The Nashville Predators knocked off the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night, taking Detroit in just five games. Thanks to past success, the Red Wings always have a big target on their backs in the Western Conference. So over at SB Nation's Preds blog, On The Forecheck, Dirk Hoag thinks this is a big step for the Nashville franchise.
The Nashville Predators took a step forward as a franchise tonight, knocking off a Detroit Red Wings team which has, until now, always played King of the Hill against them. The tandem of David Legwand and Alexander Radulov led the way with a goal and an assist each, and Pekka Rinne made 21 saves, to finish the series with a sterling .943 save percentage. Now, the Preds can enjoy a few days of rest while waiting to see what the second round holds in store
SB Nation's Red Wings blog, Winging It In Motown, offered up no excuses for the Wings loss, noting they were beaten by a well-coached team and that Detroit failed to make the necessary adjustments.
The Wings lost this series because they could not consistently outperform the Predators, and they could not solve Pekka Rinne. They lost because the Predators seemed to play more of each game as a five-man unit rather than a few sets of players and other individuals. Now Detroit will have a long summer to figure out the adjustments they need to make as a team to be in a position to seriously compete for a Cup next season.
For all news and information regarding the Nashville Predators, please visit On the Forecheck. For updates and perspective on the Detroit Red Wings, head on over to Winging it in Motown. For complete coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NHL hub.
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