Nashville Predators start season with an impressive performance
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
The Nashville Predators kicked off their 2016 season with a huge win over the Chicago Blackhawks Friday night in Smashville.
The stage was set for the day all Predators fans had been waiting for since the end of last season and let me tell you the atmosphere was unreal. Right off the start the game was an all-out war.
The Blackhawks went up with an early Marcus Kruger goal after a mistimed poke check from Pekka Rinne. But the one goal advantage for Chicago was short-lived due to a thundering slap shot from Nashville’s’ newest member PK Subban who tied up the game after only eight minutes of play. That’s right. Subban only needed eight minutes to get his first goal for the 2016 season.
After going down 2-1 in the middle of the first period, the Predators bounced back with a powerful slap shot from defensemen Roman Josi who tied up the game during a power play just before the end of the first period.
By the second period everyone in attendance had watched several fights breakout on the ice including a fight between Anthony Bitetto and former Pred Jordin Tootoo. Bitetto did not return to the ice due to a reported upper-body injury he sustained from the fight.
The Preds found the goal that would prove to be the game winner from the stick of the newly promoted team captain Mike Fisher. The Predators capitalized on yet another power play after an outside shot from Roman Josi that Fisher deflected into the back of the Chicago net.
The Blackhawks had several good looks at goal as the game ended, but Pekka Rinne kept finding ways to keep the puck from crossing the goal line.
When asked about the goal PK Subban said, “[ I ] wasn’t even thinking about anything like that coming into the game. Just wanted to kinda get back into it. Even though I had a couple of preseason games, it’s been almost six months since you played in a real game”
One thing is clear. Hockey is back in Smashville and it’s looking like the off-season moves have made this team ever so stronger.
