End game (Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
Going into the first round series against the Nashville Predators, I don’t think anyone would expect them to have been this tough. Per usual, the cream always rises to the top. The Blackhawks won the series 4-2, and will face the Vancouver Canucks in a rematch from last year’s second round series. Both teams will be out for blood, but more on that later. To close out the first chapter of the post-season, here is your (2) Blackhawks vs. (7) Predators series review.
Game #1 – Predators 4, Blackhawks 1 Nashville goalie, Pekka Rinne, stole this game. He stood on his head all night, and the Blackhawks were outworked as well. The Blackhawks had a 1-0 lead going into the third period, but J.P. Dumont scored two consecutive goals to give his team the lead. Dumont’s first was a lucky floater over Antti Niemi’s right kicker. The Predators added two empty-netters to boot. Predators led series 1-0
Game #2 – Blackhawks 2, Predators 0 Niemi earned his first post-season shutout, and the first by a Blackhawk rookie in franchise history. Patrick Kane created enough offense for the Blackhawks by scoring one goal and one assist in the game. The Blackhawks defense wasn’t so good in this one, but luckily for them neither was the Predators offense. Series tied at 1-1
Game #3 – Predators 4, Blackhawks 1 This game was riddled with bad play and stupid penalties from the Blackhawks (see Dustin Byfuglien’s hook of Martin Erat that led to a penalty-shot goal). The Predators were easily the better team in this game, and backed the Blackhawks into a corner. Rinne had another game where he stood on his head. Predators led series 2-1
Game #4 – Blackhawks 3, Predators 0 This game was a must win for the Blackhawks, and Brian Campbell was rushed back into the lineup in hopes of being a catalyst to the Blackhawks offense. A couple bigger names finally showed up in the series – Patrick Sharp scored two goals, and Jonathan Toews added one. Oh, Niemi earned his second shutout with better defensive play in front of him then in Game #2. Series tied at 2-2
Game #5 – Blackhawks 5, Predators 4 (OT) The closing moments of the game will be what anyone remembers from this series. Marian Hossa’s questionable hit on Dan Hamhuis resulted in a five-minute major penalty for boarding penalty with just over a minute left in the game, and the ‘Hawks were down by one. Patrick Kane scored a shortie (Niemi was pulled for the extra man) to take this one into overtime. The Blackhawks penalty-kill unit kept the Predators scoreless while Hossa sat in the penalty box finishing out his sentence. Seconds after returning to the ice, Hossa scored the game-winning goal. Blackhawks led series 3-2
Game #6 – Blackhawks 5, Predators 3 After regaining control of the first round series in the previous game, the Blackhawks came out strong in the first period. They had the lead 3-1 before Jason Is-Nott-Good-At-Hockey scored two unanswered goals to tie the game at three goals apiece. Shortly after, Toews scored on the power play to give his team the lead. His goal held up, and John Madden added an empty-net goal for his first point of the post-season. Blackhawks won series 4-2
Series MVP: Brent Sopel – The Blackhawk defenseman played a huge role on the penalty-kill unit. The guy has biggest balls on the team, willing to put his body in the line of fire every chance he got. Sopel was even praised by Barry Trotz for his work on the kill. The unit that twenty-six for twenty-seven in shorthanded situations. He was also instrumental in the sequence of events that led to Hossa’s game-winning goal in Game #5.
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