The Blackhawks entered Saturday’s matinee tied with the Predators at 39 points for the final playoff spot in the Central Division, and it was obvious from the start that the Blackhawks intended to fight for their spot. Unfortunately, despite having one of their best games of the season, the Blackhawks fell to the Predators 3-0 and now trail the team from Nashville in the standings with just under a third of the season left.
Despite the Blackhawks controlling pace to start the first period, the Predators struck first. Nikita Zadorov took his sixth penalty in the last seven games, and rookie sensation Eeli Tolvanen scored off a slapshot on the power play to put the Predators up 1-0.