The longest active winning streak in the NHL is on the line as the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Nashville Predators at the United Center on Tuesday night. The Hawks have won seven games in a row, dating back to before the turn of the calendar. Nobody has won more than four in a row after Florida’s big run was snapped in a loss to Vancouver on Monday.
Chicago has turned into the league’s hottest team thanks to a combination of stellar goaltending, improving defense and emerging options in the forward corps. Players like Phillip Danault, Erik Gustafsson and Dennis Rasmussen are proving to be effective after the musical chairs that went on earlier in the season. Now we’re starting to see what the Hawks can do when they’re not depending on the stars for a disproportionate amount of production.
The second line is still amazing, though. Patrick Kane leads the league in power play goals (13), assists (37) and points (62) midway through the season. Artemi Panarin’s rise has been arguably more shocking. The rookie winger leads all rookies in goals (15), assists (24) and points (39). No other first-year player has even cracked 30 points yet this season.
And now that amazing production is being coupled with a more balanced attack. If the blowout win over Colorado was a sign that the first line is starting to find its groove, too, then the rest of the league better watch out.
Marian Hossa said earlier in the year that it would take this group some time to gel. Maybe that process took a bit longer than everyone expected, but it seems like we’re finally starting to see the pieces come together, even if some holes still exist.
Anticipated Lines:
Shaw-Toews-Hossa
Panarin-Anisimov-Kane
Desjardins-Danault-Teravainen
Mashinter-Rasmussen-Garbutt
Defensive pairings:
Hjalmarsson-Keith
Gustafsson-Seabrook
Rozsival-TVR
Opponent Breakdown
Predators | Record: 19-16-7 | 45 points | 5th in Central Division | Goal Differential: -8
This probably isn’t how Nashville expected things would go after opening the season 7-1-1. The Predators have fallen apart since that hot start with a 12-15-6 record. Even a trade for star center Ryan Johansen hasn’t done much to change things for a team currently on a three-game losing streak.
While the NHL will be celebrating in Nashville at the All-Star Game later this month, the rest of the city will likely be focusing on whether its team can get back on track. The Johansen trade was an admission that the team’s forward options weren’t enough to compete with the league’s best. Now we’re left to wonder whether a No. 1 center was the only thing Nashville was missing.
Goaltending has been a major question mark for the team. While stalwart Pekka Rinne got named to the All-Star Game, he’s actually in the midst of a down year. The Predators are just No. 22 in the league in 5-on-5 save percentage, per War on Ice. Overall, the team is 27th in save percentage and not far off from Calgary’s league-worst figure. It’s a startling drop-off for a team that finished 10th in overall save percentage a season ago.
Even if Johansen is awesome and the defense moves on from Seth Jones without major hitches, the Predators still need to figure out the deal with Rinne. For once, goaltending might be the team’s biggest problem.
Anticipated Nashville Lines:
Forsberg-Johansen-Neal
Arvidsson-Ribeiro-Smith
Hodgson-Fisher-Jarnkrok
Salomaki-Gaustad-Watson
Defensive Pairings:
Josi-Weber
Ekholm-Ellis
Bitetto-Jackman
Injuries
Blackhawks: Marcus Kruger
Predators: Gabriel Bourque, Colin Wilson
How to watch
When: 7:30 p.m. CT
Where: United Center, Chicago
TV: CSN-Chicago