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Calder, Hudler star as Red Wings top Predators

Mar 14, 2007 - 5:59 AM NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Behind Kyle Calder and Jiri Hudler, the Detroit Red Wings sent a message to the Nashville Predators.

Calder had a goal and two assists and Hudler netted a tally and set up another as the Red Wings began a home-and-home series against the Predators with a 5-2 victory.

Robert Lang and Valtteri Filppula also recorded a goal and an assist for Detroit (44-17-9), which climbed within one point of Nashville (46-19-6) for first place in both the Central Division and Western Conference. The teams meet again at Joe Louis Arena on Wednesday.

"They have a great team," Hudler said. "We are going back to play them in our building. Hopefully we are going to take advantage of it. It will be like a playoff game."

"Anytime you get a loss, you want to get right back on the horse and go after them," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "I think it's great that we are playing them tomorrow."

Acquired from Philadelphia in a three-way trade on February 26, Calder continued his torrid pace for Detroit. Entering with a goal and five assists in six games with the Red Wings, the 28-year-old set up Lang for the opening goal 99 seconds into the first period and did the same 84 seconds into the middle session for Hudler, whose tally gave Detroit a 3-1 advantage.

"(Calder's) been playing great for us since he got here," Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. "He is doing what we wanted him to do and what we expect him to do - go in front of the net, go to the tough areas, get some rebounds and get some goals like he did tonight."

"He'll go into those dirty spots and he'll take the hits," Detroit's Kirk Maltby added. "He'll stand in front of the net and take cross-checks and try to deflect pucks and get the garbage goals."

After Martin Erat drew Nashville within one five minutes into the third, Calder restored the two-goal bulge with 2:02 remaining, firing a shot from the left faceoff circle that deflected off Predators defenseman Marek Zidlicky's skate and past goaltender Tomas Vokoun for his 11th of the season.

"It's going pretty well right now," Calder said. "I am pretty comfortable in here. ... I just have to keep going."

"He goes to the net and he plays the game hard," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought he, Hudler and Lang were excellent for us tonight."

Filppula capped the scoring on a breakaway less than a minute later and Chris Osgood made 29 saves for the Red Wings, who improved to 4-1-1 against the Predators this season.

"They are a really good team, and we are a really good team, and we had the upper hand tonight," Babcock said. "Tomorrow, we have to go back home and try to do the same thing."

Rookie Alexander Radulov also scored for Nashville, which failed to earn a point for the first time in 11 games (7-1-3).

"We did some good things, but that's not enough," said Vokoun, who made 25 saves. "We have to be better. Our coverage needs to be a lot better. It's that simple."

Entering with points in 10 of their previous 11 games (7-1-3), the Red Wings jumped in front when Lang got a loose puck on the doorstep and fired it past a screened Vokoun at 1:39 of the first. But the Predators pulled even when Radulov beat Osgood with a hard wrist shot from the top of the slot during a power play at 7:02 for his 13th goal.

Maltby restored Detroit's lead 4 1/2 minutes into the second, beating Vokoun from the top of the crease, and Hudler one-timed a shot from the left faceoff circle past the netminder's glove at 1:24 of the third for a two-goal cushion.

"It hurts to give up that goal early in the third and put ourselves in that two-goal deficit," Nashville defenseman Shea Weber said.

Erat converted a 5-on-3 advantage by burying the rebound of Weber's one-timer from the top of the slot, halving the deficit. But Calder and Filppula dashed the Predators' comeback hopes with goals 41 seconds apart late in the session.

"We got it back to 3-2 and, obviously, the fourth goal was the nail in the coffin," Trotz said.