Detroit Red Wings come out strong, but fall, 1-0, to Nashville Predators on the road

The Detroit Red Wings used one of their best road performances of the season to challenge the hottest team in the NHL.

The Nashville Predators squeezed out a 1-0 victory from the Saturday-afternoon start, stretching their franchise-record point streak to 17 games, but it wasn't for lack of good play from the Wings, who played with energy and structure as they embarked on the first of five consecutive games on the road.

There was 5:14 left in the third period when the Predators were able to sustain pressure down low, leading to a goal from Filip Forsberg, who had little room to maneuver as he stickhandled the puck onto his forehand and took a shot that goalie Alex Lyon had little chance to stop. Lyon went to the bench with about two minutes to go for the extra attacker.

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By the time the Wings (36-29-6, 78 points) faced off at Bridgestone Arena, the New York Islanders already had won their Saturday game to reach 75 points. The Washington Capitals, with 77 points, were idle.

Lyon, making his first start in three games, looked back in form as he made 32 saves, 14 of them in the first period. In the second period, Moritz Seider recorded his first career NHL fight when a battle with Filip Forsberg for a puck along the boards turned to a shoving match and then fisticuffs that saw Seider throw punches with ambidextrous efficiency. It ignited his bench, but his five minutes in the penalty box did overlap with a power play that left the Wings to double-shift Shayne Gostisbehere as a result. Joe Veleno had a grade-A chance during that man advantage when he got the puck in the slot, but Juuso Saros denied it with his trapper.

Robby Fabbri endured a scare in the second period when he tumbled over Roman Josi, who had gone down to block in anticipation of Fabbri shooting the puck. Fabbri looked in pain immediately after, but he remained in the game. Fabbri has had to deal with multiple knee injuries that have required surgery and have hampered his career.

The Wings next play Tuesday at the Capitals.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings just short in 1-0 road loss to Nashville Predators