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Blackhawks hope to continue to thrive under Savard

Dec 2, 2006 - 4:42 PM Chicago (9-12-2) at Nashville (17-5-2) 8:00 pm EST

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) - Under new coach Denis Savard's direction, the Chicago Blackhawks have shown signs of a turnaround.

A Hall of Fame player who spent most of his career with Chicago, Savard will try to guide the Blackhawks to their first three-game winning streak of the season Saturday when they battle the Nashville Predators.

After replacing Trent Yawney behind the bench earlier this week, Savard will coach his first road game with Chicago after consecutive home victories over the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues.

Martin Lapointe had a goal and an assist and Partick Sharp added a pair of assists for the Blackhawks, who won for the fifth time in nine games with Friday's 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues.

Chicago has handed Nashville two of its five regulation losses this season. After scoring a season-high eight goals in a season-opening triumph on October 5, the Blackhawks posted a 3-1 win over the Predators seven days later.

Scoring has not been much of a problem for Nashville, which has 20 goals in a four-game winning streak, including Thursday's 5-4 victory over the Blues.

David Legwand and Scott Hartnell had a goal and an assist each for the Predators, who won despite being outshot, 42-17, and failing to score on four power-play attempts.