Duncan Keith's goal 7:49 into double overtime completed the Blackhawks' rally in a 4-3 win against the Predators in Game 1 of their Western Conference First Round series at Bridgestone Arena. Keith took a slap shot from the point that found its way through traffic and past Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. Blackhawks backup goalie Scott Darling made 42 saves after relieving Corey Crawford at the start of the second period. Chicago fell behind 3-0 in the first period and scored four unanswered goals. Despite the comeback win, the Blackhawks feel they can improve in all areas. Colin Wilson opened the scoring at 6:07 of the first period on a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle that beat Crawford. Wilson broke into the offensive zone and went around Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival for the goal. Viktor Stalberg gave the Predators a 2-0 lead at 17:20 of the first period after he stole the puck from behind the goal and put it into an empty net. Crawford went to play the puck and had it poked away by Calle Jarnkrok. Stalberg got the puck and beat Crawford back to the net. Wilson gave the Predators a 3-0 lead on the power play at 19:33 of the first period. Seth Jones took the original shot from the point, and Wilson redirected it past Crawford for his second goal. Crawford was pulled in favor of Darling to start the second period. He faced 12 shots in the first. Niklas Hjalmarsson scored to make it 3-1 at 1:43 of the second period. Hjalmarsson drove to the net and one-timed a pass from Teuvo Teravinen past Rinne. Sharp cut the Predators lead to 3-2 at 8:32 of the second with a shot from the crease that snuck past Rinne. The Blackhawks had a two-man advantage, and Sharp took the pass from Patrick Kane, who played for the first time since sustaining a broken left clavicle on Feb. 24. Chicago captain Jonathan Toews tied the game 3-3 at 13:50 of the second period on a power-play goal. Toews took the puck from Kane, drove to the net and shot the puck through Rinne's five-hole. Darling made two highlight-reel saves in the third period to extend the game to overtime. Each team had one power-play opportunity in the first overtime but was unable to convert. Mike Fisher left the game in the second period because of a lower-body injury and did not return. Fisher missed the last two games of the regular season with a lower-body injury. The Predators had to play the remainder of the game with 11 forwards.
Game 2 - Chicago @ Nashville 2-6 - Fri, Apr 17 - Series Tied 1-1
Craig Smith had two goals and an assist to help the Predators draw even in their Western Conference First Round series against the Blackhawks with a 6-2 victory at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators scored three goals in less than 140 seconds in the third period to put the game out of reach. The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1. Predators captain Shea Weber left the game at 9:20 of the second period because of a lower-body injury sustained on a hit behind the Nashville net by Brandon Saad. He did not return to the game. The Predators did not have an update on Weber, who had an assist and was plus-1 in 13:25. Wilson, Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi and Mike Santorelli also scored for the Predators. Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane scored for the Blackhawks. Smith put Nashville in front to stay when he scored at 14:54 of the second period on a wrist shot from the slot that beat Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford over the shoulder on the stick side. It was Smith's first goal of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Forsberg gave the Predators a 4-2 lead at 12:41 of the third period when he scored the first of three Nashville goals in a 2:19 span. The rookie followed the rebound of a shot by Smith and jammed the puck past Crawford for his first career playoff goal.
Smith scored his second of the night at 14:28 to give the Predators a 5-2 lead. He skated past Sharp and Duncan Keith before beating Crawford with a wrist shot from the hash marks off the rush. Forsberg and goalie Pekka Rinne each had an assist on the goal. Santorelli scored 32 seconds after Smith to put Nashville ahead 6-2. A healthy scratch for Game 1, Santorelli took a pass from Calle Jarnkrok and beat Crawford with a wrist shot. Crawford, who has allowed nine goals in four periods in the series, made 29 saves. Wilson gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 2:47 of the first period on a wrist shot from the goal line to the left of Crawford. He roofed the puck under the crossbar on the power play for his third goal of the playoffs. Sharp tied the game 1-1 at 16:13 of the first on a wrist shot from the crease that beat Rinne. He took a pass from Niklas Hjalmarsson and lifted the puck over Rinne for his second goal of the playoffs.
Josi scored to make it 2-1 with 3.6 seconds remaining in the first on a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle. He broke in the offensive zone and shot the puck through traffic and past Crawford for his first goal of the playoffs. Kane tied the game 2-2 at 10:32 of the second on a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle that beat Rinne. Kane broke in the offensive zone on an odd-man rush and took the wrist shot for his first goal of the playoffs. Quenneville was noncommittal about who would start Game 3 in goal for Chicago. Backup goalie Scott Darling relieved Crawford to begin the second period in Game 1 and made saves on all 42 shots he faced in the Blackhawks' 4-3 win in double overtime. Cody Franson made his playoff debut after missing Game 1 with an upper-body injury. He had an assist on Smith's first goal. Mike Fisher missed Game 2 because of a lower-body injury sustained early in the second period of Game 1.
