DeBrincat second goal lifts Blackhawks past Predators in OT

CHICAGO -- Alex DeBrincat scored his second goal with 58 seconds left in overtime to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 2-1 win against the Nashville Predators at United Center on Friday.

DeBrincat scored on a breakaway in overtime for the Blackhawks (27-26-8), who had lost two straight and climbed within six points of the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
"I feel like I've had a lot of hitting] the post and gotten a lot of chances lately, and they went in tonight," DeBrincat said. "It's nice."
***[WATCH: [All Predators vs. Blackhawks highlights]*
Corey Crawford made 42 saves, and Duncan Keith had two assists.
"You look at the shots, I kicked out a few and then they kind of stayed around for a little bit and I got a few more," Crawford said. "I don't know, the shots aren't totally, don't totally show how we played defensively. I mean our guys were pretty solid. The [penalty kill] was good (5-for-5).
"We had plenty of chances too, it was just a tight game and it was nice to come out on top in one of those type of games."
Pekka Rinne made 36 saves, and Mattias Ekholm scored for Nashville (29-24-7), which has lost two in a row after a three-game winning streak. The Predators moved within two points of the Flames and Coyotes for the second wild card.
"We had 43 shots, we had some good looks, but at the same time in the third period we had a few penalties and a few things that can't happen at this point in the season," Rinne said. "When you don't take care of your power-play opportunities, usually you pay for it. It feels frustrating when you're up 1-0 and you lose the game 2-1."
DeBrincat tied it 1-1 at 9:05 of the third period when he redirected Patrick Kane's shot for a power-play goal. Chicago was 0-for-17 in its previous six games.

Rinne made a left pad save on Brandon Saad's penalty shot at 9:14 of the first period.
Ekholm took a wrist shot on a 3-on-2 rush from the high slot to give the Predators a 1-0 lead at 14:56 of the second period.
"I think we had chances to score more," Ekholm said. "I think we kind of gave it away a little bit, that's the feeling right now. It's kind of sour, but we took a little bit too many penalties that cost us in the third. In the overtime, we make a poor decision and it comes right back at us. We've got to learn from it and move on.
"A point is a point, but hopefully we can get this feeling into [Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets] and be better."

Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis had two shots on goal in 23:33 after missing 20 games with a concussion.
"I thought I played fine out there tonight, not as effectively offensively," Ellis said. "New system I'm trying to learn on the fly. [I] really just wanted to be responsible defensively and limit the chances I give up and chip in when I can."

They said it

"We're getting excellent goaltending, but it's the situations in front of them. You look at the power plays we've had; we're taking penalties on the power play and we don't get loose, then the penalties that you take, you give those guys the opportunity to get on the power play. [Rinne is] doing the best he can. He played a heck of a game. We've got to be better in front of him." -- Predators coach John Hynes
"Our team, we've had a bunch of games lately that we've played hard and didn't get rewarded, so it helps to move this thing forward when you get a win, and ultimately, we're looking for consistency from the group. Part of asking for that consistency, they need some results, and that helps. Hopefully we can carry the momentum into [Sunday at the Dallas Stars]." -- Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton

Need to know

The Predators are 0-for-11 on the power play in their past three games. … Chicago defenseman Erik Gustafsson was a healthy scratch by hockey operations before warmups, Colliton said. It's unknown if Gustafsson will play Sunday at the Dallas Stars. … Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane has seven points (two goals, five assists) during a four-game point streak. … Keith got his 600th and 601st NHL points in his 1,129th game.

What's next

Predators: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; FS-TN, FS-O, NHL.TV)
Blackhawks: At the Dallas Stars on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; ESPN+, TVAS, FS-SW, NBCSCH, NHL.TV)