Blackhawks Beat Predators 4-2 in Game 3

Three second period goals are the difference as Hawks seize a 2-1 series lead

The Chicago Blackhawks needed a strong effort on Sunday afternoon against the Nashville Predators, and that's exactly what they got as they picked up a 4-2 victory in Game 3 of the series. 

Brandon Saad, Andrew Desjardins, Brent Seabrook, and Jonathan Toews all scored goals for the Blackhawks in the victory. 

The Predators got a power play early in the game as Kimmo Timonen was whistled for interference, but the Blackhawks’ defense stayed strong and didn’t allow a single shot on goal. The Hawks seemed to get a nice boost of momentum from the kill, but Pekka Rinne stood tall and denied chances from Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews to keep things scoreless.

The Blackhawks continued to pound away at the Predators’ defense as the first period wore on, and with a little over five minutes to go in the frame they finally capitalized and took the lead. Brad Richards made an excellent pass down the ice to find a streaking Andrew Desjardins, and even though his initial shot was blocked down, he followed up and feathered a second shot between Rinne’s pads to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.

Just 30 seconds later, the Predators came back down the ice and scored a goal of their own to tie things up. Some great puck movement by Nashville got the Chicago defense off-balance, and Mike Ribeiro ripped a one-timer from the middle of the slot past Darling to tie things up at 1-1.

Marian Hossa was sent off the ice after an ill-advised penalty late in the first period, but the Hawks managed to kill it off and seized momentum early in the second period with another goal. A stretch pass up the ice set everything up, and then Hossa and Jonathan Toews executed a perfect give and go near the blue line. Ultimately it was the captain who scored the goal as Toews rifled a shot just inside the far post to give the Hawk back the lead.

A mere 20 seconds later, the Predators scored again. Aaron Ekholm got the puck in the middle of the ice, and after his shot deflected off of Niklas Hjalmarsson, it evaded Scott Darling to make it a 2-2 contest.

The Blackhawks didn’t seem fazed by the quick tally by the visitors, and they scored again just four minutes into the period to regain the lead. Brandon Saad made an excellent play as he exploded past Seth Jones in the neutral zone, and before Roman Josi could get back to defend him, he ripped a shot past Rinne’s blocker to give the Blackhawks a 3-2 edge.

With about seven minutes remaining in the second period, the Blackhawks scored again to extend their lead. After some aggressive pressure and puck movement in the offensive zone, Toews circled around the net and feathered a pass out to Brent Seabrook in the slot. The defenseman ripped a shot toward the net, and with Andrew Shaw screening Rinne the puck trickled into the net to make it a 4-2 contest.

The third period got underway with little fanfare, as the Blackhawks settled into a defensive posture and the Predators struggled to get through the neutral zone. The Blackhawks picked up chances a few times during the first half of the frame, but Rinne was there to make a couple of key stops against the Hawks’ top line to maintain the two-goal deficit.
 

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