The Hawks rolled into Nashville Sunday night, to wrap up their extended road trip. When the season began, most people with brain not consisting of mashed bananas figured that if the Hawks could come out of this trip with 60-70% success, everything would be rainbows and unicorns. Well, if the Hawks were able to manage a point Sunday night, they will have gotten a point in not only 6 straight road games, but every game this season. No one could have predicted this success, but us fans certainly weren't complaining. As far as Nashville was concerned, they came in with a 5-2-4 record and some very bi-polar play. They started the season cold, but warmed up to beat teams like the Kings, Blues and Sharks, recently. As one would expect, the goalies in Nashville have been playing incredible. Rinne and Mason were giving up less than 2 goals a game, but their offense was barely averaging 2 goals a game. I would have gathered that this one was going to be a tight scoring game but, this season, anything is possible. Live from Nashville Tennessee, it's the Blackhawks and the Predators...
The opening period was about as boring as could be, which would be the motif of the night. Even though this was the case, the Hawks out shot the Preds 10-3, but didn't manage any goals. The Hawks obviously had the better of the chances, but Pekka Rinne was not going to give up many easy goals.
The second was similar to the first, and who really expected anything less from a Preds game? The Hawks were able to net a couple of goals while severely out shooting Nashville once again, 10-4. After two periods, the Preds couldn't even average 5 shots a period.
The final period was as boring as the first two, with the Preds waking up long enough to actually out shoot the Hawks 10-7, but it was the Hawks that scored the only goal of the period. When the final horn went off, the Blackhawks had their first shutout in 102 games, and had taken 22 out of a possible 24 points.
- I was glad to seen Michal Rozsival back in the lineup, and Sheldon Brookbank wearing a suit in the press box. He not only returned, but he was a plus 2 on the night.
- Of the 10 first period shots, Brandon Saad had 4. Officially, he didn't have any more shots, but he certainly had chances.
- Marcus Kruger took advantage of a Preds giveaway, and resulting screen, to snap off a wrist shot and beat Rinne for a Hawks 1-0 lead, almost half way through the second period. The play just looked like a sloppy zone entry, when Roman Jossi chose to use his skate rather than his stick to clear the puck at the blue line. The puck ended up right on the tape of Kruger, who snapped it past a Jossi screen.
- Just about a minute after the Kruger goal, Duece used El Capitan as a pylon, and banked a backhand shot off Toews and past Rinne. Keith made a sweet drag around the winger and cut to the net. Once he was in the clear, he sent a backhand towards the net that hit Toews and dribbled past Rinne.
- Crazy 8's put the Hawks up 3-0 about 5 minutes into the third period on a brutal shit. Kane drove right up the ice and up the left boards. When he gt to about the same position he scored the 2010 cup winning goal, he fired it through Rinne's 5-hole. Terrible goal for Rinne to give up.
- Andrew Shaw tried to get into a tussle with Rich Clune, and ended up absorbing half a dozen shots to the head with no answer.
- Anyone notice Shea Weber out there? Neither did the Blackhawks.
- Andrew Shaw only won 3 of 10 faceoffs. That's really the only ugly stat.
