National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Chicago 4, Nashville 3
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, April 25, 2015
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Referees: Gord Dwyer, Eric Furlatt
Linesmen: Darren Gibbs, Jay Sharrers
Attendance: 22171

CHICAGO -- Defenseman Duncan Keith scored the tiebreaking goal to lead the Chicago Blackhawks to a series-clinching 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.

Chicago advanced to the second round of the playoffs after eliminating Nashville in Game 6 of the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal.

Left winger Patrick Sharp, center Jonathan Toews and right winger Patrick Kane also scored for the Blackhawks.

Left winger James Neal scored two goals for Nashville. Center Matt Cullen added a goal.

Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford stopped all 13 shots he faced for the win. Crawford replaced starter Scott Darling, who was pulled in the first period after allowing three goals on 12 shots.

Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne turned aside 28 of 32 shots in the loss.

Keith fired a slap shot from the left point with 3:48 to go in the third period to put Chicago ahead. He waited for an opening and ripped a shot through traffic that beat Rinne stick side.

The score was tied at 3 after a frenetic first period that featured six goals on 25 shots.

Neal weaved past Blackhawks defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya for a backhand goal on the Predators' first shot of the game with 18:50 remaining in the first period. Less than seven minutes later, Neal redirected a shot from the blue line by defenseman Cody Franson for a power-play goal that increased Nashville's lead to 2-0.

The Blackhawks sliced the deficit to 2-1 when Sharp one-timed a ricochet off the boards with 9:23 remaining in the first period. Nashville answered quickly on a wrist shot by Cullen that made it 3-1 with 8:44 remaining in the first, which prompted Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville to pull Darling and reinsert Crawford in net for the first time since Game 2.

The change sparked Chicago. Toews scored on the power play with 7:46 remaining in the first period to cut Nashville's lead to 3-2.

Kane then evened the score at 3 on a blast from the top of the left circle with six seconds to go in the period.

NOTES: Chicago G Scott Darling started his fourth straight playoff game ahead of veteran teammate Corey Crawford. ... Nashville D Shea Weber missed his fourth consecutive game because of a lower-body injury. Weber, 29, scored 15 goals with 30 assists during the regular season. ... Blackhawks LW Daniel Carcillo remained out because of an upper-body injury. ... Nashville LW Gabriel Bourque returned to the lineup after missing Game 5 because of an upper-body injury. ... Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews appeared in his 100th career postseason game. Toews turns 27 on Wednesday. ... Nashville C Filip Forsberg became the first player in franchise history to net a postseason hat trick when he scored three goals Thursday night.
Top Game Performances
 
Nashville   Chicago
James Neal 2 Points Duncan Keith 3
James Neal 2 Goals Duncan Keith 1
Filip Forsberg 1 Assists Duncan Keith 2
James Neal 1 Power Play Goals Jonathan Toews 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Pekka Rinne .875 Save Percentage Corey Crawford 1.000
Pekka Rinne 28 Saves Corey Crawford 13
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Nashville 25 3 1-3 1-2 6 34
Chicago 32 4 1-2 2-3 6 34
Upcoming Games
  • Chicago will play their next game on the road against Nashville. The Blackhawks have a W/L % of .521 after a win and .676 after a loss.
  • Nashville will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Predators have a W/L % of .553 after a win and .600 after a loss.