Blackhawks No Match For Filip Forsberg, Nashville in 5-1 Loss

CHICAGO – Ethan Del Mastro got his solo lap and put the puck in the net off his first shot of that solo lap. But he wouldn’t get a victory lap with the team in the Blackhawks 5-1 loss Friday night to the Nashville Predators

Philipp Kurashev had Chicago’s lone goal, not nearly enough in an effort that looked similar to the less than desired results against St. Louis and Minnesota on Wednesday and last Sunday respectively.

The Blackhawks were chasing a 2-0 deficit through the first period after Kiefer Sherwood whacked away enough at the puck to give the Predators a two-goal advantage. But it was all Predators until Kurashev notched his 18th of the season on a feed from Connor Bedard, pulling the Hawks back within three at a 4-1 count.

But Forsberg buried his third of the game just minutes into the final frame, beating Arvid Soderblom for his 46th goal of the season. There was no way Nashville would yield a 5-1 advantage and it held for the remainder of the game. Soderblom finished the game with 35 saves.

Friday’s Loss Extends the Blackhawks Recent Misery

Since upsetting the Stars 3-2 last Saturday, the Blackhawks have been shut out and outscored at a 14-2 clip. It harkens back to some of the midseason stretches the Hawks had with long periods of losses and an inability to score more than a couple goals per game.

With a third loss in a row, Sunday is now a chance for the Blackhawks to end the home campaign with a win. That, however, will presents its own challenge with the Carolina Hurricanes heading into town riding a four-game winning streak and a chance to overcome the New York Rangers both in the division, the conference, and potentially even win the President’s Trophy with the League’s best record.

So spoiler alert again for the Hawks on Sunday. But if it’s a similar effort like the last three, they likely won’t be doing a victory lap together to close out their season at the United Season.

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