DETROIT – There were 17 minor penalties in Game 1 of this opening round series between the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings.
Detroit coach Mike Babcock's team had seven of those penalties, and although the Red Wings did not allow any power play goals, Babcock is stressing no penalties in Game 2 Friday night.
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On the other hand, the Red Wings scored both their goals in the 3-2 loss on the power play. That's a statistic they were focusing on heading into the playoffs. They wanted to get the power play back on track, especially on the road.
Detroit also won in the shots category with 37 to Nashville's 26. The Wings outshot the Predators 16-6 in the second period and 16-7 in the third.
But it was the all-important goals statistic that did them in, as is the case in the game of hockey.
There are plenty of positives for the Red Wings to take from Game 1. The loss of forward Darren Helm (upper body injury) for the remainder of the playoffs is not one of them.
Still, if Detroit plays Game 2 like they played the last two periods of Game 1, they should come out of Nashville with the series tied at 1-1, something Babcock says is a must.
Pekka Rinne is brick wall in Game 1
Predators goalie Pekka Rinne posted an impressive .946 save percentage Wednesday night. He's a puzzle for Detroit, turning away 35 shots and every shot the Wings took at even strength.
Rinne, 29, is in his 6th season with Nashville. He has a career save percentage of .921 and a career playoff save percentage of .911. His 43 wins this season was a league best.
Weber ends game with hit on Zetterberg
Game 1 ended with a bang, literally, as Nashville defenseman Shea Weber slammed Henrik Zetterberg's face into the end glass. Weber was fined and warned by the league.
Might this add some extra ferocity to an already tightly-matched series between two teams in the midst of a burgeoning rivalry? Without a doubt.
Puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
Game 3 is Sunday afternoon at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.