Life on the road has turned out pretty well for the Nashville Predators this week, as they beat the Chicago Blackhawks to win their third straight game, 3-2. The Preds are now 6-3-1 in their last 10 games away from Bridgestone Arena.
The first period saw Nashville jump out to a 2-0 lead, as both Mike Fisher and Patric Hornqvist batted home rebounds of Predators point shots. Jonathan Toews brought Chicago back to within 2-1 late in the first period, and that’s where the score remained throughout the second period. Nashville started the 3rd on the penalty kill, but Ryan Ellis added an insurance goal by converting on a breakaway, taking a long Roman Josi pass after coming out of the penalty box and dekeing Corey Crawford for the score.
While Peter Regin brought the Hawks to within 3-2 by tipping home a shot with 11:28 left, the Predators were able to hold onto the lead the rest of the way.
Pekka Rinne was strong once again in goal, withstanding several dangerous stretches when the Blackhawks enjoyed extended possession in the offensive zone.
Tomorrow night, the Preds (29-28-10) return home to play the St. Louis Blues
Random Observations
- Games like this present an interesting contrast in styles, as the Predators seek to keep the puck on the perimeter of the offensive zone and feed the points for slappers, while the Blackhawks wheel around and try to hit players cutting through the slot.
- I hereby nominate Ellis as the team’s new Designated Sitter. That was a dandy move he put on Crawford after coming out of the box, eh?
- Roman Josi’s three assists tonight give him 30 points on the season, a nice achievement considering how things looked early on after he suffered a concussion back in October.
Boxscore – Game Summary – Event Summary – Fancy Stats
Roll the video highlights (once they’re ready, you might have to wait 30-45 minutes post-game)…
Who is your Predator of the Game?
| Ryan Ellis | 42 |
| Mike Fisher | 4 |
| Patric Hornqvist | 2 |
| Roman Josi | 65 |
| Pekka Rinne | 56 |
| Shea Weber | 5 |