Surging Predators take aim at illness-ravaged Blackhawks
The Nashville Predators will take advantage of an extra day of rest and aim for their second win in a row when they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.
This will be the second meeting of the season between these Central Division rivals, who are separated by one point in the standings.
The Predators won the first matchup 4-3 in Chicago on Nov. 28 after scoring three goals in the second period.
Nashville enters the Saturday game on the heels of a home win and is 11-9-2 as a host this season.
Chicago, in turn, visits on the tail end of a back-to-back set and is 8-10-3 on the road.
The Predators have won seven of their past 10 games overall, most recently edging the New York Islanders in the shootout on Thursday.
Starting goaltender Juuse Saros made 30 saves and was a perfect 3-for-3 in the shootout. Ryan O'Reilly scored the lone goal in regulation, while Filip Forsberg buried the shootout winner on a backhanded shot.
"It was a big win for us, a gutsy win," O'Reilly said. "The energy was kind of low after a tough, long trip, but we found a way to get it done. I thought everyone played hard (versus the Islanders). Juuse was unbelievable. He made some huge stops for us. Obviously, in the shootout, he shuts the door like that. That was amazing. But yeah, guys stuck with it. The guys worked (on Thursday). It was a big win."
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks were riding a four-game win streak and saw the return of Connor Bedard from a shoulder injury entering Friday's game against the Washington Capitals. Chicago, however, was hit by a reported stomach bug, and the winning streak ended with a 5-1 loss.
"You talk about no excuses, and the reality is, a lot of guys didn't feel very good," Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill said.
Drew Commesso was recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League at the last minute to replace goaltenders Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom, both of whom were dealing with an illness. Commesso made 19 saves in his second career NHL start and third game in the league.
Bedard was held off the scoresheet and registered four shots on goal in 17:07 of ice time.
"I felt fine," he said. "It was kind of one of those games where the puck was bouncing around a little bit, tough to get a lot of crisp pucks. But I definitely have better, and we obviously have better as a team."
Oliver Moore scored the lone goal for the Blackhawks.
"It is what it is," Blashill said after the game. "It's just one of those nights that happens in the league and it happened to us tonight, and it will affect us again tomorrow. So we're going to have to find a way. ... We've got plenty of guys good enough, and a good enough lineup to go win a hockey game. But we have to play better than we did."