Predators Rally for Three Third-Period Goals to Hand Blackhawks 4-2 Loss in Olympic Return

Game Summary

The Chicago Blackhawks couldn't hold a late lead Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena, falling 4-2 to the Nashville Predators after allowing three unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes. Nashville's Ryan O'Reilly converted with 3:16 remaining to break the 2-2 tie, and Steven Stamkos added an empty-netter at 19:12 to seal the result in the teams' first game back from the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The Predators improved to 27-24-7 while the Blackhawks dropped to 22-27-9.

Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi scored for Chicago, and Spencer Knight turned in a respectable 22-save performance against 25 shots. Bedard tied the game at 1-1 midway through the second with a wrist shot from the left circle on a feed from Ryan Greene, and Bertuzzi's power play goal 3:16 into the third — a rebound conversion off a Teuvo Teravainen point shot — gave the Blackhawks what looked like a 2-1 lead they could protect. But they couldn't. Nashville's Matthew Wood tied it just under four minutes later on the power play, then O'Reilly redirected a perfect Roman Josi pass through Knight's five-hole for the go-ahead goal. Stamkos' empty-netter — the 611th of his career, moving him past Bobby Hull into sole possession of 19th on the NHL's all-time goals list — completed the final score.

Filip Forsberg had given Nashville the early lead at 13:50 of the first, unassisted, after Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov coughed up the puck below the left circle. That giveaway set the tone for a night in which Chicago did a lot of things well — winning 56.8% of faceoffs, going 1-for-5 on the power play — but ultimately couldn't manage a lead when it mattered most. Coach Jeff Blashill was direct about it after the game: "We've got to find a way to win the game. You're on the road, you get the lead and then you end up killing a penalty. We've got to find a way to kill the penalty. It's 2-2, and then we let the third one in there."

Three Stars

First Game Back from the Break

Three weeks removed from their last game — a 4-0 shutout loss in Columbus that sent them into the break on a six-loss-in-seven-games skid — the Blackhawks showed genuine signs of life Thursday. They were competitive for 55 minutes, won the faceoff battle convincingly, and had a lead with under 17 minutes to play. That has to count for something coming off an extended layoff, even if the result didn't go their way. "I think we all felt pretty good about where we were there, especially when [Bertuzzi] gets that goal," Bedard said. "We've got to manage it a little better and figure out how to close it out."

The Olympic break created a few interesting storylines on Nashville's side of the ice that may have worked in Chicago's favor early on. Predators goaltender Juuse Saros — Nashville's starter — had only arrived back in the city from his bronze medal run with Team Finland on Wednesday and served as the backup Thursday rather than starting. Erik Haula, also a Finland bronze medalist, was a game-time decision and returned to the lineup but clearly wasn't at full stride, logging just 15:56 of ice time. Teuvo Teravainen, who also won bronze with Finland, suited up for Chicago and assisted on Bertuzzi's power play goal. As for Forsberg, who played for Sweden at the Games, there were no such concerns — he opened the scoring unassisted and collected second-star honors on the night.

The frustrating piece for Chicago wasn't the final score so much as how they got there. The Blackhawks had five power play opportunities — a massive edge — and converted just once. They outplayed Nashville in faceoffs, outworked them by some measures, and still couldn't find a way to close out a one-goal game on the road. That's been the recurring theme for this team all season. They're now 1-5-2 in their last eight games, and while the effort Thursday was better than the shutout in Columbus, it will feel hollow until the results start to follow.

Looking Ahead

The Blackhawks don't get any time to dwell on this one. They're back at it Saturday, traveling to Ball Arena to take on the Colorado Avalanche — the runaway leaders of the Central Division at 38-9-9 with 85 points. It's about as steep a task as Chicago faces all season. Colorado owns the best record in the division by a six-point margin and has been the league's most dominant team for much of the year. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. CT.

Thursday's loss may actually carry a useful lesson into Saturday. The giveaway that led to Forsberg's first-period goal, the 15 total giveaways on the night, the inability to protect a lead — against Colorado, those mistakes will be even more punishing. The Avalanche are built to capitalize on exactly the kinds of breakdowns that plagued Chicago in Nashville. If there's a silver lining, it's that Bedard was sharp despite the loss. They'll need that in Denver, and more.