Recap
The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Nashville Predators 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. The two teams are at again tomorrow at the United Center to complete their home and home.
The Hawks would get off to another roaring start. They would get a 2 on 1 when Marcus Kruger took a hit to get the puck out of the zone. Michal Handzus would make a beautiful saucer pass to Bryan Bickell who had a wide open net to shoot in as he scored his seventh goal of the season. The Hawks would outshoot the Predators 10-5 in the opening period.
There would be no scoring in the second period either as the Hawks continued their attack. The only thing that kept the Predators in the game was Pekka Rinne who was dueling Ray Emery shot for shot. Rinne made 13 saves in the second compared to the 8 for Emery.
The third period would get a little hairy for the Hawks as they had to kill off a four minute penalty when Daniel Carcillo drew blood on a high stick of Shea Weber. Perhaps the most important development is that there was no letdown in the third period unlike recent games. However, the final minute featured play in front of the Hawks net with the Predators goal empty. Emery made several big saves and there were two huge shot blocks by Handzus and Brent Seabrook in the waning seconds to hold off Nashville.
What it means
The Blackhawks improve their record to 28-5-4 as they start the final quarter of the season. The Hawks have 60 points and lead the Western Conference by 5 points over the Anaheim Ducks with a game in hand. The Hawks have 11 games remaining while the Ducks have 10.
3 stars of the game
3. Michal Handzus- The new Hawks has fit in nicely for the Hawks. He recorded his first point today as a Hawk with a great saucer pass to Bickell. Handzus has fit in nicely on the fifth line and he blocked a key shot at the end of the game and played on the penalty kill. Handzus was an ace in the faceoff circle as he won 10 of 15 faceoffs he took.
2. Ray Emery- Razor had a great game for the Hawks. He recorded his second shutout of the year and improved his record to 13-0-1. Emery was great when he needed to and provided a calming presence on the back end. Emery made 20 saves in his shutout victory.
1. Pekka Rinne- Rinne was spectacular again against the Hawks. He made 29 saves on 30 shots and was hung out to dry on the goal that he gave up. In this week alone, Rinne has saved 67 of 70 shots he has faced. Rinne has saved 91 of 97 shots against the Hawks for a save percentage of .938 against the Hawks.
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