Local Sports

Roman Josi scores as Predators beat skidding Blackhawks 4-2

Roman Josi had a goal and an assist, and the Predators handed Chicago its eighth straight loss with a 4-2 victory over the Blackhawks.

 

Thomas Novak, Matt Duchene and Nino Niederreiter also scored as Nashville earned its second straight win since a six-game slide. Juuse Saros made 37 stops, including a terrific right pad save on Patrick Kane with about 16 minutes left.

 

Connor Murphy and MacKenzie Entwistle scored for the last-place Blackhawks, and Petr Mrazek made 33 saves.

 

Chicago led 2-1 before Duchene scored his ninth goal with 5 seconds left in the second period. Mattias Ekholm found a streaking Duchene on the side of the net for an easy one-timer.

 

Nashville went ahead to stay when Josi converted a backhand 1:27 into the third. Josi then got his record-breaking point when he assisted on Novak's power-play goal at 6:09.

 

Chicago went 0 for 4 on the power play.

 

Nashville jumped in front when Niederreiter scored 9:23 into the first period, sending a shot from the high slot past Mrazek on the goaltender's glove side. It was Niederreiter's 11th goal of the season.

 

Nashville forward Tanner Jeannot then received a double minor for a high stick to the face of Chicago defenseman Jake McCabe. But the Blackhawks came up empty on the ensuing power play, and McCabe never returned to the game.

 

The Blackhawks got on the board in the second, scoring two goals in 37 seconds for their first lead since a 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Dec. 3.

 

Murphy got one when his long slap shot went off Nashville's Cody Glass on its way to the net at 16:03. Entwistle then made it 2-1 when his shot went off the stick and right leg of Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon before fluttering past Saros on the glove side.

Townhall Top of the Hour News

Local Weather - Sponsored By:

CLINTON WEATHER

Local News

DeWittDN on Facebook