Country music stars flock to see Nashville Predators sweep Chicago Blackhawks

April 21 (UPI) -- Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan were among the country music stars rooting on the Nashville Predators throughout the 2017 NHL playoffs.

The decorated duo were on hand Thursday for the team's Game 4 sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Nashville has never earned a sweep in a Stanley Cup playoff series. Its 4-1 victory also put the franchise in position to compete for its first Stanley Cup.

Bryan sang the national anthem before the contest. It earned praise from the fans, including fellow country star Carrie Underwood.

Underwood's husband, Mike Fisher, is a forward for the Predators. She sang the national anthem at the team's Monday night victory. Underwood also stayed for the 3-2 overtime win in Nashville.

Bentley posted a photo from the night on social media. The picture, which has more than 81,000 likes, has a caption reading: "I don't think we should take all the credit but I will say once @lukebryan and I put these hats on the @predsnhl scored two goals in a row! Just sayin. #GoPreds."

The Predators' official Twitter account responded by saying: "Only in #Smashville! #StandWithUs."

Bryan posted a picture of himself screaming while lifting his arms above his head. The simple caption reads: "Lets do this @predsNHL."

But the talented singing trio weren't the only ones rooting for the home squad in country music's capital. Charlie Daniels also joined the fun with a postgame tweet.

"Congratulations to Nashville Preds for sweeping Chicago Blackhawks. Ain't it good to be alive and be in Tennessee," Daniels wrote.

About 17,326 fans attended Thursday's series clincher in Tennessee. Goaltender Pekka Rinne earned the game's first star, stopping 30 shots for a save percentage of 96.8 percent.

Chicago was the No. 1 seed in the NHL's Western conference. Nashville now battles the winner of the St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild series in the second round. The Blues hold a 3-1 series lead.

The Predators outscored the Blackhawks 13-3 in the series. Thursday's victory also marked the first time in NHL history a No. 8 seed beat a No. 1 seed in four games in a best of seven series.