If the Red Wings are going to tie up their playoff series against the Nashville Predators at two games apiece Tuesday night at Joe Louis Arena, they might want to score the first goal.
Especially in this series, since the team that has scored first has won the first three games. But in order to score first, you must be ready to play from the opening faceoff, which is a critical element that has been missing from Detroit’s game.
"I thought someone told me it was like 80 percent of the time during the regular season, when you score first, you win," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said after Monday’s practice. "So I don't think that's any different now. It's a priority for everyone.
"You want to get started on time. We lost the first four faceoffs yesterday. Any way you look at it, that leads to momentum. That probably leads to you taking a penalty and more momentum. So you got to start on time for sure and it's a priority each and every night."
Starting on time has been an ongoing issue with the Wings all season long. It's perplexing that a veteran team like the Wings would have trouble answering the bell.
"Getting off to a good start, especially in the playoffs, is important," Wings defenseman Brad Stuart said. "Our desperation level from the first (period) to the third is noticeable because we needed a goal in the third.
"So why don't we have that same desperation from the beginning of the game?"
Stuart answered his own question by adding, "Let's have that attitude where we need to get the first goal — come out and throw pucks to the net, go to the net, create some havoc in their zone — instead of waiting until we're down a goal.
"It's just a matter of having that desperation level from the start."
Wings must adjust to officiating
Despite the cries from Detroit fans that the officiating has been one-sided in the Predators' favor, captain Nick Lidstrom says the onus is on the Wings to adjust to how the game is being called.
"I think we've been guilty of taking some of the penalties where we’ve been undisciplined," Lidstrom said. "We've played three games now, so you know kind of where the bar is set now with the referees, and we haven't adapted to it yet."
Staying out of the penalty box is important on many levels, but if the Wings have a clear-cut advantage over the Predators, it’s goals scored in five-on-five situations.
Detroit has scored 40 more goals at even strength than they’ve given up. Nashville has scored only 10 more goals in the same situation.
As long as the Wings stay out of the penalty box, they should be able to control the game and score a few more goals than the Predators.
"It is called a little tighter, but at the same time, we have to be more disciplined," Wings forward Justin Abdelkader said. "We can't be taking stick penalties or undisciplined penalties. We just got to be smarter.
"We can't keep going on the kill, wasting time five-on-four, when we could be playing five-on-five."
With both Patrick Eaves and Darren Helm — Detroit’s top two penalty killers — being sidelined, the Wings must rely on their star players to fill the void, which has Babcock frustrated but realistic about the situation.
"It takes a ton of energy to play four against five," he said. "Normally, we’d have Patty Eaves and Helmer, they’d eat up a ton of those minutes. So now Datsyuk and Zetterberg are doing it.
"I'd rather have them shooting it in the net than keeping it out of the net."
Howard: 'I can be better'
Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne has grabbed the spotlight in this series because of his glitzy antics in net. And Rinne’s extraordinary play hasn’t gone unnoticed by Wings netminder Jimmy Howard, who’s battled against Rinne since their days together in the American Hockey League.
"He's 6-5 and very athletic," Howard said. "When you think you've got him beat, he can find a way to get a piece of equipment on it.
"You've really got to bear down in front of him, and his defensemen are doing a great job in front of him tying guys up. There's some [pucks] that are just lying there, we couldn't get to.
"The opportunities are there. We've just got to dig in a little harder."
Helm angry, trying to adapt
Darren Helm is trying hard to keep his emotions under control. The Wings forward pushed himself to get back for the playoff after suffering a knee injury with a few weeks left in the regular season.
It surprised many when Helm was healthy enough to be in the lineup for the start of the series, but it seems it wasn’t meant to be.
Early in the first period of Game 1, Helm lacerated the tendons in his forearm when the skate blade of the Predators Alexander Radulov accidentally caught him in an unprotected spot.
Helm immediately left the ice and was taken to Vanderbilt hospital where surgery was performed on his sliced forearm.
"I’m not really too happy with anything that’s going on right now," Helm said. "I haven’t really gotten over what happened. I’m still pretty angry with the situation. It still hurts quite a bit. Pain wise, it still hurts a lot."
"I have to watch it (the play) again. That’s probably the worst thing of all. The way I tried to battle back after my knee and to come back and have this happen in the first period, it’s pretty tough"
Although he’s expected to make a full recovery, Helm needs assistance for almost everything he does because his arm must stay elevated and immobile.
"It’s not easy," he said. "When I get away from the game, it’s a little bit easier for me. When I have to watch a game, that’s when it’s the hardest."
