For the second game in a row, penalty minutes and power play goals have become the center of attention for the Chicago Blackhawks. They gave up three power play goals to the Nashville Predators on Friday night. Roman Josi and Mike Fisher recorded on goal and an assist each, and newly signed Predator P.K. Subban notched his first goal of the 2016-17 season.
The Blackhawks’ offense was led by defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, who returned to the ice after a one-game suspension from the preseason, and Marcus Kruger, who scored the first goal of the game on either side. (I know, crazy, right) Once again, the issue was penalties as the Hawks were whistled for a total of 24 penalty minutes. It was quite a scrappy game, to say the least, as both Jordin Tootoo and captain Jonathan Toews found themselves in fights.
Chicago finished the game with 24 shots on net, and lost the overall face off battle, 36-28. A positive came in the last few minutes of the game. With the Hawks pressing the offensive zone late in the game, Pekka Rinne was forced to make some incredible saves to keep the Preds ahead. With six rookies in the starting lineup, it’s promising to see grit and toughness in a late game situation like that. Let’s hope they don’t have to keep playing from behind
The Hawks will face off with Nashville in the United Center on Saturday at 7:30 pm C T.