Predators grab 1st 2-1 playoff lead over Chicago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - This series is starting to have a real bad feel about it for the Blackhawks.

While there's still a long way to go, it's going to be an uphill battle for the Hawks to win it following Tuesday night's 4-1 loss to the Predators in Game 3 at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators can take a commanding 3-1 series lead with another victory Thursday in Game 4.

"We have to regroup, refocus, clear our heads and come back on Thursday with a better effort than we had tonight," Hawks center John Madden said. "I've been in many situations like this when you're down 2-1, and I've been on the other side when you're up 2-1. There's lots of series left. I know guys in here will respond and we'll come out better Thursday."

For the third straight game the Hawks generated little offensively against the stingy Nashville defense other than a first period power-play goal by Tomas Kopecky.

The Hawks were outshot 35-27, kept mostly on the perimeter by the Predators, with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews getting 1 each.

"Tonight we didn't really have much pressure," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "We didn't generate enough.

"They were definitely the harder working team and more desperate."

Toews, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp have yet to score in the first three games of the series.

"Obviously, guys like myself if we're not producing we're not going to win games. It's as simple as that," Toews said.

If the Hawks don't come to play a more desperate game Thursday and take back the home-ice advantage, they will be staring at one of the major upsets of the first round.

"Every game we've got to play desperate now," Toews said. "There's no more time to wait.

"We've said over and over we've got to be patient against this team, but we've got to try and take control and control our own fate here. That comes with playing desperate hockey and fighting for what we get because they're not giving us much."

The Hawks were fortunate the game was as close as it was after the first period, tied at 1-1. The Hawks gave the Predators three straight power plays and all the momentum in the first 16 minutes.

Only some great work by goalie Antti Niemi saved them from being down big early. Niemi stopped David Legwand on a breakaway midway through the period after a turnover by Dave Bolland on Nashville's second power play.

"We were lucky to get out of the first period 1-1; that was a huge break," Madden said.

"If we could have learned from that first period and turned things around we would have been fine tonight," Toews said. "We came out smelling like a rose after that first period.

"But we didn't do that. We let them control and dictate the pace of the game for 60 minutes pretty much."

Between power plays the Predators got a goal from Joel Ward at the 13-minute mark on a rebound to open the scoring. Kopecky's power-play goal came at 17:35.

The second period was all Nashville, though, with Legwand scoring at the four-minute mark and Shea Weber at 9:52 for a 2-goal lead.

"We're not happy," Toews said. "We felt we played the way we wanted the other night (in Game 2) and we wanted to keep that going, but we gave them control of the series right back tonight. We knew they were going to be better in their own building and we didn't expect that enough."