NASHVILLE — The Red Wings can't afford to lose many more games if they harbor any playoff dreams.
It's getting difficult mathematically for the Wings with only 15 games remaining on the schedule.
A loss like Tuesday's in Nashville, 2-1, to the Predators, certainly doesn't help matters.
Alex Chiasson scored his third goal, a power-play goal at 17 minutes, 44 seconds of the third period, cutting the Predators' lead to 2-1.
But the Wings couldn't get the equalizer and suffered a costly loss.
Nashville (34-24-7) is 8-2-1 in its last 11 games and are making an unexpected late-season playoff push itself. But battered with injuries and playing a slew of young, minor-league recalls, but also having a world-class goaltender in Juuse Saros (28 saves), the Predators kept the Wings in check.
The Wings (30-28-9) are 2-6-1 in their last nine games and failed to move up in the standings on an evening several teams ahead of them also lost.
Kiefer Sherwood and Tommy Novak scored for Nashville.
Sherwood scored his third goal at 10 minutes, 58 seconds of the second period, snapping a 0-0 tie.
Shortly after a Predators' power play expired, Philip Tomasino dug the puck out of the corner, skated along the goal line, and threaded a pass through the slot to Sherwood, who flipped the puck past goaltender Ville Husso.
The Wings outshot Nashville 21-13 through two periods but weren't able to get anything past Saros. Dominik Kubalik was turned away on a two-on-one rush in the first period, and Pius Suter was denied on a point-blank opportunity in the low slot late in the second period.
The Wings killed all five Nashville power plays, while going 1-for-4 themselves.
