Red Wings at Predators
The Nashville Predators continue their four-game homestand Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings after a pair of streaks came to end with Thursday's 4-3 setback to Calgary. Nashville vaulted to the top of the Central Division with a 5-0-2 run in its previous seven games and goaltender Pekka Rinne suffered his first regulation loss since Jan. 2 after a 10-0-1 stretch.
"I think we've played a lot of hockey lately and we've played in a lot of tough games and have been finding ways to win a lot of hockey games," Predators center Ryan Johansen told reporters after recording a goal and an assist Thursday. "I think (Friday), we're going to stay away from the rink and just have a good day of rest. I think that'll be pretty crucial for our group right now in just hitting the reset button." Detroit is coming off a 4-1 setback at Tampa Bay on Thursday - its 11th straight loss to the Lightning - as it tries for its seventh straight victory over the Predators, who last won in the series Dec. 30, 2013. The Red Wings have five teams to pass in the race for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but captain Henrik Zetterberg remains optimistic. "I thought we've been closer, we had two wins and we lose this one," Zetterberg told reporters. "We're close, we just have to keep getting points and keep winning games. We did a lot of good things here (Thursday), but there are things we have to be better at."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, FS Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (23-24-9): Tomas Tatar (15 goals, 25 points) scored Thursday and has three goals in his last three games. Frans Nielsen (13 goals, 24 points) had his five-game point streak (two goals, five assists) snapped Thursday while Dylan Larkin (team highs of 43 points and 34 assists) was kept off the scoresheet versus Tampa Bay after recording a goal and four assists over his previous four contests. Anthony Mantha (club-most 19 goals) didn't record a point Thursday after registering three goals and an assist in three games.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (34-13-9): Rinne (29-9-4, 2.36 goals-against average, .925 save percentage) gave up four goals for only the second time since Dec. 21 - a span of 15 games - but stresses he's just a part of the process. "I think it goes hand in hand with the team game, too," Rinne told The Tennessean recently. "Obviously you've got to be feeling confident. You've got to be feeling good to play well. ... I've got to be happy the way I've been playing and the way the whole team has been playing so far this year." Viktor Arvidsson and Kevin Fiala share the team lead with 18 goals apiece but each has scored only once in the last five games.
OVERTIME
1. Nashville was 3-0-2 in a stretch of five straight games that went past regulation prior to Thursday after going 5-7 in its first 12 such contests this season.
2. The Predators are 0-for-18 on the power play over their last six games while Detroit is 10-for-18 on the penalty kill in its past four contests.
3. Red Wings F Andreas Athanasiou (10 goals, 24 points) and Nashville C Kyle Turris (nine goals, 31 points) missed their last game because of illness.