Game 3 - Nashville @ Chicago 2-4 - Sun, Apr 19 - Hawks Lead 2-1
Scott Darling made the most of his first-ever start in the Stanley Cup Playoffs at United Center, and the Blackhawks helped him win it by doing what they usually do when leading after two periods. Getting 35 saves from Darling, the Blackhawks defeated the Predators 4-2 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-7 Western Conference First Round series. Chicago scored three goals in the second period to grab the 4-2 lead. The Blackhawks were an NHL-best 25-0-0 when leading after two periods during the regular season. Darling played in the series opener at Bridgestone Arena after Crawford allowed three goals on 12 shots in the first period. The former minor-league journeyman made 42 saves in 67:44 in the Blackhawks' 4-3 victory in double overtime. This time, he started in the building he used to attend Blackhawks games as a fan. Among the fans was a group of Darling's family and friends that included his father, Scott, who flew into Chicago after learning Saturday that his son would start. The younger Darling didn't disappoint. Mattias Ekholm and Mike Ribeiro each scored his first goal of the series for the Predators. Nashville outshot Chicago for the third straight game (37-30), but Darling made saves on 24 shots after Ekholm scored 58 seconds into the second period to tie it 2-2. The Blackhawks regained the lead in the second on goals by Brandon Saad and Brent Seabrook before closing the door in the third. The Blackhawks surrendered two one-goal leads less than a minute after they had scored to go ahead, but they protected their two-goal margin a lot better. Chicago's first and fourth lines were productive in Game 3. The first line produced goals by captain Jonathan Toews, who also had an assist, and Saad, Marian Hossa had two assists and played a strong two-way game. The fourth line created goals by Andrew Desjardins and Seabrook. Desjardins and Antoine Vermette played for the first time in the series, and the Blackhawks got some good shifts from their checking lines as a result. Desjardins had four shots on goal and scored the game's first goal by staying after a block of his initial shot and sending the second attempt between the pads of Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne (26 saves). Nashville played without injured captain Shea Weber (lower body) and Mike Fisher (lower body). Victor Bartley entered the lineup for Weber, who didn't make the trip to Chicago. Fisher made the trip, but hasn't played since the second period of Game 1. Seth Jones moved up to the first defense pairing to join Roman Josi, taking Weber's spot, and each finished with a minus-3 rating.
Game 4 - Nashville @ Chicago 2-3 3OT - Tue, Apr 21 - Hawks Lead 3-1
It spanned two days, had 101:00 of playing time, 100 combined shots on goal, took 4 hours, 31 minutes to complete and finished with a familiar sight inside United Center early Wednesday. Once again, it was Brent Seabrook who scored a game-winning goal in overtime for the Blackhawks, who beat the Predators 3-2 on his one-timer from the blue line 1:00 into triple overtime of Game 4 in the Western Conference First Round. Seabrook's third career playoff overtime goal didn't end the best-of-7 series, like his game-winner in Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings in the 2013 Western Conference Semifinals did. But it did give Chicago a 3-1 lead heading back to Bridgestone Arena for Game 5. It was the longest game in Predators history. The previous franchise record for longest game was 94:51 on April 30, 2011, when they won 2-1 at the Vancouver Canucks in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Blackhawks' were closing in on their all-time mark for longest game, which is 113:50 set on April 9, 1931, at the Montreal Canadiens. Two of the Blackhawks' three victories in this series happened after 80 minutes of play; Duncan Keith won Game 1 at 7:49 of double overtime in Nashville. Asked if the Blackhawks plan to treat the short turnaround before Game 5 like a back-to-back situation, Seabrook chuckled. One more win and the Blackhawks will accomplish the latter, but it hasn't easy getting to this point. The Predators outshot them again, 52-48, and have had more shots on goal in each of the four games. Nashville also blocked 39 shots and leads that category for the series as well. To this point, the difference has come down to clutch goals in the three Chicago wins, with Seabrook's the most memorable because of how long the game took and how many times it could have ended. Each goalie was razor sharp, especially in the first two overtime periods. Chicago rookie goalie Scott Darling finished with 50 saves; Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne made 45 saves. The shot he'll try to erase is Seabrook's slap shot to end it. Patrick Kane started the play when he stole the puck in the neutral zone and carried into the Predators' zone. Kane got it back off a cycle and sent a feed to Seabrook at the blue line for the shot. The puck was bouncing a lot as the game went on, but the ice was still smooth so early into the third overtime. Seabrook fired from straightaway through a screen set by teammate Bryan Bickell standing in front of Rinne. Just that quickly the Blackhawks were rewarded and the Predators left the ice dejected. They came so close to winning, even without injured captain Shea Weber (lower body) and Mike Fisher (lower body). Chicago had two power plays in the second overtime and Nashville had one, but neither team generated much offense with the extra man. The overtime periods almost made regulation an afterthought, but Nashville's goals in regulation were scored by Craig Wilson and Neal, who gave the Predators a 2-1 lead when he scored at 17:02 of the second period. Chicago got regulation goals from Antoine Vermette, who scored his first goal as a Blackhawk, and Brandon Saad, who tied it 2-2 at 11:03 of the third with his second goal in as many games. Saad's goal was set up by Marian Hossa's drop pass. Saad returned the favor with 10 seconds left in regulation for a one-timer that nearly prevented overtime. Rinne stopped it and set the stage for the early-morning drama, which included the puck getting lost in Rinne's gear in the second overtime. The Predators know they can't dwell on the one that got away.
