The game was over before the first period was halfway over.
The Detroit Red Wings undermined themselves Thursday at Bridgestone Arena, thwarted by defensive lapses and unimpressive goaltending to dig themselves a hole from which they could not rise. They didn’t make it nearly hard enough on the Nashville Predators and deserved the 7-1 loss.
It’s the third straight loss for the Wings, who fell to 10-20-4.
Rocco Grimaldi, who played locally for Little Caesars and the NTDP, set a record for fastest hat trick in Predators franchise history, completing the feat in 2:34 — and then added a fourth goal, late in the third period.