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Red Wings Finding Blueprint For Success

Red Wings get much-needed victory

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Andrew Copp, Red Wings
Andrew Copp felt the Red Wings were playing a blueprint that will succeed for them in their win over Nashville.

It would be patently incorrect to describe Saturday’s 3-0 shutout of the Nashville Predators as a must-win game for the Detroit Red Wings.



A much-needed win? Yeah, that sounds much more accurate.

Coming off a 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in their season opener, the Red Wings delivered a virtuoso performance in blanking the Predators. They got quaility goaltending, defensive sacrifice and just enough offense to win the day.

“Of course you’d hope you have a sense of urgency anytime you lose, but obviously early in the season it really gets magnified,” Red wings coach Derek Lalonde admitted. “Obviously, we knew the start of the season was going to be extremely challenging with the competition we were playing – facing Nashville, then having (the) New York (Rangers) back to back, who’s arguably the best team in the league and this team’s probably not too far off.

“I thought there was a little extra sense of urgency in our game and they were rewarded for it.”

Red Wings Talbot Delivers Perfection

It started in goal – doesn’t it always – where Cam Talbot was everything that Ville Husso wasn’t on Thursday. The game’s first star, he would parry 42 shots in his first Red Wings start, including 16 saves during a scoreless opening period.

“Talbot was great,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “We did enough to put some by him, but he was outstanding.”

Rarely was the club calling upon Talbot to make a second save. Often, the first one wasn’t a requirement. Detroit was blocking 31 shots. It was Moritz Seider leading the way with seven blocks. Justin Holl and Ben Chiarot had four apiece.

“We did a really good job of digging in on draws,” center Andrew Copp said. “I thought we got in shot lanes pretty well, a bunch of blocks. We cleared it when the puck was on our stick, but it was just kind of an intensity and a complete desire right from the get go.

“I think you saw that in the amount of blocked shots. You saw that in maybe a few more won battles, stick battles, ready to jump your check just a hair quicker.

“I think that desperation, that sense of urgency was really important and that ultimately probably that did it.”

Enough Offense To Win

JT Compher (second period) and Copp (third period) would score, with captain Dylan Larkin putting the dagger into an empty Nashville net.

“Three is going to win,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said of the club’s offensive output. “It should win you in this league. It gives you a chance to win in this league.”

However, it doesn’t when you give up four, which the Red Wings did in 39 games last season, or the six they surrendered in their opening-night debacle. But it does when the team is willing to make that commitment to play a stout defensive game.

It wasn’t spectacular, but Saturday’s win was a solid performance in all areas by the Red Wings. And it isn’t spectacular that wins most nights. Solid, though, gets the job done more often than not.