Blackhawks vs. Predators: Game 1 prediction

The Chicago Blackhawks will host the Nashville Predators in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinal. Here is our prediction.

We can look at the season series and see that Chicago barely had any problems sweeping the series. They dominated each game, scoring at least three goals in each game (four goals per game on average). For Predators fans, their team is coming in as the underdog as the eighth seed in the West. However, they shouldn’t be counted out.

Nashville has an arsenal of offensive threats, including two 60-point scorers in Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson. Not to mention, they have a young star in Filip Forsberg, who led the team in goals with 31 tallies this season (tied with Arvidsson). Considering their top-six, the Predators have offensive potential to match up to Chicago.

However, they are in a tough spot. Not only did Chicago dominate them in the regular season, the Blackhawks proved themselves to be one of the top teams in the entire league. They took the Western Conference by storm and has been nearly unstoppable. They will be looking to redeem themselves following last year’s early exit against St. Louis, while also yearning to continue their dominance they present in the playoffs.

For Chicago, they are loaded. Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin are just two of their biggest threats, both 30-goal scorers this year. Kane also finished amongst NHL leaders with 89 points. Despite rough times through the year, Jonathan Toews bounced back and finished with 58 points. Overall, this team has a lot of firepower. They were in the top 10 for most goals per game, putting up 2.9 on average per game this year.

Unfortunately for the Predators, their defense somewhat struggles. Despite the presence of P.K. Subban and Roman Josi, the team cannot completely shut down another team. They surrender around 2.7 goals per game on average, showing a huge hole in their game when it comes to squaring off with the high-scoring Blackhawks.

The goaltending in these games will be crucial. The Blackhawks will rely on Corey Crawford to carry them yet again, and the Predators will turn to their long-tenured netminder in Pekka Rinne to bail them out.

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While the Predators can put up a fight, they will have trouble stopping the Blackhawks, especially on Chicago’s home ice. The Blackhawks will likely dominate from the get-go, and finish with plenty of scoring chances against Nashville.

Final Score: Chicago 4, Nashville 2