Rinne, Predators earn second straight shutout win over Blackhawks
CHICAGO -- Goaltender Pekka Rinne stopped all 30 shots he faced to earn his second shutout in a row, and the Nashville Predators pulled away for a 5-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.
Rinne has made 59 saves without allowing a goal in the past two games to help Nashville grab a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal. The series will shift to Nashville for Games 3 and 4.
Ryan Ellis, Harry Zolnierczyk, Colton Sissons, Ryan Johansen and Kevin Fiala each scored for the Predators. Rinne collected two secondary assists in addition to posting his third career shutout in the playoffs.
Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford allowed five goals on 29 shots in the loss.
The Predators' scoring outburst stunned Blackhawks fans, who rained boos after Johansen made it 4-0 with 6:09 to go in the third period. Predators left winger Filip Forsberg beat Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell in a race to the puck and set up Johansen for a forehand shot in front of the crease.
Fiala increased the lead to 5-0 with a wrist shot from the left circle with 1:47 to play.
Frustrations boiled over for the Blackhawks, who led the Western Conference with 109 points during the regular season. Patrick Kane received a two-minute penalty for crosschecking Zolnierczyk in the face late in the second period, and Ryan Hartman was tagged with a 10-minute misconduct in the game's final two minutes.
Nashville opened the scoring on a slap shot by Ellis less than four minutes after the opening faceoff. Blackhawks forward Richard Panik blocked Ellis' first attempt from the high slot, but the puck ricocheted back to Ellis. He capitalized with another shot that zipped through traffic and past Crawford's glove.
The Predators increased their lead to 2-0 on a partial breakaway by Zolnierczyk with 17:09 remaining in the second period. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm set up the goal with a terrific stretch pass from behind center ice. Zolnierczyk unleashed a wrist shot that deflected over Crawford's left shoulder and into the net.
Chicago's poor start worsened when Sissons punched in a loose puck in front of the net to put Nashville on top 3-0 with seven minutes to go in the second period. The goal marked the first of Sissons' playoff career.
NOTES: Blackhawks C Dennis Rasmussen and C Vinnie Hinostroza both made their career postseason debuts after sitting out Game 1 as healthy scratches. Neither player registered a point. ... Predators C Colin Wilson missed his second game of the series because of a lower-body injury. Wilson had 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists) in 70 games in the regular season. ... Blackhawks C John Hayden and RW Jordin Tootoo were healthy scratches. ... Nashville has scored first in each of the first two games in the series. The Predators scored first only 37 times in 82 games during the regular season.