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8:30 P.M.: Predators Look For Commanding Series Lead At Home Against Blackhawks
(Sports Network) - The second-seeded Chicago Blackhawks will try to even their Western Conference quarterfinal series tonight, when they visit the Nashville Predators for Game 4 at Bridgestone Arena.
The Blackhawks entered the postseason as the Central Division champs, but are trailing two games to one in this best-of-seven series. Chicago tied the set with a 2-0 home victory in Game 2, but faltered in its first game in Nashville, losing 4-1 on Tuesday.
The Predators will try to stake themselves to a 3-1 series lead, which would put them in excellent position to win their first-ever playoff series. Nashville has lost in the opening round in all four of its trips to the postseason and has never won more than two games in any single series.
Nashville won Game 3 by the same score as the series opener in Chicago. Pekka Rinne stopped 26 shots and David Legwand recorded a goal and two assists in leading the Preds to the 4-1 decision.
Joel Ward and Shea Weber each notched goal for the Predators and Martin Erat added a penalty-shot tally late in the game.
“I thought we played an outstanding game,” Rinne said. “We started off really well -- I almost got us in a little trouble a couple times handling the puck, but nothing happened. We played a really solid game, didn’t give them too much.”
Tomas Kopecky scored the lone goal for Chicago while Antti Niemi was charged with all four goals on 35 shots for the Blackhawks, who made it to the Western Conference finals before bowing out to Detroit last spring.
“Certainly, tonight we can’t be pleased with the way we played,” said Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville. “They were definitely the harder-working, more resilient and more desperate team. We know that each game it’s going to escalate and go to different levels.”
The Blackhawks won the season series with the division rival Predators, 4-2. Chicago won twice at home in the series and twice in Nashville. This is the first-ever meeting between the clubs in the playoffs.
Nashville, had a strong 24-14-3 home record during the regular season. The Blackhawks posted a 23-14-4 mark on the road. Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon in Chicago.
The Predators are hoping to have forward Patric Hornqvist back tonight after the Swedish winger missed the last two games with an upper-body injury. Hornqvist, who led Nashville with 30 goals during the regular season, played in Game 1 before aggravating an injury.
Hornqvist is questionable for tonight along with defenseman Denis Grebeshkov, who has been sidelined since March 7 with a groin injury.
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