The Blackhawks joined a list of higher seeds who lost game one of their Stanley Cup first round series at home when the Nashville Preditors scored four times in the third period-twice into an empty net to stun the Hawks 4-1. The loud crowd had something to be thrilled about after a scoreless first period,when Patrick Kane gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead in the second period when he rebounded a Patrick Sharp shot past Preditors goalie.Pekka Rinne who outplayed fellow Fin Antti Niemi.The Preds quickly evened the scored at 1:31 of the fateful third period when former Hawk J.P.Dumont fired a shot from the boards that took a bad bounced(or two), hit Niemi and clanked off the inner part of the post into the net. Dumont then scored what proved to be the game winner at 10:37 off a feed by David Legwand.Nashville outshot the Hawks 13-4 in the final twenty minutes to take full control. The issue was decided once Jerred Smithson and then Martin Erat each scored empty netters. The road playoff win was the first in Preditors history.
NOTES—The second game is Sunday night at 7:35pm….Attendance was 22,256.
LES