DETROIT — Sometimes you have to give credit to the opponent, and that might've been the case Tuesday for the Red Wings.
The Nashville Predators, despite missing some key regulars in the lineup, and beginning a long stretch on the road, played a near-perfect road game in defeating the Wings 5-2.
Nashville limited the Wings to 16 shots — the Wings were outshot 33-16 — and did a fine job bottling up the Wings the entire evening.
Robby Fabbri (power play) and Michael Rasmussen had the Wings' goals.
The Wings also lost defenseman Moritz Seider with eight minutes left in the game after he was slammed along the boards by Nashville's Tanner Jeannot.
Seider's right shoulder and head both appeared to hit the glass hard, before Seider gingerly skated to the bench and immediately headed to the locker room.
There was no immediate update on Seider's condition.
The loss ended the Wings' (13-10-3) five-game win streak, which was the Wings' longest streak since 2019. It was also only the Wings' third regulation time loss at Little Caesars Arena this season in 14 games (9-3-2).
Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic kept the Wings close with saves on breakaway attempts by Filip Forsberg and Philip Tomasino in the first two periods.
But Nashville's Nick Cousins regained the two-goal lead for Nashville at 2:33 of the third period, and Eeli Tolvanen iced it with his third goal, making it 4-1.
Seider's outlet pass to Sam Gagner along the boards wound up on Nashville's Roman Josi's stick, and Josi found Cousins all alone in front. Cousins backhanded a shot past a sprawled Nedeljkovic, his third goal.
Tolvanen made it a three-goal Nashville lead at 7:07.
Nashville defenseman Dante Fabbro lifted a shot from the point that Tolvanen, in the slot, got his stick on with the puck also grazing Danny DeKeyser before reaching the net.
The Wings cut Nashville's lead to 4-2 on Rasmussen's second goal.
But Fabbro's empty net goal finished the scoring, giving Nashville a 5-2 victory.
The Wings broke free on an odd-man rush after two Nashville players collided down the ice. Adam Erne's backhanded pass through the slot reached Rasmussen's stick, and Rasmussen quickly snapped a shot past goaltender David Rittich.
Fabbri's power-play goal cut Nashville's lead to 2-1 in the second period.
Fabbri drove hard to the net and popped in a loose puck that Rittich couldn't control. It was Fabbri's sixth goal, with Pius Suter (six game point streak, one goal and five assists) and Seider assisting, at 9:58.
Ryan Johansen (power play) and Roman Josi (who also had two assists) had first-period goals for the Predators, as Nashville jumped to a 2-0 lead.
Nashville found out shortly before the game they were without goaltender Juuse Saros and defensemen Mattias Ekholm, both out with non-COVID illness, and defenseman Matt Benning (upper body).
But Rittich, replacing Saros was steady when needed to be while earning his second win in three decisions.
Johansen gave the Predators a 1-0 lead with his seventh goal.
Matt Duchene carried the puck down the wing and slid a deft pass to Johansen through the slot, who knocked the puck through Nedeljkovic at 12:32 of the first period.
Josi, who is again playing at a Norris Trophy-winning caliber, pushed Nashville's lead to 2-0.
Josi, looking like a forward, skated down the slot and slipped around defenseman Filip Hronek, then beat Nedeljkovic for his eighth goal, at 17:43 of the first period.
The Predators (14-10-1) slipped into the playoffs last season, somewhat unexpectedly, and are again in the thick of playoff contention again.
"First off, their big guns are playing really good hockey," said coach Jeff Blashill after Tuesday's morning skate. "(Ryan) Johansen, (Matt) Duchene, (Filip) Forsberg. (Defenseman Roman) Josi always plays good hockey. Compared to the start of last year, they've really played at a high level.
"They're a hard forechecking team. Last year they were one of the best forechecking teams in the league, and this year they sit No. 3 in our analytics as one of the top forechecking teams. They come at you hard. They're heavy. They're going to hit you, (and) play good structure."
