National Hockey League
Chicago 4, Nashville 1
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Referees: Francis Charron, Gord Dwyer
Linesmen: Pierre Racicot, Jay Sharrers
Attendance: 17122

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Patrick Kane said setting a franchise record for consecutive wins is pretty special.

So, too, is the Hart Trophy-caliber season the Chicago Blackhawks' right winger is authoring.

Enjoying his 20th multi-point game of the season, Kane notched a goal and an assist Tuesday night in Chicago's 12th straight victory, a 4-1 decision over the Nashville Predators at sold-out Bridgestone Arena.

"It's fun to win 12 in a row," Kane said. "It's something we can be proud about. But there's always things we can do better."

Pressed as to what the Blackhawks (32-13-4) can improve on during their historic run, Kane said playing with a lead and spending more time in the offensive zone.

"I guess sometimes, when you're winning games, you're nit-picking a little bit," he said. "But we're still finding ways to win. I think through a 12-game winning streak, you're not going to play your best every night."

Perhaps not, but Chicago's level of play was a bit too much for Nashville (20-18-8) to handle. Although the Predators owned a 39-27 advantage in shots on goal, they didn't generate enough point-blank chances and also made a spate of puck-handling errors.

They were guilty of 15 giveaways, including one in the first period's last minute that put the Blackhawks on the board. Center Artem Anisimov pounced on a loose puck and poked a backhander past goalie Pekka Rinne at 19:38.

"We shot ourselves in the foot with big mistakes," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. "Tonight it was turnovers in the middle of the ice. You can't afford those kind of errors against a team like that."

Kane picked up the secondary assist on that marker, but was back for more early in the second period.

After rookie left winger Richard Panik made it 2-0 with a wrister from the top of the right faceoff circle at 2:43, Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis ripped a slapper from the point 25 seconds later for their lone goal.

Nashville's momentum lasted exactly 60 seconds, enough time for Kane to notch his 30th goal as he rocketed down the middle with a breakout pass from left winger Artemi Panarin and beat Rinne with a backhander.

"I was taking off after the defenseman shot it and (Panarin) put it on my stick," Kane said.

That was it for Chicago's offense, other than an empty-netter from left winger Andrew Desjardins at 19:23 of the third period. But the Blackhawks relied on solid defense and quality goaltending from Corey Crawford for the night's remainder.

In beating the Predators for the third time this year, Crawford came up with 38 saves, 16 in a busy third period. His top stop came just before the midway mark of the third as he lunged to his right and denied right winger Craig Smith's backhander on a breakaway.

"Even with the amount of shots we gave up, I thought it was still a pretty solid game defensively," Crawford said. "I don't remember too many shots from the slot. We're really taking that away."

Rinne came up with 23 saves but still absorbed his fifth straight loss and has allowed three or more goals in eight of his last nine games.

While Nashville starts a tough four-game road trip through Western Canada Thursday night against Winnipeg, the Blackhawks try to extend their record streak in Tampa Bay.

"Everything about our game is working right now," Crawford said.

NOTES: Starting with Tuesday night's game, Chicago plays seven of its next eight games on the road. ... Nashville LW Colin Wilson and LW Gabriel Bourque remain on the shelf with lower-body and upper-body injuries, respectively. ... The Blackhawks scratched LW Brandon Mashinter, D Rob Scuderi and C Marcus Kruger. ... Predators scratches were D Petter Granberg and LW Austin Watson.
Top Game Performances
 
Chicago   Nashville
Patrick Kane 2 Points Ryan Ellis 1
Patrick Kane 1 Goals Ryan Ellis 1
Artemi Panarin 2 Assists Mattias Ekholm 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Corey Crawford .974 Save Percentage Pekka Rinne .885
Corey Crawford 38 Saves Pekka Rinne 23
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Chicago 27 4 0-2 3-3 6 25
Nashville 39 1 0-3 2-2 4 32
Upcoming Games
  • Nashville will play their next game on the road against Winnipeg. The Predators have a W/L % of .300 after a win and .538 after a loss.
  • Chicago will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Blackhawks have a W/L % of .688 after a win and .588 after a loss.