sleddy2008
04-17-2010, 04:02 AM
C/P from TSN.ca
CHICAGO -- J.P. Dumont scored twice in the final period and the Nashville Predators won for the first time on the road in the playoffs, rallying to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Friday night in the Western Conference quarter-final opener.
It was Nashville's first road playoff win in 11 tries and it was a dramatic one with former Blackhawk Dumont burning his former team in the third.
Pekka Rinne made 25 saves in his playoff debut for the Predators, allowing only Patrick Kane's second-period goal. After Dumont gave Nashville a 2-1 lead, Jerred Smithson and Martin Erat added empty-net goals in the final 48 seconds.
Nashville's David Legwand got the puck after a turnover by Chicago's Troy Brouwer, raced in and took a shot that Antti Niemi stopped, but Dumont was there to knock in the rebound to give the Predators a 2-1 lead at 10:37 of the final period.
Early in the period, Dumont flipped a bouncing puck toward the goal from the deep right side, it skipped by a surprised Niemi, hit the post and went it to tie just 1:31 into the third.
Niemi, a rookie who emerged as Chicago's top goalie with his play late in the season, made 22 saves in his playoff debut. But the first goal he allowed Friday night was one he'll long remember, especially because Dumont's shot wasn't a hard one.
Game 2 in the best-of-7 is Sunday night at the United Center.
Dumont had 17 goals during the regular season in 74 games and has 17 goals in 43 playoff games.
When Patrick Sharp fired a shot from the left circle that went off Rinne, he couldn't control the puck and Kane was there to follow it in from right in front of the net for his 10th career playoff goal. That gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead midway through the second period.
Sharp had a chance to score earlier on a nice pass from Marian Hossa but his shot hit the post.
Rinne made a good stop on Jonathan Towes' rebound attempt after a shot by Hossa and then later had a great poke check to thwart a breakaway attempt by Sharp in the scoreless first period.
Employing a neutral-zone trap defence to combat Chicago's puck possession game, the Predators and Blackhawks finished with 26 shots apiece. Nashville had a 13-4 advantage in the pivotal third period. Chicago led the NHL this season with an average of 34 shots per game while allowing a league-low 25.
The Blackhawks and Predators played six times in the regular season with Chicago winning four times, but in a scheduling quirk they hadn't met since Dec. 27.
NOTES: Predators D Denis Grebeshkov, who was hurt March 7 when hit by a puck, was a scratch but could be available for Game 2. ... Attendance was 22,256.
CHICAGO -- J.P. Dumont scored twice in the final period and the Nashville Predators won for the first time on the road in the playoffs, rallying to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Friday night in the Western Conference quarter-final opener.
It was Nashville's first road playoff win in 11 tries and it was a dramatic one with former Blackhawk Dumont burning his former team in the third.
Pekka Rinne made 25 saves in his playoff debut for the Predators, allowing only Patrick Kane's second-period goal. After Dumont gave Nashville a 2-1 lead, Jerred Smithson and Martin Erat added empty-net goals in the final 48 seconds.
Nashville's David Legwand got the puck after a turnover by Chicago's Troy Brouwer, raced in and took a shot that Antti Niemi stopped, but Dumont was there to knock in the rebound to give the Predators a 2-1 lead at 10:37 of the final period.
Early in the period, Dumont flipped a bouncing puck toward the goal from the deep right side, it skipped by a surprised Niemi, hit the post and went it to tie just 1:31 into the third.
Niemi, a rookie who emerged as Chicago's top goalie with his play late in the season, made 22 saves in his playoff debut. But the first goal he allowed Friday night was one he'll long remember, especially because Dumont's shot wasn't a hard one.
Game 2 in the best-of-7 is Sunday night at the United Center.
Dumont had 17 goals during the regular season in 74 games and has 17 goals in 43 playoff games.
When Patrick Sharp fired a shot from the left circle that went off Rinne, he couldn't control the puck and Kane was there to follow it in from right in front of the net for his 10th career playoff goal. That gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead midway through the second period.
Sharp had a chance to score earlier on a nice pass from Marian Hossa but his shot hit the post.
Rinne made a good stop on Jonathan Towes' rebound attempt after a shot by Hossa and then later had a great poke check to thwart a breakaway attempt by Sharp in the scoreless first period.
Employing a neutral-zone trap defence to combat Chicago's puck possession game, the Predators and Blackhawks finished with 26 shots apiece. Nashville had a 13-4 advantage in the pivotal third period. Chicago led the NHL this season with an average of 34 shots per game while allowing a league-low 25.
The Blackhawks and Predators played six times in the regular season with Chicago winning four times, but in a scheduling quirk they hadn't met since Dec. 27.
NOTES: Predators D Denis Grebeshkov, who was hurt March 7 when hit by a puck, was a scratch but could be available for Game 2. ... Attendance was 22,256.