Detroit Red Wings Beat Nashville Predators 4-0 to End 5-Game Losing Skid

The Detroit Red Wings snapped their five-game losing streak Saturday with a 4-0 win at home over the Nashville Predators. 

It was Detroit’s first shutout of the 2013 season and the 12th of Jimmy Howard’s career. It was also the Red Wings' first four-plus-goal game since February 7, when they beat the St. Louis Blues 5-1. 

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Detroit’s top forwards that contributed the bulk of the offense. The third and fourth lines played well, creating scoring chances and helping the Red Wings mount a two-goal lead. 

Drew Miller opened the scoring early in the first period, with Niklas Kronwall and Patrick Eaves drawing the assists.     

Less than three minutes into the second, Tomas Tatar put the Red Wings up by two with his third goal of the season. Joakim Andersson registered an assist on the play, his third point in eight games this year. Kronwall made it 3-0 later in the period on a one-timer from Pavel Datsyuk. 

In the third period Dan Cleary scored a long-awaited power-play goal for the Wings, tipping home a point shot from Kronwall. The Red Wings scored just once in 17 power-play opportunities during their five-game losing streak. 

Kronwall had three points on the night, but Howard was the difference-maker, stopping all 33 shots to earn his seventh win of the season. 

The Red Wings will play host to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, with puck drop set for 5 p.m. ET. Both teams are coming off wins over the Predators, as the Canucks' last game was a 1-0 win in Nashville on Friday.