Keith's late goal pushes Hawks into 2nd round
The Blackhawks score late and hold on to oust the Predators in six games. (Getty Images)
Nashville Predators vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 6
Blackhawks 4, Predators 3 | Blackhawks win series 4-2
Game 6 in a nutshell: The game could not have started out any crazier with each team collecting three goals in the first period. The Blackhawks made a change in net and played a heck of a lot better after that. The last two periods were as tight as any in the series, but Duncan Keith broke through late and Chicago held on for a 4-3 win and a series clincher.
Turning point: After giving up three goals on 12 shots in the first 11:16 of the first period, Scott Darling got the hook and in went Corey Crawford. Chicago was down 3-1 before Crawford entered. Jonathan Toews scored 58 seconds later to cut the deficit to 3-2. Patrick Kane scored with six seconds remaining in the period. Pulling Darling for Crawford was an easy decision, but the game changed in more ways than one. The Predators put 12 shots on Darling in the first 11:16. Crawford didn’t see his 12th shot until nearly 47 minutes after he took over. The team simply played better from that point on.
Three things we learned
1. It helps to have stars that have been there before. All of Chicago’s four goals were scored by players that have been part of each of the team’s Stanley Cup championships. Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith, in that order, scored the goals. I think that’s probably more coincidence than anything else, but when Chicago was down late, its stars stepped up. The Predators don’t have players with that kind of experience. Experience plays a role, even if it probably wasn’t the specific reason the Blackhawks won the series. It’s hard to argue that it doesn’t help.
2. The Predators are going to lament just how close they came in a lot of these games in this series. Despite having the higher seed, most believed Nashville would be out in the first round. While that came true, they didn’t go down without a fight. Maybe it was inexperience against a team with loads of it, or maybe it was just the way these games swung so quickly. I don’t know if having Shea Weber would have been the difference between winning and losing, but watching how well the team played without their captain showed that they still had a chance. This was a huge series for the younger players in Nashville’s core as Seth Jones, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm all gained valuable experience. Filip Forsberg was an offensive leader, just like he had been all year. Mike Fisher and Mike Ribeiro are the only key players on expiring deals eligible for UFA. Otherwise, this team will be mostly intact. They’ll be back soon.
3. The Blackhawks still may have a goaltending controversy. It would appear that the net was going to belong to Scott Darling until he gave them a reason to give it back to Corey Crawford. Darling wasn’t at fault for all three goals he gave up, but they needed Crawford to come in and shut the door. If everything reset in the second round, it is highly, highly likely that Crawford will go back to being the No. 1, but anything is possible.
Video of the game: Duncan Keith threaded the needle with 3:48 to play in regulation to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 lead. He showed remarkable patience on the play, waiting for the lane to open up and when he saw some net, he made the perfect shot. It doesn’t get much better than that as one of the Blackhawks’ leaders came through once again.
After a 6 goal 1st period, it took a Duncan Keith slapper to settle the score and the series. #NSHvsCHI #StanleyCup https://t.co/g1l1rxzjc6
— NHL (@NHL) April 26, 2015
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