Predators Pummel Columbus 5-1

The Nashville Predators are playing for playoff positioning.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are playing out the string.

That was never more evident at the Bridgestone Arena as the Predators demolished the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1.

James Neal, Mattias Ekholm. Craig Smith, Shea Weber, and Calle Jarnkrok tallied for the Predators. Boone Jenner notched the lone goal for the BJ's.

Joonas Korpisalo faced a barrage of shots from the Predators, including a franchise record 27 in the first period. He got little help from his teammates, who mustered only 19 shots for the game.

Pekka Rinne had time to listen to his iPod, read a book, and write a couple of notes as the BJ's threatened only once in the game, and that was a goal from Boone Jenner as he poked a rebound past Rinne before the defense could get back into position.

Some observations:

• This was as complete game by the Predators. Defensively, the Predators took away any quality scoring chances by the BJ's. Offensively, the Predators attacked all night, pouring shots on net. They played disciplined hockey, taking only 2 penalties on the night and killing them both. Perhaps the most heartening aspect of the Predators game was that they attacked all night, never letting their foot off the gas. Too often, we have seen the Predators get a lead and go into a shell. Not tonight. The attack mode was going for a full 60 minutes.
• I know it is easy to say this was the BJ's and that they have nothing to play for, but I would strongly disagree. These players are playing for contracts and ice time, not to mention pride. Think this type of game doesn't hurt? Think pride and egos weren't bruised? The BJ's have a talented core that has yet to gel (for whatever reason), but they are NHL'ers and they have pride and the self interest to impress their coach or some other NHL team. So yes, there was something to play for on the BJ side of the ice.
• Since February 12, the Predators have logged more points (33) than any other team in the NHL. The team has gone 14-2-5 during that stretch.
• All time, Nashville is 54-19-7 against the BJ's, including a 32-5-4 mark at the Bridge.
• Roman Josi picked up 3 assists to set a franchise mark for assists by a defenseman.
• Shea Weber's power play goal moved him to second all time in goals for the franchise. Weber's 18th goal of the season gives him 164 for his career, moving him past Marty Erat (163) into second place. behind David Legwand (210).
• James Neal scored the first goal of the game with a perfectly placed shot to give him 30 goals for the season. The last time the Predators had two 30 goal scorers was 2005-06 when Steve Sullivan and Paul Kariya accomplished the feat.
• The Predators were only 35% in the face off dot tonight. They can get away with that against a team in the BJ's position. They cannot against a playoff team.
• The game against the Canucks on Thursday was a slog. Tonight, the Predators came out with jump and out skated the BJ's all night. When the Predators are skating and playing with jump, they are a deadly team that can create all sorts of problems for the opposition.
• I continue to like the play of Viktor Arvidsson. The Aardvark creates with his speed and puts all kinds of pressure on the opposing D with his pressure and speed. He HAS to get stronger, but the Aardvark is quietly becoming a player that is creating problems for the defenders he faces.

Solid win by the Preds, a win that showed they can be not only explosive but can surgically take apart an opponent. It will get tougher against some desperate opponents, but this team is gelling and playing some great hockey at the right time.

Now to keep it up.

My three stars:

1. Roman Josi

2. James Neal

3. Shea Weber

Predators Start Road Trip By Falling Flat, Lose to the Blue Jackets 4-0

The Nashville Predators begin a grueling 6 games in 9 nights stretch with a stop in Columbus to face former Division rival Blue Jackets.

The Jackets struggled to open the season but have regained some semblance of respectability under new Head Coach John Tortorella.

Pekka Rinne was in net for the Predators, while Sergei Bobrovsky was between the pipes for the Jackets.

Maybe the Predators thought they could just show up and chalk this one up as a win. Nothing could be further from reality.

The game opened in the worst possible way for the Predators, as the Jackets scored on their first two shots of the game. Gregory Campbell got lost by the defense and was alone in the slot and took a perfect pass from behind the net from Kirby Rychel. Campbell snapped a shot over the glove of Rinne for a 1-0 lead.

Ryan Johanson took advantage of a Predators turnover, setting up a 3 on 2 and Johanson was able to get the puck in the net just before Brandon Saad knocked the net off the moorings.

The Predators mounted some offense in the remainder of the first period but could not solve Bobrovsky.

The second period saw the Predators give up a 2 on 1 that the Jackets capitalized upon on just their second shot of the period. Boone Jenner took the shot and got his own rebound and batted it past Rinne to give the Jackets a 3-0 lead.

Scott Hartnell added an empty net goal as the Predators failed miserably to show up for this game and dropped an embarrassing 4-0 decision.

Some observations:

• The Jackets played last night and lost the game to Ottawa. yet the Jackets opened the game with a lot more jump than the Predators. By the time the Predators got into the game, they were looking at a 2-0 deficit. The Predators have done a good job of starting fast this season, but they did not tonight and were in a hole before they had even worked up a sweat. This is the kind of start that this team can ill afford to have.
• The Predators were guilty not only of a lot of turnovers, but uncharacteristically lost the majority of puck battles. This team is good, but they are not good enough to play without their characteristic intensity.
•  Interesting change on the power play as Gabriel Bourque was inserted for Colin Wilson on one unit to provide the big body in front of the net.
• The Jackets lost two defensemen to injury in the first period- Fedor Tyutin and Cody Goloubef. It was reported that Goloubef was taken to the hospital after taking a puck to the face  off a shot. The Jackets reported that he had a broken jaw as a a result of the shot.
• The Predators were guilty of several turnovers that wound up in the back of their net. The Jackets second and third goals both came off turnovers that created odd man rushes at the net. Being sloppy with the puck cost the Predators and while Rinne is usually spectacular, he was outmanned and swarmed by the Jackets on those goals. 
• The Predators threw a ton of shots at the net-    to be exact, but rarely was Bobrovsky called upon to make a quality save. The Predators, as Coach Kevin  McCarthy said at the first intermission, were trying to be too cute. The Predators have a skilled team but their bread and butter is getting shots to the net with traffic. Tonight, there was not a lot of traffic and Bobrovsky had a lot of clean looks at shots coming his way.
• Unbelievably, the Predators are now 5-4-2 when they out shoot their opponent, while they are 6-0-1 when they are out shot.
• Paging Filip Forsberg... Forsberg now has gone 10 games without a goal
• Paging Colin Wilson... Wilson has now gone forever without scoring a goal. Both Wilson and Forsberg have been non factors in recent games, and the Predators have to have positive contributions from these two players.
• Bobrovsky was good in this game,  no doubt, but what is puzzling is that the Predators couldn't put any more pressure on the Blue Jackets D when they were down to just 4 for the game. The forwards did not do a good job of getting the puck behind the Jackets D and punishing them with the forecheck.
• Give credit to the Jackets skaters. They blocked 26 shots by the Predators. This is a hallmark of a Tortorella coached team, but the Predators have to get the puck through and create chances. 

This was an awful way to start the road trip, and it will not get any easier tomorrow night in Minnesota.

It is going to take a much better effort from the Predators to win that game.

Hopefully we got this stinker out of our system.

My three stars:

1. Sergei Bobrovsky

2. Ryan Johansen

3. Boone Jenner