The Detroit Red Wings felt like they should have come away with at least a point in their first meeting with Nashville on Thursday. They'll get another chance against the Predators on Saturday when they wrap up a six-game road trip.
Dante Fabbro scored with one minute remaining to give Nashville a 3-2 decision Thursday, flicking a shot from the point that eluded a few bodies near the net and got past Red Wings goaltender Thomas Greiss.
"Frustrating for sure at this point," Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "I thought we put ourselves in a position to win another hockey game, and we didn't finish it. That's a step we need to learn to take."
Detroit is just 1-8-2 over the last 11 games to establish residence in last place in the Central Division. The Wings can pull within two points of the seventh-place Predators if they can finish their long journey on a high note.
"What we have to do is, we have to come in, and we've got to fight through the frustration," Blashill said. "I've said it lots: Frustration does you no good. It's a wasted human emotion. There's not one thing you gain from frustration. We're going to have to work past that and find ways to get better here."
A lack of offensive punch continues to hamper Detroit. The Wings have scored 29 goals in their 15 games, including two or less in nine of the last 11 outings. They are encouraged that they've had fewer defensive lapses in recent games.
"Right now, we're not getting results, but we're finding our identity and the way we have to work on a daily basis," forward Frans Nielsen said. "If we realize it and we can keep finding the way to do this and play this hard, we will get results."
Nashville halted a three-game slide with its last-minute triumph.
"I liked our overall game (Thursday)," said Ryan Ellis, who scored the Predators' first goal. "We can still clean up some areas. That's the same thing for every team, every night, but overall it was a huge goal from Fabbs at the end. We worked hard in the third period for that, and we eventually got rewarded."
Goaltender Pekka Rinne received the majority of the accolades from his teammates after making 24 saves.
He's 3-4 with a 2.56 goals-against average this season.
"At times, our team overall has gotten some tough luck," Ellis said. "Sometimes, we deserve it, sometimes it's just a tough break, but Peks battled through. Peks has been great. I think his confidence is growing, I think this team's confidence is improving, and we need to continue to get better as a group and build on our chemistry, build on this win."
The Predators would like to leave town with some momentum. They'll embark on a six-game road trip after Saturday's contest, including two games in Detroit. They won't play another home game until Feb. 27.
--Field Level Media