World HOt toPPIX

Pavel Datsyuk pulled off a highlight-reel play to avoid the check of Ryan Suter and score the game-winner with just 5.8 seconds remaining.

A classic battle between the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings came down to the final moments, and as the Preds looked to melt the clock and take the game to overtime, Pavel Datsyuk pulled off a highlight-reel play to avoid the check of Ryan Suter and score the game-winner with just 5.8 seconds remaining. The Red Wings pulled out the 2-1 win and pushed their home-ice winning streak to 22 games, while the Preds headed out of the building with nothing to show for their effort.

The Red Wings played their typical keep-away style of hockey to open things up, and the Johan Franzen goal to get Detroit on the board came after Datsyuk and Bertuzzi pulled Shea Weber and Ryan Suter out of good defensive position. While it looked pretty nasty for the Nashville D, it's not unusual for the Red Wings to do that to a number of opponents. Nice job by Hal Gill to do a 1st intermission interview barefoot, however. Sometimes you never know how quickly fortunes can change. Moments after Martin Erat was stoned on a breakaway attempt, the Wilson-Spaling-Tootoo line evened things up, after getting singled out by Barry Trotz between periods. Pekka Rinne was nothing less than outstanding, facing some serious pressure at times and holding the Red Wings at bay to keep the Preds in it. This could easily have gotten out of hand early. As for the game winner? That's simply a world-class move by a world-class player. While most of us like the way the Preds bolstered the blueline today by picking up Hal Gill, that kind of play shows that the Preds need a talent boost up front, too.

Read More: Shea Weber (D - NAS), Martin Erat (LW - NAS), Ryan Suter (D - NAS), Pekka Rinne (G - NAS), Johan Franzen (C - DET), Hal Gill (D - NAS), Pavel Datsyuk (C - DET), Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators at Detroit Red Wings, Feb 17, 2012 7:

by TootooReigns on Feb 17, 2012 10:26 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions I'm feeling somewhat of the same... Preds fan from Hamilton, Ontario!

"Life is but a knife blade, anyways. Sooner or later you slip and get cut." Charlie Goodnight from Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurtry.

by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Feb 18, 2012 2:57 PM EST up reply actions Our offense on the road, against top teams blows! Tonight, many missed chances, as was the case in NY and Philly. No excuse for allowing a goal with 5 seconds to play.

by virgil trucks on Feb 17, 2012 10:26 PM EST reply actions That was the last chance to stay in the hunt for the division. Suter is still looking for his jock. He tried to skate with Datsyuk instead of standing him up.

by shoot the puck on Feb 17, 2012 10:27 PM EST reply actions Time to trade Suter Nobody has played worse since the break. Dude puts his teammates down every chance he gets in the media and does next to nothing on the ice. Alt. Captain my ass.

I don?t see Suter moving before the trade deadline. He eats up way too many minutes and typically is responsible in his own end. What he does need to do is STFU.

by Sam Page on Feb 17, 2012 10:37 PM EST up reply actions 5 recs Suter?s response ? if we had a top 6 forward, we would have scored and my crap wouldn?t have mattered.

by DonBorvio on Feb 17, 2012 11:05 PM EST up reply actions For God's sake, don't jump off a ledge. Suter is still one of the top Dmen in the world, and he?s still playing fine. Would you rather have Josi take his place in the line-up? Or Klein? Or HILLEN? Cube?

by Kent Maddox on Feb 17, 2012 11:13 PM EST up reply actions There was absolutely nothing ANY defender (of any caliber) could?ve done in that situation. It was just a great play. It happens.

by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Feb 18, 2012 2:59 PM EST up reply actions klein without a doubt. not just last night but suter has showed himself overated. he makes 3.5 mil this season, so play it all game.

In fact, here are two completely unrelated lists that are specifically about UNDERRATED players. One is even a players poll. Both include Ryan Suter. They might be slightly dated, but I don?t think anyone would say that since then, Suter has gone from underrated to overrated? he?s simply ?rated? now.

