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Blackhawks rally from down 4-1, beat Predators for first time this season

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Brandon Hagel scores the game winner for the Blackhawks in overtime against the Predators after Chicago stormed back from a 4-1 deficit in the third period.

The Blackhawks and Predators are teams that have defied expectations often this season, so maybe it makes sense that they engaged in such a bewildering game on Wednesday.

Early in the third period, it looked like the Predators might cruise to a 7-0-0 record against the Blackhawks this season with ease. And it also looked like Malcolm Subban’s sneaky-strong showing would be for nothing.

Ultimately, the Blackhawks rallied for a 5-4 OT win vs. the Predators, beating Nashville for the first time in seven tries this season.

Big swings

During the second period, the Predators broke a 1-1 tie when the bounces went Colton Sissons’ way just enough to score a pretty 2-1 tally. It seemed like the two teams would go into the second intermission with that 2-1 score.

Things went bad for the Blackhawks during especially painful moments.

With about a second remaining in the second period, Mikael Granlund beat the clock to put the Predators up 3-1.

From there, the Predators made it 4-1 just 58 seconds into the third period.

With the score 4-1, it seemed like the Predators would be able to relax and hold onto another key win vs. the Blackhawks. This game presented more twists, though.

In the span of less than three minutes, the Blackhawks produced a dizzying three-goal barrage to leave the Predators stunned, and the game 4-4. A John Hynes timeout during that rally still didn’t stop the bleeding.

Following that 4-4 goal, Viktor Arvidsson received a four-minute high-sticking penalty. It seemed like the Blackhawks might go from another loss to the Predators to a possible regulation win.

Nope. The Predators killed that, but Brandon Hagel’s overtime game-winner ended up being the 5-4 difference-maker in OT. Wow.

Predators had been dominant vs. Blackhawks

Jan. 26: Predators won 3-2 in OT
Jan. 27: Predators won 2-1 (shootout)
March 27: Nashville won 3-1
March 28: Predators won 3-2
April 3: Nashville won 3-0
April 19: Predators won 5-2

Think back to the Predators sweeping the Blackhawks in Round 1 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With that, the Predators entered Wednesday’s game vs. the Blackhawks with a 17-3-2 in their last 22 head-to-head contests.

Now make it 17-3-3, as the Blackhawks rallied to beat the Predators 5-4 in OT on Wednesday.

James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.