Predators can’t find offense in 3-1 loss to Chicago

Preseason Game Four: Chicago 3 vs Nashville 1

Predators Can’t Find Offense in 3–1 Loss to Blackhawks

Chicago, IL — The Nashville Predators dug themselves into an early hole at the United Center on Saturday night and couldn’t climb back out, falling 3–1 to the Chicago Blackhawks despite holding the edge in shots.

Early Penalties Prove Costly

The Predators spent much of the first period on their heels after back-to-back tripping penalties against Jacob Trouba and Ilya Lyubushkin. The Blackhawks quickly cashed in, with Sean Monahan beating Jake Allen just 1:34 into the game on the power play. Less than three minutes later, Radko Gudas made it 2–0 on a seeing-eye shot through traffic.

Rookie forward Jan Mysak gave Nashville life late in the opening frame, burying his first goal of the preseason, off a setup from Eduard Sale and Marcus Pettersson at 14:59. The marker cut the deficit in half and momentarily swung momentum back toward the visitors.

Missed Opportunities

The second period saw Nashville generate six shots and a pair of quality chances, but Joey Daccord stood tall in the Chicago crease. The Predators’ inability to capitalize on their own man-advantage chances loomed large — Nashville went 0-for-3 on the power play, including two opportunities in the final 20 minutes.

Chicago restored its two-goal cushion at 11:15 of the second when Monahan struck again, this time finishing a feed from Nick Bjugstad. From there, the Predators couldn’t break through despite an 8–6 edge in shots in the third period.

Allen Battles, Daccord Denies

Allen turned aside 16 of 19 shots faced but fell to 1–3–0 on the season. Daccord, meanwhile, frustrated Nashville shooters all night, finishing with 20 saves and a .952 save percentage.

Special Teams Struggles

The Predators’ special teams came up short, going 0-for-3 on the power play while allowing Chicago to convert once in four chances. Nashville’s penalty kill finished at 75 percent.

Bright Spot: Youth Movement

Mysak’s goal was the lone highlight for Nashville, with fellow youngster Eduard Sale collecting his second assist of the season. Pettersson, the free agency pickup, also chipped in offensively while logging a team-high 23:40 of ice time.

Looking Ahead

Now 1–3–0, the Predators continue to search for consistency in the preseason. They’ll try to rebound quickly as they head home to face the St. Louis Blues, for their next matchup, hoping to tighten up defensively and finally find some scoring touch on the power play.