Nashville Predators 3, Chicago Blackhawks 0: We take those

Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesFirst Period

The game began with a bit of feeling out from both sides, but it was not without attrition. Matt Benning took a puck off his hand while blocking a shot on a play that instantly elicited a cry of “oh, that’s broken” from all onlookers. The Chicago Blackhawks took control from there, getting heavy traffic in front of Juuse Saros and generally making life hard for the Nashville Predators’ defense. Things were not going well, with the same old story of “the offense can’t get anything going, the goalie is bailing them out” playing out yet again.

Then, like an absolute fool, Nikita Zadorov took an elbowing penalty to hand Nashville…