Quenneville likes 'predictability' of Keith, Seabrook

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Reuniting Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook on defense for Game 2 on Sunday was everything Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville hoped it would be.

Keith was on the ice for 24 minutes and Seabrook for 22 in the Hawks' 2-0 win over the Predators that evened the first-round series at 1-1.

"We'll keep them together going forward," Quenneville said Monday. "I like them getting back together and the quantity and quality of the minutes that you get from them.

"They give you that predictability that a top pair can give. It's been a little bit since we've seen them together and I liked them forming a real solid grouping. It helps with matchups and helps us defensively and you get a little offense when they're together as well."

Brent Sopel turned in a strong Game 2, which helped solidify the changes on defense. Sopel played almost 21 minutes with partner Niklas Hjalmarsson and blocked 3 shots.

"He's played very good both games," Quenneville said. "He made two remarkable defensive plays (in Game 2), breaking up a 3-on-1 and making a big block on a power play.

"He's got good reads, our penalty-killing has been pretty effective, and he leads in that department as far as his shot blocking and positioning."

Ladd likes it: Another one of Joel Quenneville's Game 2 tweaks that paid off was putting grinder Andrew Ladd on the first line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa.

The line didn't score, but it was a force in the Nashville zone controlling pucks and eating up important zone time.

"I thought it was good," Ladd said. "I thought we had a lot of good shifts and made it tough on their D-men with three big bodies playing down low. Hopefully we'll wear on them towards the end of the series."

Nashville coach Barry Trotz said before the series it would be a chess match between him and Quenneville. All of Quenneville's adjustments worked Sunday.

"You're always tweaking little things," Ladd said. "In a long series there are always going to be things you can do better."

Killing it: The Predators are 0-for-7 on the power play in the first two games of the series.

"Our penalty-killing has been great all year, in the top five for the most part the whole season long," Hawks center Colin Fraser said.

Nashville was 0-for-5 in Game 2 with Hawks defensemen Brent Sopel, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson all getting more than five minutes of penalty-killing time to lead the team in that department.

Hornqvist questionable: Predators winger Patric Hornqvist wasn't on the ice for an optional practice Monday.

Hornqvist, a 30-goal scorer during the regular season, missed Game 2 with an upper- body injury after playing just 13 minutes in the series opener.

"Who knows, he could play Game 3," Joel Quenneville said. "We know that he's a very effective player for them, a top scorer who knows where the high traffic areas are, and he's willing to travel them.

"He's one of those guys that can add to their offense, and we'll have to have an awareness if he does get back into the lineup."