Christian Post Report – It’s playoff time in the NHL, and the Chicago Blackhawks will begin their post-season with a series against the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference. The match is on April 15, 2015 at 8:30 p.m. ET and will be played at Bridgestone Arena.
Central division rivals, Chicago and Nashville were only separated by two points at the end of the regular season. The Blackhawks had multiple chances to finish higher in the standings as Nashville failed to win in their last six matches.
(Photo: Reuters/Jeff Haynes)
Chicago Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews congratulates goalie Corey Crawford after their team defeated the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2 of their NHL Western Conference final hockey playoffs in Chicago, Illinois, June 2, 2013.
However, the Blackhawks struggled as well. They lost their last four matches including against Central rivals St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche.
Chicago’s last win was against the Buffalo Sabres in a match that saw them take an early lead but only find themselves trailing in the closing stages of the game but mounting an impressive comeback.
Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp scored within the first 10 minutes of the match to give the Blackhawks the lead. However, the Sabres responded by three straight goals to lead 3-2 with only seven minutes remaining. It took a heroic effort from Jonathan Toews to score two goals in the last two minutes of the game to give Chicago the victory.
Meanwhile, the Predators last victory was against the Washington Capitals.
They dominated the game early with goals from Mattias Ekholm, Mike Fisher and Filip Forsberg. However, they allowed Washington to come back to cut the lead to one goal before Mike Ribeiro eventually finished the game off.
As far as head-to-head battles are concerned, Chicago have won three of their four meetings in the regular season.
Having met twice at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville won their first home game 3-2, with James Neal securing a hat trick to beat the visitors. Chicago had their reply in the next game in Tennessee as they dominated the Predators 3-1 with Marian Hossa scoring two goals for the Blackhawks.
To get highlights on this first game, go to NHL.com. For live streaming, click here.
Source : Christian Post