Sissons, Jeannot Lead Preds Past Hawks in OT for Seventh Straight Win

Two nights, four points.
Tanner Jeannot scored in overtime, and the Nashville Predators defeated the Chicago Blackhawks by a 3-2 final on Friday night at the United Center. The result gives the Preds their seventh consecutive victory to sweep a back-to-back set with Colorado and Chicago for their 19th win of the season.
Once again missing a number of key players - and coaches - due to COVID-19 protocol, and facing their second game in as many nights, the Predators limited the Blackhawks to just 19 shots, and Juuse Saros stopped 17 of them. Plus, a pair of power-play goals from Tommy Novak and Colton Sissons gave Nashville a chance, and then Jeannot ended it in OT.

The Preds scored the game's first goal, and it was Novak who snapped a shot past Chicago netminder Marc-Andre Fleury on the power play for his first NHL tally and a 1-0 lead. Before the opening period was out, Kirby Dach evened the score for the Blackhawks, and that mark held until the final frame.
On another power play, Filip Forsberg found Sissons, and the Predators centerman - who was serving as an alternate captain for the first time in his NHL career - barely got his shot to trickle over the line to give the visitors a lead once more. But, just moments later, Hawks Captain Jonathan Toews tied the game and forced overtime.
However, just 58 seconds into the extra frame, Preds Captain Roman Josi made a perfect feed to Jeannot, and the winger directed the puck into the twine to give Nashville another satisfying triumph.
The Predators improved to 7-0-0 in their last seven games dating to Dec. 4, which marks the fourth winning streak of seven or more contests in franchise history.

Friday Storyline:

The Predators were down one more man, and yet they still collected two more points.
Defenseman Mark Borowiecki was the latest member of the Preds to enter the NHL's COVID-19 protocol prior to Friday's contest, and while the reinforcements were ready to go once more, a couple of regulars stepped up again.
After skating 25 minutes and dishing out three assists last night, Sissons converted on the power play in Chicago, and in overtime, Jeannnot played the role of hero to give the Preds seven straight.
"I thought it was great," Jeannot said. "We had a really good team effort again all the way through the lineup, pretty much for the full 60, so I can't say enough about the character of this group. Everyone coming in is doing their job, playing their style and buying into what this team wants to do and the identity we want to have. So, I can't say enough about the group. We're having lots of fun - obviously winning is fun - so we just want to keep it rolling."
"It's huge," Sissons said of the win. "Everybody stepped up tonight and just worked so hard and competed. I thought we played a pretty solid game, we were in control for a lot of it, I thought, and even when they tied it up late there and went to OT, we didn't waver. We were still dialed in, ready to win a hockey game."
For the first time in his NHL career, Sissons wore an 'A' on his jersey, and for someone who has served in a leadership role at every other level during his various stops in the game, doing so in Nashville was only a matter of time.

"The qualities that he has and what he brings to the table every day, I think he's been elevated in the roster and he's grabbing the opportunity that's been presented to him," Milwaukee Admirals Head Coach Karl Taylor, who once again filled in behind the Nashville bench, said. "I've only coached him for two games, but he's ready to go every single shift no matter what we ask him to do. And when you get a chance to have a letter on your jersey, it's very special. It's not something that people hand out loosely, and he's earned the opportunity… He's leading this group down the right path, so really proud of him and happy for him."
Another skater who continues to seize the opportunity is Jeannot, and the rookie tallied his first OT winner, just one more contribution made to a team embracing the adversity at the moment.
"We're all cheering for Tanner, and when a player can convince the coaches that they should be cheering for him and hoping he has success, the player has done all the right things to get himself to a point where the coaches are going to work hard and try to create an opportunity for him to get the success that he deserves," Taylor said. "And I think that's who Tanner is, and to see him doing what he's doing is fantastic. But he deserves it because of the work he's put into it and how he approaches the game day-by-day. But it's exciting to watch firsthand, no question about it."

Taylor, as well as Assistant Coach Scott Ford, continues to take it all in, too, and after joining a number of their players from Milwaukee to assist behind the bench, they've now helped the Preds to a pair of victories.
And despite the circumstances and all the challenges that continue to be presented, the Predators haven't been phased - and it shows. Perhaps that's the swagger of a team that simply can't lose at the present time.
"I think back to what Fil said the other night, you've kind of got to expect the unexpected in the world right now," Jeannot said. "So, you just try to take it an hour, not just a day at a time, but an hour at a time right now and just try to be as prepared as you can be for the next game and your next shift. And like I said, the character of this group, everyone's been doing that and we've just got to keep it going."
"It's interesting having this opportunity to come in under the circumstances, and you don't know how it's going to go or how you're going to feel when you're presented with it, but the comfort level I have and being able to enjoy it with Scott Ford and go through the process, it just feels right," Taylor said. "It just feels like the place where I'm able to do my job well and focus on what I can do. And as a group, let's be honest, the players are playing great. So, it's an easy team to coach right now and very enjoyable."

Highlight of the Night:

They Said It:

Colton Sissons on serving as an alternate captain for the first time in the NHL:
"I was pumped, man. I've always taken a lot of pride in the leadership side of things and been challenged by coaches every year to keep kind of ramping that up every season. So, I was pretty proud to wear that tonight."

Notes:

Prior to Friday's game, Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki and another member of Nashville's traveling party were added to the COVID-19 protocol list.
Nashville now has eight players - Borowiecki, Nick Cousins, Mikael Granlund, Ryan Johansen, Philip Tomasino, Matt Luff, Michael McCarron and Ben Harpur - as well as coaches John Hynes, Todd Richards, Dan Lambert, Dan Hinote and Ben Vanderklok on the COVID protocol list.
Predators forward Matt Duchene missed his fourth consecutive game and remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Nashville's two-game trip is set to conclude on Sunday afternoon in Carolina with a 4 p.m. CT start against the Hurricanes.