Game 5 - Chicago @ Nashville 2-5 - Thu, Apr 23 - Hawks Lead 3-2
Filip Forsberg's first NHL hat trick helped the Predators stave off elimination with a 5-2 win Thursday in Game 5 of their Western Conference First Round series against the Blackhawks. Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne made 28 saves, and Nashville scored three goals in a 2:27 span in the third period. It was the first time Blackhawks goaltender Scott Darling allowed more than two goals in the series. James Neal gave the Predators a 2-1 lead 47 seconds into the third period on a wraparound goal. He chased the puck behind the net and beat Darling for his second of the playoffs. Colin Wilson gave Nashville a 3-1 lead at 3:02 of the third on a power-play goal from in front of the net. He took a pass from Mike Ribeiro, spun around and roofed the puck past Darling for his fifth goal of the series, a Predators record. Wilson's four power-play goals are the most in the playoffs. Forsberg's second of the night came on a one-timer on the rush 12 seconds after Wilson's goal. He took a pass from Mike Fisher, who returned to the lineup after missing Games 2-4 because of a lower-body injury, and scored his third goal of the playoffs to make it 4-1. The Predators were able to get Darling moving side to side more in Game 5. Kris Versteeg made it 4-2 with 5:08 remaining on a one-timer. Patrick Kane made a spin-o-rama pass in the slot, and Versteeg fired it past Rinne for his first goal of the playoffs.
Forsberg scored an empty-net goal with 10.3 seconds left to complete his hat trick. Brad Richards opened the scoring at 13:27 of the first period on a shot that beat Rinne through the five-hole. He skated around Cody Franson and got off a quick shot for his first goal of the playoffs. Forsberg tied the game 1-1 at 14:42. He retrieved the puck off the faceoff and beat Darling with a wrist shot over the shoulder on the glove side. The finalists for the Calder Trophy were announced Thursday, and Forsberg was left off of the list after being a favorite to win the award as top rookie for a large chunk of the season. Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames, Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers and Mark Stone of the Ottawa Senators were named finalists.
Game 6 - Nashville @ Chicago 3-4 - Sat, Apr 25 - Hawks Win 4-2
The Blackhawks' core group rose to the occasion again when needed the most at United Center, including a solid relief appearance by goalie Corey Crawford.
They paved the way to a 4-3 comeback victory against the Predators that ended the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round series in six games, with Crawford making 13 saves after relieving Scott Darling in the first period. Chicago advanced to the Western Conference Second Round for the third straight season and will play either the St. Louis Blues or Minnesota Wild, who lead that best-of-7 series 3-2. Duncan Keith scored the deciding goal with 3:48 left in the third period. Keith had two assists, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp each had a goal and an assist. Nashville took a 2-0 lead 8:09 into the game on goals by James Neal. Predators center Matt Cullen scored later in the first for a 3-1 lead. Just like Game 1, a goalie change by Chicago coach Joel Quenneville sparked an uptick in the Blackhawks' defensive play. That led to more scoring chances, which is how they climbed back into the game. Sharp made it 2-1 at 10:37 of the first, Toews capped a power play at 12:14 to make it 3-2, and Kane scored off a feed from Keith with 6 seconds left to tie it 3-3, rewarding Brad Richards for a clean faceoff win. Neither team scored again until 16:12 of the third, when Keith's shot from the left point traveled through traffic and beat Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne. He ended Game 1 in double overtime almost exactly the same way. Darling made 42 saves in relief in that game after the Blackhawks trailed 3-0. Crawford, who hasn't started since Game 2, rebounded after a shaky start to the series. He faced two shots in the first period and four shots in the third Saturday, and didn't allow a goal after replacing Darling at 11:16. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville hinted strongly that Crawford would start the next series. The Blackhawks are 21-3 when winning three of the first five games in a playoff series and 18-0 when winning three of the first four.
Nashville has plenty of positives to take into the offseason. The Predators outshot the Blackhawks in four of the six games, were the faster team for much of the series, and built big leads in the first and final games. They played all but the first two games without injured captain Shea Weber (lower body) and had veteran center Mike Fisher for two-plus games because of a lower-body injury.
Neal scored the first goal off a backhand at 1:10 of the first period and finished a power play to make it 2-0 at 8:09. The second goal was Neal's fourth in the past three games after not having a point in the first three. The Predators, who lost to the Blackhawks in the first round in 2010, dominated the first 10 minutes. They outshot Chicago 10-4, forced numerous turnovers, and were faster. They just couldn't keep it going once the Blackhawks' core group decided to take over.
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