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Blackhawks nip Predators on Stalberg's OT tally

Nov 1, 2011 - 4:54 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Viktor Stalberg's overtime goal gave the Chicago Blackhawks a 5-4 victory over the Nashville Predators at the United Center.

Stalberg raced down the right side of the ice, stopped at the right circle, turned towards the net and wristed a shot through the short side 2:18 into the extra frame to give Chicago its second straight win.

"It wasn't the hardest shot I've taken, but it found a way to get into the short side," Stalberg said.

Patrick Kane had two goals and an assist for the Blackhawks, who got 24 saves from Corey Crawford.

Patric Hornqvist tallied two goals for the Predators, while Craig Smith and David Legwand also lit the lamp.

Pekka Rinne stopped 30-of-35 shots as Nashville had a two-game win streak snapped.

Nashville took the lead just 26 seconds into the game when Crawford misplayed a dumped puck behind the net and it wound up on the stick of Legwand in the left corner. Legwand sent a shot towards the open net that bounced off the left post, but Hornqvist was there to push the puck into the still vacated net.

But the Blackhawks sent the game into the first break with a tie score when Kane's wrister from the slot stayed low and slipped through the legs of Rinne with 49 seconds left.

Nashville took its lead back at the 6:00 mark of the second period when Martin Erat found Smith wide open in the slot, and Smith sent a hard wrister into the top left corner of the net.

Chicago answered with Nick Leddy's one-timer from the left circle into the far side of the net almost seven minutes later, but the Predators took advantage of a 5-on-3 power play when Hornqvist caught a pass at the offensive blue line and fired a wrister under the right pad of Crawford for a 3-2 advantage late in the second.

An offensive-zone turnover by Nashville turned into a 3-on-2 rush for the Blackhawks and they capitalized on the opportunity when Kane's shot from the left circle snuck in between the right arm and pad of Rinne less than five minutes into the third.

Bryan Bickell then gave Chicago its first lead of the game when his quick wrister from the right circle found its way past Rinne's glove on the short side with a little under seven minutes left in regulation, but Legwand was able to fire a big rebound in front of the net into the top-right corner less than two minutes later to send the game into overtime.

Game Notes

Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith left the game with an upper body injury...Chicago has won three straight and 10 of the last 13 games against Nashville at home...Nashville did not record a shot in overtime.