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10 observations: Blackhawks routed by Predators

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NASHVILLE — The Blackhawks fell to the Nashville Predators 6-1 at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday.

Here are 10 observations from the loss:

1. The difference in this game came down to goaltending, plain and simple. Juuse Saros stopped 37 of 38 shots while Collin Delia allowed three goals on seven shots in the first period and Arvid Soderblom, making his NHL debut, gave up three goals on 18 shots in a relief appearance.

2.  The Blackhawks lost to the Predators in Nashville for the fifth straight time. They're 0-3-2 over that stretch. Their last win came on Nov. 19, 2019, which was a 7-2 victory.

3. At 5-on-5, the Blackhawks led in shot attempts (47-35), shots on goal (26-16) and scoring chances (19-16), according to Natural Stat Trick.

4. The Blackhawks allowed a goal 62 seconds into the first period, 32 seconds into the second period and 53 seconds in the third period.

5. The Blackhawks used their extra practice time by focusing on their penalty kill, which has been the worst in the league since Nov. 6. They gave up multiple power-play goals for the third straight game and fifth time in seven outings. Committing four penalties in the first 24 minutes wasn't ideal.

6. In 8:00 of power-play time, the Blackhawks had 24 shot attempts, 12 shots on goal, 11 scoring chances and three high-danger chances. They did everything but score.

7. The Blackhawks had just 19 shots on goal in their last contest against Nashville, which was their second-fewest in a game this season. They hit the 19-shot mark with 6:32 left in the second period and finished with 38, which was their second-most in a game this season.

8. When Dominik Kubalik and Philipp Kurashev were on the ice together at even strength, the Blackhawks led in shot attempts (14-2), shots on goal (10-2), scoring chances (6-1) and high-danger chances (2-0).

9. The Predators are 10-0-3 in their last 13 games against the Blackhawks. Wild stat.

10. Jujhar Khaira returned to the lineup for the first time since being stretchered off the ice on Dec. 7. He skated on the fourth line with Ryan Carpenter and MacKenzie Entwistle and had four shot attempts (three on goal) and one hit in 13:56 of ice time.

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