Elimination

It has come down to this: win or stay home. The Detroit Red Wings must defeat their first-round playoff opponent, the Nashville Predators, tonight to remain alive in the NHL playoffs. To make it even tougher, in order to advance to Round #2, they must now win three straight from Nashville.

The window of opportunity just got a lot smaller in the Red Wings quest for a 12th Stanley Cup. The 3-1 loss at home last night to the Nashville Predators left them down three games to one in the best of seven playoffs. A loss Friday night in Nashville would end their season.