Tough road for Hawks
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After a rough night of winter travel, the Blackhawks had an equally tough time on the Nashville ice.
Sergei Kostitsyn, Kevin Klein and Patric Hornqvist each had a goal and an assist to help the Nashville Predators beat the Hawks, 5-2, on Saturday night.
The Predators have won seven of their last eight and 10 of 12. Nashville also ended Chicago’s winning streak at three. The Hawks had earned points in seven consecutive games.
Craig Smith and Colin Wilson also scored, and Pekka Rinne made 20 saves for Nashville. Rinne has won seven in a row and 10 of 11.
Marian Hossa scored twice for the Hawks. He has five points in two games against Nashville this season.
Because of snow in Chicago and a thunderstorm in Nashville, the Hawks didn’t arrive in town until 2:30 a.m.
“We really used that to our advantage,” Rinne said. “They had a tough schedule because they played last night in Chicago and had a little bit of trouble getting in here.”
Hossa opened the scoring with 4:05 left in the first period.
Carrying the puck down the left side, Hossa slipped inside Nashville captain Shea Weber before cutting to the middle and sliding the puck under Rinne’s left pad. Hossa’s goal was one of just two Hawks shots on goal in the period.
Smith drew the Predators even with 2:41 left in the first.
With Nashville on a power play, Ryan Ellis fired a shot from the right point that goalie Corey Crawford stopped, but the rebound came to Smith on the right side where he flipped the puck over a sprawling Crawford.
Klein gave Nashville its first lead at 5:15 of the second when his seemingly harmless flip-in from the red line bounced in front of Crawford and then over his right shoulder.
Kostitsyn’s goal spelled the end of the night for Crawford, who allowed four goals on 17 shots. He was replaced by Ray Emery.
Hossa and Hornqvist traded goals early in the third.
Hawks captain Jonathan Toews left midway through the second period with an upper-body injury. Following the game, Quenneville said Toews was day-to-day.
Notes: Crawford appeared in his 100th career NHL game. ... Hossa has points in eight consecutive games, his second eight-game point streak this season.
