d like to see Hasek control the rebound. Still, it was a nice play by the Predators.

It’s the third goal that I have a problem with. I had just noticed Jordin Tootoo’s presence on the ice in the final stretch of the game and thought it odd. The next thing I know, he’s pounding home the puck on a flurry in front of the net. Nick Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg are right there. How does Jordin Tootoo gain position on two of the best defensive players in hockey?

… After the Tootoo goal, I had to think, “We could actually lose this thing.” Fortunately the Wings realized that too, and did a good job of keeping the puck out of their end in the final minute. Still, the damage had been done. What could have been a decent-if-problematic win was tarnished by an all-too-successful Predators comeback bid.

… It’s obvious that even with the return of Lidstrom, the team has not ironed out all the kinks. Even before the Predators’ strong third, the Wings didn’t play their best at even strength. Their lead was the product of the Preds’ penchant for taking penalties (many of which were deserved, by the way, though not all). Had the game not been a penalty fest, the result may have been different.

The Predators were weak offensively through the second period, but it’s hard to blame them as they spent large swaths of the first period down a man and were playing from behind the whole second as the Wings pressed home the attack. Once the Wings let off the gas in the third, the Predators were pretty easily able to stage a comeback bid. The hole they had dug just turned out to be too deep to climb out of in time.

… This was one of those wins that, for me at least, feel something like a loss. A 4-0 final may have been somewhat misleading, but the first and second period seemed to mark a near return to the team’s efficient play of October through January. A 4-3 final just shows that the team still has some issues to work out.

GameDay: vs. Nashville (35-26-8, 78 Pts) 3:00 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on March 9, 2008
in 2007-2008, GameDay and Predators
. 2 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings host the Nashville Predators this afternoon in what could be a preview of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

It is the fifth meeting between these two teams this season. The Wings won November 7th (3-2 SO) and December 10th (2-1). The Predators won November 22nd (3-2) and February 12th (4-2).

The teams meet again on March 15th, 20th, and 30th to wrap up the eight game regular season series.

Nashville began March with a 3-1 win in Dallas. The win snapped a three-game skid that began in the final week of February. They also won their next game, a 5-1 decision over Edmonton on the 4th. They then lost two nights later in Vancouver, 6-2. On the 7th, they defeated the Calgary Flames 2-1 in overtime.

Today’s game is the last of a six-game road trip that began in Buffalo on the 27th with an 8-4 loss.

With the Canucks’ 4-2 win over St. Louis last night, the Predators fell from 8th to 9th place in the Conference. A point today, though, would put them right back in the playoffs.

Jason Arnott leads the Predators with 63 points. JP Dumont is not far behind with 68 62.

Arnott’s 39 assists are a team best. Dumont (36) and Marek Zidlicky (35) are the other big assist men. Alexander Radulov, Martin Erat, and David Legwand each have 29 helpers.

Dumont is the leading goal-scorer with 26. Arnott and Radulov both have 24. Martin Erat is the only other Nashville 20-goal scorer. Dumont has three goals over his past four games, including the overtime game-winner in Calgary.

The Tennessean lists Steve Sullivan (back), Martin Gelinas (knee) and Jed Ortmeyer (knee) as out. David Legwand is questionable with a foot injury suffered in Calgary.

Dan Ellis should get the start today.

For the Predators’ perspective, see Pred-Joe and On the Forecheck.

Detroit (44-18-6) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win in Buffalo on March 2nd. The win was just their second in 11 games. They went on three nights later to defeat the St. Louis Blues 4-1 at home. That game kicked off a five-game homestand that continues this afternoon.

With Dallas’ 3-1 loss in Colorado yesterday, the Wings maintain their seven-point lead over the League. They have three games in hand on the Stars, who play the Avalanche again today at home.

Pavel Datsyuk is the leading scorer with 78 points. Henrik Zetterberg is not far behind with 76. Datsyuk has at least a point in each of his last five games.

Datsyuk’s 53 points are a team best. Nick Lidstrom’s 50 good for second.

Zetterberg leads the team in goals with 36. Datsyuk has netted 25. Dan Cleary and Tomas Holmstrom, neither of whom are active today, both have 20.

The Wings will be without Holmstrom (groin/abdomen) today. Mark Hartigan will fill in as a result.

Chris Chelios (right leg, bone chip) is also out.

Brett Lebda (illness) did not practice yesterday and will not play. Either Jonathan Ericsson or Derek Meech will fill in for him. My guess is Meech, who sat out the St. Louis game in favor of Ericsson.

Nick Lidstrom (knee sprain) is expected to return, though the Freep lists him as questionable. The decision will be made following the pre-game skate.

Projected lines:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Hudler
Franzen-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Maltby-Draper-Kopecky
Drake-Hartigan-Downey

Projected parings:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Meech-Lilja

Dominik Hasek should get the start.

For more of the Wings’ perspective see Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, Red Wings Nation, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, Red Wings Brasil, and Winging It In Motown. Jeff (aka OklahomaWingNut) has his GDT up.

This is an important game for the Wings, who need to continue to improve their play as they see players return from injuries. The Predators are having a solid month so far and are fighting for a playoff spot. You can bet that they will come out hard and will do what they think it takes to win. The Wings are going to have to compete with both Nashville’s physicality and skill, something they are more than capable of doing as long as their heads are in it.