Nashville Predators: Saros Gets Shutout In Win Over Chicago

After suffering a loss to the Dallas Stars that broke a six-game win streak, the Nashville Predators bounced back in a big way with a shutout win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Predators are now in sole possession of the fourth playoff spot in the Central Division, even if only by a two-point margin. This team’s true test will be to hold that spot and continue to climb in the standings.

Nashville has now beaten the Blackhawks in every meeting so far this season. These two teams will meet three more times this season.

With several key players still injured, the Predators announced that they added another to the list before the game. Alexandre Carrier, injured in the game against the Stars, is expected to be out for three to five weeks with a lower-body injury.

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In the 2nd period, Viktor Arvidsson collided with Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach. Arvidsson lay on the ice for several minutes before being helped up by Ryan Johansen and Calle Jarnkrok. He did not return to the game.

What Stood Out In This Win

After giving up three goals against the Stars on Thursday, Juuse Saros returned on Saturday with another unbelievably decisive performance.

As was expected, the Blackhawks came out firing in a bid to overtake Nashville in the standings. The Blackhawks turned up the heat offensively and shot often.

Saros stopped all 41 of the Blackhawks shots, several of which were high-quality saves. He tallied his second shutout of the season and has won five of his last six starts.

With his 13th career shutout, Saros moved into third place behind Tomas Vokoun (21) and Pekka Rinne (59) for most regular-season shutouts in franchise history.

Eeli Tolvanen, aka “The Chosen One,” impresses almost every time he takes the ice, and this game was no different. Tolvanen opened the scoring with a massive shot just 18 seconds into the Predators’ lone power-play of the day. He leads all rookies with six power-play goals.

Colton Sissons was hooked on a breakaway and got a rare penalty shot. Sissons tallied the night’s second goal with a laser shot over the blocker of Blackhawks’ goaltender Kevin Lankinen. Luke Kunin netted the Predators’ third and final goal in the 3rd period.

The Predators also did an excellent job killing all four of Chicago’s power-play opportunities. At one point, the Predators committed two back-to-back penalties resulting in a Blackhawks 5-on-3 power-play. Nashville clamped down and killed the penalty, much to the delight of those in attendance at Bridgestone Arena.

What’s Next For The Nashville Predators

Now that the Predators solely possess the fourth spot in the standing, albeit, by a small margin, they will need to stay at the top of their game. The four teams below them will be looking to be spoilers.

The Predators’ recent success can be attributed in part to the performance of Saros after his return from injury. Saros, and for that matter, Rinne, has kept them in many games that they didn’t deserve to win. Goaltending at this elevated level is a must.

Head Coach John Hynes has done an excellent job of line management even with so many of his “star” players on the injury list. Hynes will have some hard decisions to make once players start returning. His hard decisions may be made easier if we wind up seeing some player movement at the trade deadline on April 12.

The Predators now head to Detroit for a two-game set against the Red Wings. They then head home to Nashville to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 10 and the Stars on April 11.