3 major takeaways from Nashville Predators' 3-2 win over Chicago Blackhawks

The Nashville Predators entered Friday night's game against rival Chicago Blackhawks after having finally earned their first victory of the season and hoping to make it two in a row.

And while things didn't start out the way my they wanted, it would be the visiting Predators who got the last laugh at Chicago's United Center, earning a comeback 3-2 victory.

The Blackhawks would jump out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a first-period tally from former Predators forward Craig Smith, followed by the second goal of the season from 2023 first-round draft pick Connor Bedard in the second period.

However, the Predators got themselves back into the contest thanks to a silky deke from forward Filip Forsberg, cutting the Blackhawks' lead in half:

Soon afterward, veteran Gustav Nyquist knotted up the score by firing a shot past former teammate Petr Mrazek from the left faceoff circle:

Defenseman Brady Skjei, playing in his first season with Nashville after signing as a free agent during the summer, scored the winning goal for the Predators on the power play at 13:07 of the final frame:

The Predators held on for the 3-2 win, improving their record to 2-5 through the first seven games of the campaign. Goaltender Juuse Saros made 27 saves, while Mrazek made 31 saves.

What were the three biggest takeaways from Friday night's game in the Windy City?

#3. The Predators showed resilience

Things appeared bleak for the Predators midway through the contest, as they found themselves trailing by a pair of goals and unable to generate anything offensively.

However, they managed to overcome the deficit and earn a hard-fought win, which they can use as another stepping stone to slowly but surely climb themselves out of their early-season hole.

#2. Penalty killing was on point

The Blackhawks had five separate power-play opportunities during the game, but failed to light the lamp on any of them. Had they managed to break through with the man advantage, the final score may very well have ended up different.

#3. An offside challenge paid off

The Blackhawks appeared to take a 3-0 lead midway through the second period thanks to Teuvo Teravainen, but a successful coach's challenge by the Predators found that the play was offside; the goal was taken off the board.

Shortly afterward, Forsberg scored to cut the Blackhawks' lead in half, and the comeback was on.

The Predators return home to try and make it three straight wins when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night.