The Nashville Predators [20-20-4] fell 3-0 in a home game against the Chicago Blackhawks [19-19-7] on Saturday. It is the second of four matchups the two have together this season.
Juuse Saros saved 18/20 shots faced, Luke Evangelista recorded six shots, and Mike McCarron posted four hits.
Chicago goaltender Drew Commesso saved all 37 shots faced as he recorded his first NHL win and shutout, Tyler Bertuzzi scored his 23rd of the season, and Connor Bedard racked two primary assists.
"Definitely not our best, kind of felt like it was just a 50/50 game. They got that first one and we never got to our game really," said Roman Josi. Per Nick Kieser on X.
Nashville opened the first with a plethora of shot attempts which were all promptly stopped by rookie goaltender Commesso. "I thought we came out in our first eight minutes or so, I liked our game. I thought we dictated a little bit and then we got really sloppy with the puck," explained Head Coach Andrew Brunette.
Chicago quickly turned the tables and made six straight shot attempts in the later minutes of the period to even out the pressure. Ultimately, neither side was able to make one past the goalie and the score was deadlocked at zero heading into the second period.
The Predators and Blackhawks still remained off the scoresheet until 13:19 in the second, when Bedard made a slick pass over to Bertuzzi who finished the play and gave Chicago the lead on the powerplay. Nashville leads the league in most times trailed since Nov. 16 with 20.
Nashville amped up the pressure after allowing the tiebreaker, making eight straight shot attempts in a span of five minutes, all of which were saved by Commesso once again.
Other than a few penalties against the Predators and a few timely saves by either goalie, the second remained quiet and neither side was able to score.
The third was where both teams became more physical, as players like Mike McCarron began with period with two hits on Chicago's on the ice defensive line. Despite having more possession time and scoring chances than the Blackhawks, Nashville fell behind in the game.
Another primary set up from Bedard allowed Nick Lardis to hand Chicago a 2-0 lead with 8:59 left in the game, putting the Predators in a do-or-die situation.
Four minutes later, Brunette called Saros to the bench and even with the extra attacker on the ice, the Predators found themselves chasing the game. With 1:28 left, Ryan Greene potted an empty netter for his fifth career goal, giving the Blackhawks a crucial win as they reenter the wildcard race.
"I think we just weren't sharp enough. We had moments, but you know, at the end of the day, [the team] just overall just weren't clean enough," said defenseman Nicolas Hague. "[We] just felt like a little disconnected."
The team had trouble setting up in the neutral zone and it costed them according to Josi. "We didn't get to the zone clean a lot and cause a team like that, they kind of feed off that."
Nashville plays again tonight at 6:00pm local time against the Washington Capitals [23-16-6] to wrap up their back-to-back game weekend.
"Our minds have to shift right away. I think after a game like that tonight, I think that's going to be a good thing," said Hague.
"We'll learn from things, but at the end of the day, we know what makes us good. It's a good opportunity to come back and turn the page, show up with a better effort tomorrow."