Also, that was indeed a bad move play night, but it IS Pavel Datsyuk. You have to remember, that was all-star player against all-star player? someone had to come out on top. It?s too bad it wasn?t Suter, but what can you do. Pavel Datsyuk is an incredible, incredible player and he burns a LOT of guys.

by davisca on Feb 17, 2012 11:34 PM EST up reply actions Hey Suter, Pekka signed a big contract and then got a shutout and was the best goalie since December?.

by Creeping Death on Feb 17, 2012 10:39 PM EST reply actions If poor defensive play by Suter continues, do you think he would still like to stay in Nashville beyond this season? Preds fan from Hamilton, Ontario!

by shoot the puck on Feb 17, 2012 10:49 PM EST up reply actions I?ve watched every game since the break and I?m 100% convinced he?s mailed it in. Tonight is just the icing on the cake. You know what you can get for Suter right now on the trade market? He clearly doesn?t want to be here, isn?t interested in giving his all for this team and I can?t see any way he resigns (let?s take off our gold and blue glasses). Let?s do what?s best for our current and future team and trade him for some offense and people who want to be here and will live and die for this team.

by 901predfan on Feb 17, 2012 11:44 PM EST up reply actions I don?t know what trolling means but just because you love Suter doesn?t mean I have to. Nor does it mean I can?t voice my opinion about him. Regardless of what anybody thinks professional sports are very much a what have you done for me lately business. He?s been a great player for years but lately he?s stunk. Yeah he?s played a lot of minutes but that doesn?t mean he?s played them well. I?ve seen a lot of turnovers, bad passes and bad decisions out of him lately. Maybe he?s just running out of gas, I don?t know, but I do know that in my eyes his level of play isn?t matching the level of his mouth running.

Hockey is an imperfect game. Suter?s an elite Dman and he?s one of the best in the NHL. Careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Feb 19, 2012 3:18 PM EST up reply actions btw Trading him is not in the TEAMS best interest. You clearly havnt been watching everygame because if you had you would see a guy busting his ass jumping in on the rush. Heck he had a damn breakaway tonight. Thats not a guy who has mailed it in.

by 901predfan on Feb 18, 2012 9:03 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs You?re more than welcome to have all my ticket stubs and come watch away games with me at the bar. I?m a sagittarius and love puppies.

I did not think so. Anyone who is a fan of CFC?s is good in my book. Gotta run, need to apply DDT to my lawn, I have an insect and bird problem to deal with.

by Kent Maddox on Feb 17, 2012 10:55 PM EST up reply actions At least we've got ground on Chicago but it seems as if it's their time to turn it on now... Matinee vs CBJ tomorrow.

by Klein(er) on Feb 17, 2012 10:54 PM EST reply actions Hey guys... While Suter got amazinlgy abused by Datsyuk on that last play, let?s all take a breath. We can?t put on our tin foil hats on one play and think this guy isn?t one of the best players on the ice for the Preds. Is it obnoxious that he keeps talking about his teammates? 100% yes. But who replaces Suter?s minutes and then plays as well? Josi? Klein? Gill? Cube?

No one replaces him But, his mouth/ego has put a microscope on his play. We all know he can play but it appears he?s gotten inside his own head and made it real easy for the fans to turn on him.

by Catwoman on Feb 17, 2012 11:04 PM EST up reply actions Yes we can. His mind hasn?t been in the game. Maybe it?s the contract, maybe he wants out, maybe he is distracted? ?? Guys wanting 7 plus million a year don?t make bad plays in the last seconds of the game.

no one replaces him. But we had better get in our head that he is not irreplaceable. Like it our not, our organization, and fans need to be prepared for AS (after-Suter). He is going to go where he wants to go, or stay.

As for tonight, he got owned almost to the degree of Legwand in last years playoffs. Even All-World, Mouth, Prima Donnas get beat by All-World, actions speak louder than words, Prima Donnas.

True... But life after Suter should start after the season (hopefully never at all, I know I know)? I am just saying to everyone screaming ?trade him now? that they need to chill out. Fixing holes can be addressed through free agency in the off season.

