(Sports Network) - The Nashville Predators have been playing good hockey all throughout this season and they've been terrific over the past month, having amassed a 14-4-0 record since mid-December. Still, the club remains in a dogfight with the rival Detroit Red Wings for Central Division supremacy.
Nashville's lead over the Red Wings for first place dwindled to two points after Detroit handed the Preds a 5-3 defeat Wednesday in the Motor City. The setback stopped a six-game win streak for Nashville.
Losing in Joe Louis Arena, where the Red Wings are a sensational 17-3-3 this season, is certainly nothing to be ashamed of. However, the way Detroit dictated play throughout the contest has to be something of a concern for Predators head coach Barry Trotz. The Red Wings limited Nashville to just 17 shots on the night, matching the club's season low in that category.
Trotz doesn't have a whole lot to worry about, however. His team boasts one of the highest scoring attacks in the league, is strong on the penalty kill, and has played well on the road. Nashville also possesses an elite goaltender in Tomas Vokoun, although the Czech star has been somewhat inconsistent since his return from thumb surgery.
Vokoun clearly wasn't on top of his game on Wednesday, as he yielded a pair of goals -- both of which could have been termed preventable -- on only eight shots before Trotz yanked him midway through the second period.
"It's pretty simple," Vokoun remarked afterward. "They were just two bad goals and that's pretty much what happened. There's no excuses or explanation. The pucks went in and they should have been stopped."
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Nashville's lead over the Red Wings for first place dwindled to two points after Detroit handed the Preds a 5-3 defeat Wednesday in the Motor City. The setback stopped a six-game win streak for Nashville.
Losing in Joe Louis Arena, where the Red Wings are a sensational 17-3-3 this season, is certainly nothing to be ashamed of. However, the way Detroit dictated play throughout the contest has to be something of a concern for Predators head coach Barry Trotz. The Red Wings limited Nashville to just 17 shots on the night, matching the club's season low in that category.
Trotz doesn't have a whole lot to worry about, however. His team boasts one of the highest scoring attacks in the league, is strong on the penalty kill, and has played well on the road. Nashville also possesses an elite goaltender in Tomas Vokoun, although the Czech star has been somewhat inconsistent since his return from thumb surgery.
Vokoun clearly wasn't on top of his game on Wednesday, as he yielded a pair of goals -- both of which could have been termed preventable -- on only eight shots before Trotz yanked him midway through the second period.
"It's pretty simple," Vokoun remarked afterward. "They were just two bad goals and that's pretty much what happened. There's no excuses or explanation. The pucks went in and they should have been stopped."
FULL STORY
