The Nashville Predators look to rebound this morning after a rough loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. Their opponent: the Chicago Blackhawks, second-last in the Central Division but still not to be overlooked.
Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat have combined for most of the Blackhawks’ offense. Kane’s 86 points and 62 assists lead the team, while DeBrincat’s 39 goals and 70 points are a clear lead and second respectively. Former Pred Seth Jones is third in scoring, with 49 points, and trails Kane in assists with 44. The poor offense is a combination of mildly bad shooting luck, a lackluster power play, and a gaping black hole of offense at even strength.
Goalies Kevin Lankinen and Colin Delia have struggled this season. The Blackhawks’ defense isn’t great, but it’s very average—a little worse than average on the penalty kill, but not much—and that’s a huge improvement on previous seasons. Still, Lankinen and Delia have struggled with the shots they have seen; both goalies have sub-.900 sv%s on the season, with Delia’s .898 an improvement over Lankinen’s .887. Marc-Andre Fleury is missed in net.
How to Watch
The game starts at 11:30 AM Central and will air on Bally Sports South and 102.5 The Game.