He?s not going anywhere??this season. However, it is very rational to want to get some assets rather than letting him walk scott free. I can understand that mode of thinking. Hopefully we make the best of it and go for broke.

by virgil trucks on Feb 17, 2012 11:11 PM EST reply actions I really think everyone (per se) needs to calm the hell down about Suter. Yeah, he didn?t play great tonight, and no, he hasn?t been playing phenomenally recently, but I think it?s a similar situation to Pekka Rinne. We?re used to seeing him be magical, so the moment he isn?t we freak out. Suter is still playing well, just not magically. Chill out. He?ll be fine. He?s not going anywhere. He?s not giving up on the team.

Also, as I said above, if you can give me ONE player we already have who can REASONABLY replace Suter if we get rid of him, I would LOVE to know who it is.

by Preds of State on Feb 18, 2012 5:15 AM EST up reply actions Kevin Klein maybe? I?m just teasing, only I would think Kleiner could step up and fill in a bigger role than he is already playing.

offensively. no. defensiely, yes. i hope klein and gil become the #1 pk d line like klein and sob. that shouls keep weber/suter fresher. keep klen/josi most 5-5 until late in the game to use klein/gil to help protect a lead.

by davisca on Feb 18, 2012 10:49 PM EST up reply actions I think people are just blowin up Sutes. He?s trying to motivate the team. Tonight he said the blame was on him. Nothing wrong with wanting the team to improve and get better. The man plays half the game, every game. Datsyuk is an amazing player and he made a great play. Those things happen. I don?t wanna trade Suter. I think whether or not he stays depends on the rest of this season and the summer.

by davisca on Feb 17, 2012 11:31 PM EST up reply actions That's a nice little analogy! Yes, I can definitively NOT grow a beard. I am happy to be the Suter. Now we just need an emotional Ravs?

by Kent Maddox on Feb 17, 2012 11:44 PM EST up reply actions we outplayed a better team tonight, didn?t cash in on ample scoring chances, and let Datsyuk go into hero mode at the end of the game. THE END.

by CAustin on Feb 18, 2012 10:25 AM EST up reply actions When Daysuck scrored that goal I kicked my coffee table about 1 ft in anger. I am just in disbeief. The Preds need an extra push to win the SC.

My dog (the one who hears) thinks I?m crazy every Preds game. The one that doesn?t hear sleeps peacefully thru every game ? maybe I need some of what he?s having.

by Catwoman on Feb 18, 2012 12:09 AM EST up reply actions I love this hahaha, that was so creative on your part. I will always rec this.

by davisca on Feb 18, 2012 10:50 PM EST up reply actions Suter got deked by Pavel Datsyuk. Reread that previous sentence. All in or not you give Datsyuk the puck with 8 seconds to go, game over.

Yes, if you let the puck get to Datsyuk, the game is over in that situation. The Preds had many chances before that, they played a scrappy game but not quite good enough. For me, that is the Suter rant, we do expect magic from him but he can?t be perfect ? no one can.

by Catwoman on Feb 18, 2012 12:07 AM EST up reply actions (Some of) You guys do realize Datsyuk could probably do that to ANY player in the league, right? Happens to the best of them; it also doesn?t change the fact that Suter is still an all-star caliber top-pairing guy. We?d gladly pay him ~$6-7 million to replace Lidstrom.

by davisca on Feb 18, 2012 12:20 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs the Lions, the Tigers, the Pistons?. why does hockey have to be the one sport Detroit is good at?

by davisca on Feb 18, 2012 12:41 AM EST up reply actions Suter had two plays Force Datsyuk out of the slot and beat Peks with a backhand, which his chances are only very good. Or the choice Suter made, leave the slot wide open and let Datsyuk do that sick Datsyuk stuff that Datsyuk does.

by Predsfan22 on Feb 18, 2012 5:29 PM EST up reply actions Why is it that as much as I hate this loss that I am not as upset as when we lose to Vancouver or San Jose. I guess i have to much respect for Detroit. I hate losing to them but I can accept a loss when we played as well as we did. We still need that extra umph to push us over the top and I dont thing that item is on this team at this time.

