Nashville stops Chicago to claim 2-0 series lead
Pekka Rinne was great again, Ryan Johansen had a big night, and Nashville got a lift from a couple of unlikely scorers.
The Predators are singing a sweet tune on their way home to Music City, threatening to play the Chicago Blackhawks right out of the postseason.
Rinne made 30 saves in his second straight shutout and picked up two assists, helping Nashville rout host Chicago — the Western Conference’s top seed — 5-0 on Saturday for a 2-0 lead in their firstround series.
Game 3 is Monday in Nashville.
“Character win the first one, and then tonight played a really solid game,” Rinne said.
Johansen had a goal and two assists as Nashville added a dominant performance to its taut 1-0 victory Thursday night.
Ryan Ellis, Harry Zolnierczyk, Colton Sissons and Kevin Fiala each scored their first career playoff goal.
The Predators became the fifth team in NHL history to begin a postseason with consecutive road shutouts and the first since 2001.
“A lot of guys played great hockey out there,” Ellis said. “We got the result we wanted, but we’ve got a lot of work left to do and it doesn’t stop here.”
Chicago coach Joel Quenneville shuffled his lineup, but it was more of the same for the Blackhawks.
“That was frustration to a different level,” Quenneville said.
Chicago has dropped six in a row including the end of the regular season.