Fortunately, the rest of the game stuck to the same script too. Detroit got good performances from its top line, its checking line and timely goaltending from Jimmy Howardto run away from Nashville 5-2 and get a win that may punch its ticket to the postseason.

April 25, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Nashville Predators goalie Chris Mason (30) cannot make a save on a shot for a goal by Detroit Red Wings left wing Justin Abdelkader (not pictured) in the third period at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Fisher opened the scoring just 1:46 into the game, finishing off a two-on-0ne with Rich Clune and giving Howard no chance. Valteri Filppula’s 100th career goal – off a very nice passing play with Johan Franzen and Daniel Cleary – evened the score, but the Predators retook the lead when Craig Smith ventured into the slot and had his initial shot blocked right back to him to fire home at the 12:30 mark of the first.

The Red Wings began the second period on the power play, but ended up pulling even right after a holding call on Nick Spaling expired. This time it was Franzen who was the goal-scorer, elevating the puck over Predators goalie Chris Mason from a tight angle.

Fittingly, it was Detroit’s checking line that struck next, showing some offensive chemistry for the second straight game. Jordin Tootoo found Patrick Eaves open at the circle, and he one-timed a shot past Mason for just his second goal of 2013 at the 3:41 of the second period.

Howard made an incredible save diving back across his crease to make the 3-2 score stand up, the best of his 20 stops on the night. He was also called upon several times to make key saves in the final period, though Pavel Datsyuk and Justin Abdelkader gave him insurance goals to account for the final margin.

The Red Wings outshot the Predators 38-22 on the night, a good sign in a game they had to have. A win by the Dallas Stars against the Columbus Blue Jackets would clinch a playoff spot for the Wings, extending their string of postseason appearances to 22 in a row.

If Detroit needs another point or two, it can get them on Saturday against the Dallas Stars. A lot of fans may have been nervous the way things have played out in the second half of the season, but all of a sudden, things are trending the right way for the Wings as it comes to a close.

The game was over when…

Eaves got a chance to find the twine, one he richly deserved. He’s obviously not much of a goal scorer, but it sure looked that way when he confidently blasted his shot home. He and Tootoo have something going right now, and with the playoffs (probably) on the horizon, the Wings may have found some extra scoring at the best possible time.

The unsung Red Wings hero was…

Let’s go with Jonathan Ericsson in this one. Logged plenty of minutes, dished out six hits, didn’t do anything egregiously dumb in coverage or with the puck. That qualifies.

February 23, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard (35) makes a save on a shot by Nashville Predators center Mike Fisher (12) as Detroit center Pavel Datsyuk (13) defends in the second period at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Red Wings snapped a 5-game losing streak against the Nashville Predators Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena with a convincing 4-0 win. Detroit dominated in all zones and received a Vezina-calibre performance from Jimmy Howard, as well as -gasp- production from the checking lines! I’ve missed watching these Red Wings; I like them a lot better than the team I watched for the five games before this.

Detroit opened the scoring in the first period when Drew Miller knocked in a rebound off of a point shot from Niklas Kronwall. Seeing bottom six production from this team is always a good thing, as players like Datsyuk and Zetterberg can’t carry the offense on their own. Tomas Tatar added to the stat sheet for checking line forwards with a beautiful goal in close on Pekka Rinne in the second period. Calling him a bottom six forward seems kind of wrong, though…he has more points than Abdelkader and Cleary put together, and yet doesn’t get a promotion to the second line? Tatar and Datsyuk could really do some damage together if Babcock gave them a chance. Jordin Tootoo almost made it 3-0 against his former team later in the period, but his shot barely scraped Rinne’s glove and bounced off the crossbar. Thankfully Kronwall made up for that unfortunate bounce with a lucky almost-miss on a one-timer that slipped past Rinne on the glove side to increase Detroit’s lead to 3.

February 23, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Drew Miller (20) receives congratulations from teammates at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The score remained 3-0 until the third period, when Cleary showed a quick flash of his -potential- to be a second line forward next to Pavel Datsyuk by means of a beautiful redirect of a Niklas Kronwall shot. The goal was only Cleary’s second of the season and his fourth point, but is hopefully a sign of him turning his game around and playing like he did in 2010-2011. With Bertuzzi and Franzen still out, Cleary remains an integral part of Detroit’s offense, and needs to perform as such.

Jimmy Howard came up big all game, as his team was heavily outshot through the first half of the game despite controlling the pace for most of it. Especially impressive were a pair of pad stops on Matt Halischuk and Colin Wilson in the first period. His numbers may be down, but this game was part of a long-standing series of proof that this is more the fault of the defense corps in front of him than his own.

My three stars of the game:

1) Jimmy Howard: 32 saves, shutout

2) Niklas Kronwall: Goal, 2 Assists

3) Pavel Datsyuk: 2 Assists

A few random notes:

- C’mon, Cleary. Play like this every game. This is the first time I’ve seen you play like you care in an extraordinarily long time. Still though, nothing’s gonna be enough to get you a contract next year.

- Tomas Tatar deserves top six minutes. Even when Franzen and Bertuzzi come back. His hands in small spaces are ridiculous.

- I haven’t seen Howard play a bad game all season. His numbers might be off, but he has a really porous (and broken) defense corps in front of him.

Thanks for reading!

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