The Chicago Blackhawks came out with speed, pressure, and energy… it almost looked like they hadn’t played 24 hours ago. The Nashville Predators played behind the puck almost all night, getting out-shot by a wide margin, and spending way too much time in the penalty box.
After getting a game-tying goal midway through the first from captain Shea Weber, the Preds fought their way to OT through solid penalty-killing and pressure in the neutral zone. They came out with a point, at least.
But, goodness sakes, another 4-3 shorty to the Blackhawks?
Random Observations
- First start of the season for Carter Hutton, who made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks back in 2013 agai– yikes he gave up a bad goal.
- Even after giving up the early goal, the Preds found life and baited the Hawks into some careless penalties, which resulted in the Weber power-play goal.
- Filip Forsberg’s scoring chance in the 1st was made possible by James Neal’s nifty drag-and-pass around the D and it was a play that maybe Patric Hornqvist would have made. On a related note, please ignore whatever it is Hornqvist is doing in Pittsburgh… IF YOU DON’T THINK ABOUT IT, IT WILL GO AWAY.
- You won’t survive too many periods against the Hawks getting out-shot by absurd margins like 12-2 and 11-4.
- If Anton Volchenkov were a character from Russian Literature, he would be Raskolnikov.
- The lack of shots is becoming worrisome. Who is in net again for the Hawks? Do we know his name?
- Filip Forsberg got a penalty for having too much hand-eye coordination.
- Speaking of penalties, we committed a lot of them. The penalty-kill was strong though… no easy entries, quick pressure on the puck, and active sticks.
- Carter Hutton recovered well from his early lapse and provided some key saves in regulation while the Predators were still figuring out where the Blackhawks net was located.
- Also, apparently the guy in net for Chicago is Corey Crawford and he had some dandy saves in the 3rd period. Smith, Neal, and Forsberg all had great chances.
- Turning up the heat in the 3rd Period seems to be a trend… 3RDATORS.
- A 4 on 3 man advantage is clearly not on the Predators wish list when it comes to playing the Blackhawks. Sheesh.
OTF’s Super Duper Stars of the Game
- Shea Weber, who probably needs some sleep after just playing 42 minutes of hockey in 2 days.
- Volchenkov, who had 3 massive hits, none of which included an elderly Russian pawn-broker lady.
- Buffalo Wild Wings, the new official viewing party sponsor for the Preds, for finally turning on the Preds game. /
Tweet of the Night
#KeepOutTheRed by removing all liquid with a dry cloth and leaving the garment in the sun to help break up the stain
— Link (@3DLink) October 19, 2014
So there is no excuse next Thursday night! Take care of your garments; keep the red out.
Boxscore – Game Summary – Event Summary – War-on-Ice – HockeyStats – Natural Stat Trick
Roll the video highlights…