I hate Detroit more than any other team. I used to be a Detroit fan. I was born in MI. When we first got the Preds I cheered for both. When the Preds finally made the playoffs that had to end. Now they are my most hated team. I will always want them to lose. Now I know how the Jackets (and the Hawks lately) feel about us.

I am a man cut from the same cloth. I grew up in Chicago and went all in 2009-2010, naturally I picked the wrong year. That being said, I hated the Wings my whole life, and I am totally sick of them. I wish they were the wings from my childhood, adrift and pitiful??but so were the Hawks then. Damn Wirtz senior and his non-cheap progeny!

by 901predfan on Feb 18, 2012 1:08 AM EST up reply actions Funny. I can?t stomach cheering for them, but I don?t actively hate them. It?s more of a jealousy thing. The teams I hate are the ones who win without really ?deserving? it. (*cough * Ducks *cough *)

by HardCorePredFan316 on Feb 18, 2012 10:29 AM EST up reply actions I do have to give Detroit props for 3 regulation wins in a row! They habe not been a very good road team, but that doesn?t really matter when you win EVERY game at home.

by Josiah2729 on Feb 18, 2012 12:53 AM EST up reply actions The Preds must get a top 6 forward if they hope to advance anywhere past the 2nd round. This team is good but it just cannot match the top teams in the league like Detroit, Vancouver, New York, and Boston in a 7 game series.

by Tim P on Feb 18, 2012 1:12 AM EST reply actions A moment of Clarity I?m not going to call for Suter?s head, but this needs to be a moment that puts him in his place. You don?t see Weber getting completely tooled with 5 seconds in the game, and I think its a reality check for Suter. Theres a reason people talk about Weber for Norris and Suter as an also ran (albeit for the best dman in the league trophy), and it isn?t because Weber has a cannon. Suter is a very good defenseman, but he isn?t perfect. Whether he dictates we need to spend money is a moot point- he can go anywhere else and contribute to a championship, should his team win. I don?t have a problem with paying him and I don?t know if he gets cocky or not, I just hope the fact every analyst in the world saying he will be the crown jewel of the past 5 years of free agency doesn?t go to his head.

by davisca on Feb 18, 2012 10:51 PM EST up reply actions To me, it's less about Suter and more about ?Where is our Pavel Datsyuk??

by Mr.Rogers on Feb 18, 2012 8:51 AM EST up reply actions Amen Suter got faked out. yes we all saw it and when you face Datsyuk it happens. But with 4 breakaways several odd man rushes it pretty much cant be blamed on Suter. The skill level of our forwards is lacking. They bury any of those breaks and its 2 points on our side. The Wings dont have a 7mil goalie, they dont have a 7.5mil D-man, they definitely wouldn?t have 2 of them. They put realistic money in long term contracts for goal scorers. We need skill and goal scorers. I?ll trade Weber or Suter any day for Datsyuk, Zetterburg, Malkin, Stamkos ?. you get the idea.

Optimism come on.. We got beat by the best team in the NHL. Suter got deked by arguably the best goal-scoring forward playing in the world and it was so fabulous they are still talking about it on NHL Network. We kicked the Hawks butt the other night . We lost in the shoot-out to the two Stanley Cup finalists from last year. We have shored up our D a little with Gill and we are hopefully still buying. I think we should be wearing shades ;)

by davisca on Feb 18, 2012 10:54 PM EST up reply actions you guys are kind of crazy to be ragging on Suter like that I agree that if you can?t sign him by the trade deadline maybe the predators need to explore all options and the trade for Gill will probably alleviate some of the stress if Suter does leave. However, every time I looked up last night it was Suter and Weber on the ice. You just can?t replace those minutes. Even great ones get beat every now and then. Hell, Lidstrom pinched on a couple plays last night, missed the puck and it led to odd man rushes for the predators.

It does happen At the end of the day, it was more about Datsyuk going into hero mode then anything else. Much of the frustration, in my opinion, is the stress about the UFA status and some interesting remarks at the all-star game. I believe everyone here is of the universal opinion that we really, REALLY, would like him to save us the drama and sign an extension. I remember that Lindstrom play last night and it occurred to me how unusual that was. Too bad we couldn?t make him pay.

