Smith Tallies Goal And Assist As Red Wings Top Predators, 3-2
JIM DIAMOND, Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Brendan Smith had a goal and an assist to lead the Detroit Red Wings past the Nashville Predators 3-2 on Saturday night.
Riley Sheahan and Luke Glendening also scored for the Red Wings, who moved into a tie with Montreal atop the Atlantic Division. Petr Mrazek made 24 saves in the victory.
Filip Forsberg scored twice and Mike Ribeiro had a pair of assists for the Predators, who won their previous two games.
Smith scored the first goal at 5:34 of the opening period with a slap shot from the right faceoff dot through traffic that beat Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne on the stick side.
Pavel Datsyuk had an assist on Smith's goal. He has 74 points in 67 career games against the Predators, the most of any Nashville opponent.
Nashville tied the game 45 seconds later on Forsberg's eighth of the season.
Forsberg carried the puck into the Detroit zone on the left side on a 3-on-2. At the left dot, he snapped off a wrist shot that beat Mrazek to the far side.
Forsberg has a four-game point streak.
Sheahan made it 2-1 at 2:55 of the second.
With the Red Wings on a power play, Rinne stopped Brad Richards' slap shot from the right side, but the rebound came to Sheahan at the left of the Nashville net, where he corralled the puck and scored his fifth of the season.
Forsberg scored his second of the night at 17:11 of the second.
Ribeiro won a faceoff against Sheahan inside the Detroit zone. The puck came to Craig Smith, whose wrist shot deflected off Forsberg and by Mrazek.
Glendening gave Detroit a 3-2 lead at 6:45 of the third.
In the low slot, Glendening tipped Smith's slap shot from the center of the blue line by Rinne for his second of the season.
Rinne finished with 20 saves.
NOTES: Red Wings rookie Dylan Larkin missed his first game of the season due to an upper-body injury. Tomas Nosek took his place in the lineup and made his NHL debut. ... Sheahan has points in three consecutive games. ... Nashville is 3-9-3 when its opponent scores first.
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