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Dumont, Nashville get rare win in Detroit

Dec 9, 2010 - 5:13 AM Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - J.P. Dumont scored what proved to be the game- winning goal late in the third period, as the Nashville Predators held off the Detroit Red Wings, 3-2, to notch a rare victory at Joe Louis Arena.

Martin Erat and Colin Wilson also scored for the Predators, who hadn't won in regulation in this building since March 29, 2009. Anders Lindback was sensational in net, stopping 35 shots, including 27 combined in the final two periods.

"Detroit's one of the best teams in the league, and we proved one more time that we can beat these guys," Lindback said. "I think we played a good game overall, and it helps us build confidence."

Pavel Datsyuk scored a goal and tallied an assist for the Red Wings, who have lost a season-worst three straight games. Johan Franzen also scored, while Jimmy Howard allowed three goals on 24 shots in defeat.

Dumont provided an important insurance goal with 5:23 left in the third.

Nashville, which registered only 10 shots combined in the last two periods, fended off a heavy Detroit attack and went on an odd-man rush. Dumont led the 2-on-1 break and decided to shoot from the left circle, and the puck deflected off Howard's glove and in.

The Red Wings pulled Howard with two minutes to play and the move paid off when Franzen scored on a rebound from the slot with 1:33 left. Detroit, however, couldn't score again to even the score.

The first period appeared as though it would be scoreless until Nashville tallied with 32.1 ticks remaining. Steve Sullivan dropped pass to Cal O'Reilly, who deftly maneuvered across the slot, drawing Howard out of the net. Wilson skated to the mouth of the crease, where he took a feed from O'Reilly and redirected it into the open net for a 1-0 lead.

Erat doubled the Predators' lead 49 seconds into the second, banking a shot off a Detroit defenseman and in.

Datsyuk, though, halved the Wings' deficit with some nifty hand-eye coordination. He skated up ice on a shorthanded odd-man rush with Henrik Zetterberg, who fired a shot that was stopped by Lindback. Datsyuk positioned himself in front of the net, where his rebound shot hit the post and deflected into the air. He took another swat at it in mid-air and connected, slamming the puck into the net at 13:04.

"There's no excuses. We should be able to play better than we have," Zetterberg said. "Tomorrow, we have to practice and get ready for the next game."

Game Notes

The Red Wings had won five of the last six meetings and gained a point in each of the six contests...Nashville is 4-0-2 in its last six games...The season series is tied, 1-1...Detroit last lost three in a row during a four-game skid from February 3-11, 2010...Both teams went 0-for-4 on the power play.