If they Red Wings want to extend their season out of April, they have some work to do.
Nashville came into Joe Louis Arena and took two games to take a 3-1 series lead, besting the Red Wings 3-1 on Tuesday in Game 4 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series.
The Red Wings pulled Jimmy Howard with about 90 seconds left and charged, but Henrik Zetterberg high sticked Shea Weber behind the net with 55.8 seconds left. The faceoff came down into the Detroit zone and Howard returned to the net.
Off a battle behind the net, Danny Cleary took the puck out from behind the goal and David Legwand poked it off his stick and between’s Howard’s legs to kill off any hope of a tying goal.
Pekka Rinne continues to be the story for Nashville. He made 39 saves for the Predators after stopping 41 shots in Game 3.
Jimmy Howard made 14 saves for the Red Wings.
Jiri Hudler scored for the Red Wings. Gabriel Bourque and Kevin Klein also scored for Nashville. All four goals in the game came in the third period.
Another frustrating performance by the Red Wings tonight. It’s tough to say if the team is playing to its potential (I don’t think so), but Nashville’s defense, led by Rinne, is really doing a number on the team. Something has to change if the Red Wings want to avoid making tee times next week.
Game 5 is at 8 p.m. Friday in Nashville.
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