Rinne, Predators hold off Blackhawks

NASHVILLE -- Filip Forsberg, Austin Watson and Roman Josi scored, and goaltender Pekka Rinne won his fifth consecutive start in a 3-2 win for the Nashville Predators against the Chicago Blackhawks at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.
Rinne made 37 saves. The Predators (15-6-3) are 10-1-1 in their past 12 games.

"I think we have a lot of confidence in our team right now," Josi said. "I think we have a lot of depth. I think we can roll four lines, three defense] pairings and obviously getting great goaltending. It's been a really good month for us for sure, and we've got to keep it up. We know how hard it is. There's still a lot where we can be better, and we've got to work on those things too."
***[WATCH: [All Blackhawks vs. Predators highlights]*
Tommy Wingels and Lance Bouma scored for the Blackhawks (12-9-3), who are 6-5-2 on the road.
"Great start," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "In that second period we slowed down a bit. We tried to come back, we were down two and got a couple of good looks there at the end. They're a good hockey team. You can't have a lull in the game, and you've got to keep the pace up."
Forsberg gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 3:16 of the first period. He took a shot from the slot, got to the rebound and beat Blackhawks goaltender Anton Forsberg for his 12th goal.
"I thought we controlled the game for the most part," Predators forward Ryan Johansen said. "Obviously a great team over there with some talented players who made some plays throughout the game, but for the most part I thought we handled them pretty well and had control of the game."
Wingels tied it 1-1 at 5:10. Forward Alex DeBrincat skated the puck around the net and found Wingels for his second goal.

Watson made it 2-1 at 3:48 of the second period on a redirection. Defenseman Matt Irwin took a shot from the point, and Watson sent it past Forsberg for his third goal.
Josi extended the lead to 3-1 lead at 2:32 of the third period on a slap shot on the power play from the left circle. His shot went off Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook and beat Forsberg on the glove side for his sixth goal.
The Predators have scored at least one power-play goal in all 11 home games.
"I think power plays, sometimes you have ups and downs," Josi said. "It's going well right now. Pucks are going in for us, and I think we're doing a good job of just getting pucks to the net. I think that's the main thing. You've got to get pucks to the net, and then you can create seams or passes. But first you've got to shoot it, and I feel like we've been doing a good job of that."
Bouma brought the Blackhawks within 3-2 at 9:38. He took a pass from John Hayden and scored his second goal on a shot through traffic.

Goal of the game

Watson's goal at 3:48 of the second period.

Save of the game

Rinne's save on Wingels at 19:16 of the third period.

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Highlight of the game

Forsberg's goal at 3:16 of the first period.

They said it

"I think that against them it's all about the puck and how you keep it and where you put it. Better than April, but certainly still room for improvement." -- Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville comparing the game to the sweep by the Predators in the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoff
"It was unreal. We were celebrating on the bench like somebody just scored a hat trick. It was unbelievable. That's what makes him so valuable. He's a true warrior. It's not just at the end of the game. He does it all game. He does it in the first minute. He's such a huge player for us, and you saw it in that last shift." -- Predators defenseman Roman Josi on Austin Watson blocking three shots in the final six seconds of the third period

Need to know

Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane had his point streak end at seven games. He had six shots on goal and eight shot attempts. … Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson has 12 points (six goals, six assists) in his past 12 games.

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What's next

Blackhawks:Host the Dallas Stars on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET; FS-SW, NBCSCH, NHL.TV)
Predators:Host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; SNE, SNO, SNP, FS-TN, NHL.TV)