Blackhawks Win Team-Record 12th Straight, Top Predators 4-1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Nashville Predators, 4-1, on Tuesday night for their franchise-record 12th straight win.
Chicago tied the Florida Panthers' recent streak for the longest this season in the NHL. The Blackhawks have four games left before the All-Star break to chase the NHL record of 17 straight wins by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins.
Rookie forward Richard Panik had a goal and an assist, Artem Anisimov also scored and Artemi Panarin added two assists for Chicago. Andrew Desjardins scored into an empty net.
Corey Crawford won his ninth straight as the Blackhawks took the season series 3-1 with a game remaining against their Central Division rivals.
Ryan Ellis scored for Nashville, which has lost six of seven.
The Blackhawks tied the team mark Sunday with a 5-2 win over Montreal, matching their 11 straight victories during the 2012-13 season.
Chicago came into Nashville for the first of a three-game road swing with plenty of fans making the trip, and the Blackhawks sent them home happy after their sixth straight road victory.
The Blackhawks also scored the first goal for a 10th straight game when Anisimov pushed a backhander past a diving Pekka Rinne with 21.2 seconds left in the first period.
Panik made it 2-0 early in the second with a wrister from the edge of the right circle. Nashville beat Crawford 15 seconds later on a slap shot by Ellis, but Kane took off on a breakaway and beat Rinne with a backhander a minute later for a 3-1 lead.
Rinne, who started after backup Carter Hutton shut out Minnesota on Saturday night, gave up three goals on the first 13 shots he faced. The All-Star goalie and three-time Vezina Trophy finalist is 1-5-1 in his past seven starts.
The Predators couldn't get the puck past Crawford after Ellis' goal. They went 0 for 3 with the man advantage, including two power plays in the third. Craig Smith hit a post in the first, and Crawford saved a shot by Smith in the third off his right toe.
NOTES: Chicago has scored the first goal in 11 of its past 12 games and improved to 29-3-2 when scoring first. ... Panik has scored a goal in two straight games. ... Kane had his 20th multipoint game this season. ... Nashville is 4-13-4 this season when allowing the first goal. ... Chicago improved to 11-1-1 when scoring three goals.
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