Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators Game 4 Preview
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
When: Thursday, April 20, 2017, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Chicago Blackhawks (-110) at Nashville Predators (-110); total 5.0 – view all NHL lines
TV Broadcast: NBCSN
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Betting on the Chicago Blackhawks (+1.5)
Who would’ve thought that we’d see the Chicago Blackhawks face an early first-round exit as the top-seeded team in the Western Conference?
The Blackhawks finally got on the board for the first time in their series against the Nasville Predators, but still came up short of a win with a crushing 3-2 overtime loss in Game 3 this Tuesday. Dennis Rasmussen scored his first-career playoff goal, while Patrick Kane found the back of the net on a power play to put his team up by a couple of goals.
However, those two scoring plays weren’t enough to contain the Predators as goalie Corey Crawford tried his best to keep the Hawks from imploding any worse. Crawford’s 2.77 goals-against average in the series is of pretty grave concern. On the other hand, he still sports a lifetime GAA of 2.28 in the playoffs, which means he isn’t necessarily the weakest link.
The root of the problem really lies within Chicago’s offense. Kane leads his team with nine shots-on-goal in the series, but he isn’t getting much help from his supporting cast. One of the biggest disappointments thus far is captain Johnathan Toews, who’s now been held without a goal for 12-consecutive playoff games. Toews, along with standout forwards Marian Hossa and Artemi Panarin, have still combined for 27 shots-on-goal in the series, so the team has just got go find better looks at the net and keep the pressure coming.
The Blackhawks are no strangers to facing elimination in the postseason. Amazingly, they’re actually 13-5 in such situations under head coach Joel Quenneville. The last time they were down 3-0 in a series was in the 2011 conference semifinals against Vancouver, and they managed to force a Game 7 then. Although Chicago lost the series finale, it just goes to show that this bunch can definitely find a second wind and prevent being swept by Nashville.
Betting on the Nashville Predators (-1.5)
Just everything is coming up roses for the Nashville Predators this postseason. They fended off the Blackhawks in overtime of Game 3 despite facing an early two-goal deficit thanks to a couple of smashing performances from Filip Forsberg and, once again, Kevin Fiala.
Forsberg led Nashville’s comeback by scoring two goals in the third period to tie the game late, while Fiala scored for the second-straight night to knock in the game-winner in OT. But it’s not just these two guys that stood out on Tuesday, as this Predators team as a whole simply played an all-around masterclass in hockey. They outshot Chicago 49-36, won 58 percent of their faceoffs and had twice as many hits than their opponent did (32-16).
We also got another outstanding showing from goalie Pekka Rinne, who stopped 34 of 36 shots from Chicago. Rinne is hot off back-to-back shutout victories, but he shouldn’t always be put in the position to make that many saves against the Blackhawks, who are still averaging 31 shots per contest in this postseason.
Nonetheless, the Preds are getting contributions from just about everybody on the squad, with 14 players having registered at least one point in this series. As long as they stick to their balanced attack and keep the ‘Hawks in check on defense, we might very well witness our very first series sweep by a no. 8 seed over a conference champion by the end of Thursday night’s showdown.
Writer’s Prediction
The Blackhawks (-110) re-accommodate themselves back into the United Center for Game 5 with a crucial 3-1 victory.
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