from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

Sam Gagner didn't score a goal in his first 13 games but made up for lost time Thursday — with a bit of help from Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne.

Gagner scored two seeing-eye goals, then ended things with an empty-net goal, lifting the Red Wings to a 5-2 victory over Nashville — the five goals, a season-high for the offensively starved Wings.

BOX SCORE: Red Wings 5, Predators 2

Gagner scored the tiebreaker — his second goal — midway in the third period. Gagner had the puck between the goal line and circle, wheeled to his forehand and beat Rinne through the legs at 9:58.

"It certainly feels good," said Gagner of his hat trick. "We've been pushing as a group to find something to feel good about. It's obviously nice to get the win here and, hopefully, we can keep building on it."...

"He's accountable," Blashill said. "He plays the right way. He's been good defensively all year and taken pride in it as he's matured as a player. He's been a good role model for our young players.

"(I like our) team game. As a team, we competed hard for each other, and at the end of the night, we have to be a team that competes extremely hard and works extraordinarily hard. We did a good job structurally. We had some breakdowns but when we did, Bernie (goaltender Jonathan Bernier) was good."

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Below, wath the extended game highlights...