He was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate. "Not too many positives come out of tonight's game". Chicago is only 3-6 in playoff openers since Joel Quenneville took over behind the bench, a span in which it has three Stanley Cups, but the Predators have a chance to take a commanding edge over an opponent that eliminated them in six games in a first-round series two years ago.
The Blackhawks didn't make life too hard for Pekka Rinne in Game 1, and it wasn't much better in Game 2. The way they started off this game they looked out of sorts, to say the least. In fact, the oddsmakers over at Bovada have the Hawks as the odds-on favorite to hoist the Cup at the end of it all-with better odds than even the league's top regular-season finishers, the Washington Capitals.
However, Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne has been outstanding between the pipes through the first two games, posting back-to-back shutouts and stopping all 59 shots he has faced in 120 total minutes of ice time.
I like that the Predators got the only goal they needed from their top line of Viktor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen, who earned an assist on Arvidsson's victor.
It was the only goal of a first period that the unintimidated Predators decidedly controlled, pushing the Blackhawks to the outside and holding them to one shot on goal for a almost 14-minute span. "We need more. Every aspect".
Cup win over Chelsea will leave them doubting title credentials, says Kane
Mourinho said: "Normally you win the title if you are 22 matches unbeaten and we are struggling to finish top four". The Toffees moved ahead of Manchester United into fifth place on goal difference, having played three games more .
That trend continued unsurprisingly in the Sharks' opening home game of the postseason, as they dropped a 1-0 decision to Edmonton and saw the Oilers take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven set.
And the past 15 teams to lose the first two games at home have gone on to lose the series. Somehow, the Hawks have not scored a goal for 120 consecutive minutes. "We've got to roll". The neutral zone trap is taking away a lot of those big transitional opportunities they depend on, but they can still build upon the good zone entries by pushing further in and trying to create more from down low. Not one shot on goal.
Chicago started out slow, but the Blackhawks really dominated the last two periods of play, out-shooting Nashville 23-9. "I think we learned from it". Patrick Kane's cross-checking penalty showed the fire that his game sorely lacked on Saturday night, but it showed a lack of self-control as well. The Blackhawks are a veteran group who do know how to make a comeback.
"If we're going to talk about fixing something, it's that mindset going into a period when we have a lead or we did some good things to come back and try to go for the throat", Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. The good news is both of them led the team on the road in Nashville this season, combining for five goals and seven points in three games.
"We think our depth and experience on the backend is one of the strengths of our team", says head coach Joel Quenneville, "And I think that experience is something that, we had three young guys that might have been playing previous year".
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