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Red Wings-Predators Preview

Nov 22, 2009 - 9:47 PM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Detroit (11-6-4) at Nashville (12-8-1), 7:00 p.m. EDT

The Nashville Predators look to win their sixth straight game Monday night and complete a perfect five-game homestand as they meet the Detroit Red Wings for the first time in 2009-10.

Nashville (12-8-1) is one of the hottest teams in the NHL, winning nine of 11 games. The last two wins for the Predators have come in shootouts, including a 4-3 victory over Columbus on Saturday.

Goaltender Pekka Rinne stopped two of three Blue Jackets' shooters to improve to 8-1-0 with a 2.18 goals-against average in his last nine starts. He stopped two of three shooters for New Jersey in Thursday's 3-2 victory.

"I have always kind of liked shootouts," Rinne said. "For a goalie, you want to be a difference maker."

The Predators have scored at least one power-play goal in four straight games, with Jason Arnott and Martin Erat each getting one Saturday. David Legwand added a short-handed goal.

"The power play was good tonight," coach Barry Trotz said. "Special teams were a big part of the game. We got two power-play goals and a short-handed goal."

Rinne went 3-1 with a 2.46 GAA against Detroit (11-6-4) last season as the Predators won four of six. The Red Wings' Chris Osgood has lost four straight starts to Nashville, posting a 3.76 GAA.

This is Detroit's first game in Nashville since an 8-0 loss Feb. 28 in which the Predators scored a franchise-record five first-period goals. Rinne made 30 saves and Arnott had a hat trick after not scoring in his previous nine games against the Red Wings.

Osgood returned for Friday's 2-1 overtime loss to Florida after missing three games with the flu. Jimmy Howard was in net Saturday to earn a 3-2 shootout win at Montreal.

Brad Stuart and Pavel Datsyuk each had power-play goals in the first period Saturday as the Red Wings blew a two-goal lead before avoiding a third straight loss.

"I think we played well," center Henrik Zetterberg said. "And we came in here, we got a lot of power play from the beginning - up two goals. I think it was a well-played game, both teams coming from back-to-back games so it was good goaltending."

The Red Wings will be without defenseman Niklas Kronwall after he suffered the brunt of a leg-on-leg, open-ice collision with Montreal enforcer Georges Laraque on Saturday.

Kronwall didn't return after he fell to the ice in obvious pain and is expected to be out for some time. The Red Wings felt the play was dirty.

"You know it's something that shouldn't happen in hockey," coach Mike Babcock said. "A guy shouldn't hang his leg out there and hurt another guy. It's unacceptable and it's disappointing, obviously. We just lost a good player for a period of time. Our doctors will look at him, but he's out for a chunk for sure."