NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ryan O’Reilly scored with 3:16 remaining and the Nashville Predators scored three times in the third period in a 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night in the teams’ first game following the Olympic break.
Filip Forsberg and Matthew Wood also scored for Nashville. Steven Stamkos scored his 29th of the season into an empty net in the final minute for the Predators, who had lost two in a row and five of their last seven games heading into the break. Justus Annunen stopped 21 of 23 shots.
Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi scored for the Blackhawks, who have one victory in their last eight games. Spencer Knight made 22 saves.
Forsberg scored unassisted with just over six minutes remaining in the first period. Forsberg, who played for fourth-place finisher Sweden at the Olympics, scored his 25th of the season.
Bedard scored his career-best 25th goal just over four minutes into the second period to tie the game at 1. Ryan Greene had his 14th assist. Bedard had 22 goals in 68 games in 2023-24 and 24 goals in 82 games last season.
Bertuzzi scored his team-leading 26th goal of the season on a power play at 3:16 of the third to give the Blackhawks the lead. San Rinzel and Teuvo Teravainen, won a bronze medal with Finland at the Milan Cortina Olympics, assisted.
The Blackhawks’ lead was short-lived as Wood tied it at 2, also with a power-play goal, just under four minutes later. The assists went to Erik Haula and Luke Evangelista.
Haula and Juuse Saros were considered game-time decisions after they returned to Nashville on Wednesday after playing for bronze medal-winning Finland at the Olympics.
Up next
Blackhawks: At the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
Predators: At the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
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