With the overtime buzzer sounding in Nashville on Saturday, March 8th, the Blackhawks faced another loss. A familiar pattern of alternating wins and losses now stretching to six games, Steven Stamkos' hat trick goal secured the 3-2 Predators' victory at Bridgestone Arena. With his three goals for the Predators, Stamkos completed the 14th hat trick of his NHL career to lift the team past the Blackhawks in overtime. Alex Vlasic and Ilya Mikheyev each scored the two Chicago goals. The Blackhawks head to Colorado on Monday to take on the Avalanche, and the Predators will go to San Jose on Tuesday, March 11th, in search of their fourth straight win when they take on the Sharks.
Chicago Blackhawks Lineup:
Dach - Bedard - Nazar
Teravainen - Donato - Mikheyev
Slaggert - Foligno - Bertuzzi
Maroon - Veleno - Reichel
Vlasic - Crevier
Del Mastro - Murphy
Kaiser - Martinez
Soderblom
Knight
Nashville Predators Lineup:
Stamkos - O'Reilly - Evangelista
Forsberg - Sissons - Marchessault
Smith - Svechkov - Vrana
Bellows - McCarron
Skjei - Blankenburg
Del Gavzio - Stastney
Englund - Barron
Oesterle
Annunen
Saros
Alex Vlasic opened the scoring early into the middle frame after a scoreless first with his third goal of the season when his wrist shot from the point that deflected in past Justus Anunnen off Ryan O'Reilly. He received the puck when Connor Bedard, who spun around with the puck at the left boards to keep it away from Filip Forsberg, sent a backhanded pass down to Vlasic for the game's first goal at 18:04. From the left circle, not long after the Chicago goal at 17:24, Steven Stamkos fired a wrister past Arvid Soderblom on the power play to knot it up 1-1 after some passing back and forth with Jonathan Marchessault. Stamkos struck again with a quick one-timer with 7:40 on the clock of the second to untie the knot, putting Nashville in front 2-1 from the slot after taking a backhanded pass from O'Reilly below the goal line, who was fighting for the puck prior.
Ilya Mikheyev, from the slot, tied it back up 2-2 in the third period on a one-timer for his 14th goal of the season with 7:38 left to play in regulation. The puck was knocked out from behind the net and along the right boards, where Connor Murphy got ahold of it and sent it right back to Ryan Donato, who made a quick pass to Mikheyev from behind the net.
At 2:21 in overtime, Steven Stamkos completed his 14th career hat trick for the game-winner for the 3-2 final. Spencer Stastney took a pass from Fedor Svechkov and carried it through the neutral zone and into the Blackhawks' zone before passing it back to Svechkov, who handed it over to Stamkos for a one-timer in the left face-off circle.
Notes:
- Arvid Soderblom made a total of 38 saves for Chicago.
- The Blackhawks are 3-0-2 in their last five games, which marks their longest point streak since February 17-25, 2023, when they won five straight games.
- Ilya Mikheyev has three goals in his past five games, and Ryan Donato extended his point streak to eight games with four goals and seven assists.
- Joe Veleno made his Blackhawks debut, skating on a line with both Pat Maroon and Lukas Reichel, and finished with one shot on goal in 13:07 of ice time. He had been traded from the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.
- Justus Anunnen made a total of 17 saves for Nashville.
- After picking up his first goal of the night, Steven Stamkos passed Mike Bossy for 23rd in NHL history with 576 career goals.
- Both Jakub Vrana and Jordan Oesterle made their Predators debuts after Nashville claimed them off waivers on Thursday. Vrana finished with two shots on goal in 12:12 of ice time, while Oesterle finished with one shot on goal in 16:27 of ice time.
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