January 24, 2006

Paul Kariya put a backhand shot past goaltender Manny Legace 35 seconds into overtime to give the Predators a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings and a sweep of back-to-back games at Joe Louis Arena. The Predators overcame a 1-0 deficit with a short-handed tally by Steve Sullivan midway through the second period and goaltender Tomas Vokoun was spectacular throughout, stopping 38 of 39 Detroit shots.

With the victory, Nashville improved to 31-12-6 on the season and matched the Wings 68 points which put them atop the Western Conference standings.

"We came in here and obviously we wanted to do well in here," head coach Barry Trotz said after the game. "It's sort of a mission accomplished in a lot of ways. Obviously we'd like to beat them in regulation so there was some separation, but hey, we were behind them when we came into their building and now we're tied with them, so that's an accomplishment."

The two-game sweep not only improved the Predators to 6-0-3 in their previous nine games, but set them up for the franchise’s best season against the rival Red Wings, finishing with four victories, three of which came in the Motor City.