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• #PREDATORS VS RED WINGS SCHEDULE SERIES#

I expect a similar performance from Jimmy Howard in this series against Nashville. The series was offensive throughout, but Howard stepped up and had two huge games (arguably three because he was very good in Game Seven as well) which proved to be enormous factors in Detroit winning the series in seven games. Going on the road, Howard stepped up again and stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced in Game Five to help propel the Wings to a victory. The win pushed the series into a 2-2 tie, but Howard was not done yet. In Game Four, Howard secured a shutout by stopping all 29 shots he faced. There was an average of 6.28 goals scored per game in that series, but in Games Four and Five, Howard was the difference maker. In the 2010 NHL Playoffs, the Red Wings faced the Phoenix Coyotes in a Western Conference Quarterfinal matchup that was certainly not lacking in goals. I did mention earlier though, that I think this will be a very offensive series, but that does not mean a goalie can not be the difference maker. He is easily one of the top 10 goalies in the NHL and could maybe even be considered one of the top five. Howard has the ability to completely shut down an offense in a playoff series, and this ability can not go unnoticed when previewing this series. When people talk about elite goaltenders in the NHL, I believe Jimmy Howard is frequently overlooked. If Radulov can deliver in a few clutch moments for Nashville, it will be very difficult for the Red Wings to get past them in the first round. The Predators posted a record of 6-3 during those games, including a 4-1 victory at Detroit March 30. He made his return on March 22 for the Predators and then played nine games for them to close out the year.ĭuring that stretch of games, Radulov scored six goals and added seven assists. Here is a look at what I think the biggest X-Factor for each team is in the series.Īfter scoring 26 goals last year for the Predators, Alex Radulov missed much of this season due to injury. With all that being said, I fully expect that either the offense of defense will take over the series, and I am going to go out on a limb and choose the offense.īoth of the teams will score lots of goals in a series that will be back and forth throughout.Īll signs point to a closely contested series, with the major factors being the power play and the X-Factors. Much like the Red Wings, Nashville is ranked eighth in goals per game (2.8) and eighth in goals against per game (2.5). The Red Wings are ranked seventh in the NHL in goals per game (2.9) and seventh in goals against per game (2.4). The most interesting thing about this series is that it will either be very offensive or very defensive. This time though, the Predators believe they can get it done, as they now have the home ice advantage. These two teams met in the 20 playoffs, where Nashville fell short in six games on both occasions. Nashville-G Anders Lindback (upper body, day-to-day)Īlthough some of the games in the season series were a little one-sided, the season series was split 3-3 between Detroit and Nashville.

Detroit-RW Dan Cleary, C Darren Helm (knees, both expected to play in series), RW Patrick Eaves (concussion, out for season)