I know, I wrecked my salt truck last night apparently. I am quickly running home to get in my bus. I am sure I can find someone to help me throw our players under it. Or coach. Or GM. Or ownership.

(I am actually surprised not to hear one single voice claiming Pekka should have stopped Datsyuk. I mean, that should have been just as easy for him as it was for Suter.)

You may be right. Rinne should have gone into ?hyper hero? mode to negate Datsyuk?s plain ?hero? mode. I can?t believe we are paying that slacker 7 million forever and he?s not making that play. Perhaps Suter should of called out our goalies for not making those types of plays. Afterall, everyone knows all goaltenders subscribe to the ?puck stops here? motto.

by davisca on Feb 18, 2012 10:54 PM EST up reply actions Oh my god, THANK YOU for making this point. Suter being deked out is not the end of the world!

by davisca on Feb 18, 2012 10:55 PM EST up reply actions I've replayed that last goal in my mind over and over and each time my mind changes the outcome. Reality sucks!

by Predaceous on Feb 18, 2012 12:18 PM EST reply actions I missed the game last night, but looking at the game, it seems like Detroit was just a little bit better than us. Well, now we?ve add Hal Gill, which I think made us a little bit better. Are we as good as Detroit now? I don?t know. (If Gill is playing, maybe Suter doesn?t have to play as many minutes. If Suter isn?t playing as many minutes, maybe he stops Datsyuk. Who knows.) But I don?t think this team is done buying and even adding a Hemsky could make US just a little bit better than Detroit. If we added a Jeff Carter, or a Bobby Ryan, I think we?ll just flat out be the better team.

So while I don?t think the Divisional Title is in play anymore, we?re not out of this, not by a long-shot. With a little luck, we could still go all the way. If Poile makes another trade, we?ll have an even better shot at it. And if Poile makes the BIG trade?. Well, let?s just hope he goes for it.

by MaASPredFan on Feb 18, 2012 12:54 PM EST reply actions The blame... should be on Kelin/Smithson with two awful icings right before all of that. So its 3 straight faceoffs in our own zone. Smmithson argued his but still we have to control the puck there and take the control. This all set up their control moving forward with Hank and the pass to Pavel. None of this happens without these horrible timed icings. They just cannot happen!! We have to at least have a couple faceoffs at the line or the middle, not in our zone gassed three times in a row basically. I knew we would be in a bad situation right away. Yes I do not know for sure if the faceoffs are different what happens, but my point I think is pretty obvious. Its in their barn, with the last change, and momentum, etc. So pissed. Of course Suter cant let that happen but it never should have gotten to that point.

blame was a bad word... did you not get the point though? it should?ve never been in that situation: in our own zone thrice in last 30 seconds. ugh.

by ajs3677 on Feb 19, 2012 5:05 PM EST via Android app up reply actions The last play was a work of art by world class players At the top of their game. A no look backhand pass by Lidstrom bounces off the boards to Zetterburg. He gets it to Datsyuk, who then does one of his Datsyukian moves and scores. I have replayed it at least 20 times and amazed how it all came together. I thought the game was heading to OT and we?d at least get a point if not the win. It didn?t happen. I respect the Wings and the game enough to tip my hat to them on a fantastic game winning play. March 10th, they come here?. Preds will get their chance to get a win. For now Dallas is next. We need a win in regulation that is all I care about.

by davisca on Feb 18, 2012 10:56 PM EST up reply actions Datsyuk has done it a thousand times just go to youtube and you will see tons of sick goals and shootout goals. Once the puck got on his stick in that situation it was over. The problem was all the missed opportunities earlier against yet another backup goalie. Some are upset at the political incorrectness of Suter?s intimation regarding his teammates, yet most of us agree something more than what presently exists is needed.

by shoot the puck on Feb 18, 2012 4:19 PM EST reply actions I still havent watched a second of hockey related coverage since 5 seconds were remaining in the game last night.

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