Predators Crush Columbus 4-1

There are things that are certain in this life: the sun comes up in the East; taxes; and the Nashville Predators beating the Columbus Blue Jackets.

That trend continued tonight at the Bridgestone Arena as the Predators defeated the Jackets 4-1. This was the last meeting this season for the two teams, and Nashville took the season series with a 5-0-1 record en route to capturing 11 of the 12 points on the line in this series.

Since the 2006-7 season, the Predators are 31-5-3 against the Jackets.

Pekka Rinne got the start for the Predators, while the Jackets went with Steve Mason.

The first period was absolutely dominated by the Predators, as they out shot the Jackets by a 12-3 margin on the way to a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. If not for some good saves by Mason, the score would have been much worse.

The Predators score in the first came as Marty Erat deftly stole the puck from Fedor Tyutin and slipped it to Mike Fisher in the low slot. Fisher popped a quick wrist shot that beat Mason stick side for the goal.

In the second period, the Jackets reversed the momentum and dominated the Predators during the first ten minutes. They peppered Rinne with shots, and finally broke through at 6:14 of the period as Rick Nash converted a Mike Fisher turnover to beat the defense back. Nash beat Rinne stick side with a nice backhand that slid between Rinne's stick and the post to tie the game at 1.

As the period wore on, the Predators started skating again and getting shots in on Mason. They created some good scoring chances, but could not get one past the Columbus netminder, and this game had the feel of another nail biter with a team the Predators should handle fairly easily.

That tension that the Predator fans were feeling would be allayed late in the period. Just 1:20 seconds after the Predators were called for too many men on the ice, Columbus would be guilty of the same infraction. The Predators went on the power play, and Shea Weber fired a blast from the blue line. Mason kicked out the rebound with his pad directly to Fisher, and he potted the goal into the net past an out of position Mason to give the Predators a 2-1 lead at 19:31 of the second period.

The Predators were out shot in the period by a 16-12 margin, but they had survived the push from Columbus and started to control play as the period wound down.

The Predators stretched the lead to 3-1 as Matt Halsichuk got the puck on his stick in traffic in the low slot. Halsichuk fired a quick wrist shot that beat Mason stick side at 7:37 of the third period

The power play clicked once again as Ryan Suter, who was back after missing three games with an upper body injury, let a shot go from the blue line that was re-directed by Patric Hornqvist. Hornqvist was camped at the top of the blue paint, and his deflection easily beat Mason at 16:51 to make it 4-1 Predators.

The Predators thwarted any late push from the Jackets, and as the final horn sounded, the Predators possessed 62 points and their 11th victory in the last 13 games.

Good-bye, Columbus.

It was important for the Predators to take care of business against the Jackets. This was a game the Predators should have won, and more importantly, lets them keep pace with their Central Division opponents who have been playing outstanding hockey.

The Predators are on the road tomorrow night in Chicago, their last game before the All Star break, and this is another important tilt against a team that is just ahead of the Predators in the standings. It will be important for the Predators to play a full 60 minute game and be sound in all phases of the game.

Another challenge, and another opportunity.

My three stars:

1. Mike Fisher

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Patric Hornqvist

Big Brother Predators Bop Little Brother Blue Jackets 4-1

If you have ever had a little brother, you know how annoying they can be. They get in your stuff, they are a constant source of irritation, and occasionally, they can get the better of their big brother. Once big brother has had enough, they usually bop them rather forcefully and they are once again put in their place.

Tonight at the Bridgestone Arena, the little brother Blue Jackets were irritating for a period, taking a 1-0 lead over the Predators going into intermission. The BJ's scored on the first shot of the game, as R.J. Umberger tipped in a shot from the point by Marc Methot. The Predators defense was caught flat footed and left Umberger alone in front of the net, and he was able to re-direct the shot past Nashville's Pekka Rinne just 37 seconds into the contest.

After the first intermission, big brother woke up and started to exert their will over the BJ's. I would suspect that Head Parent  Coach Barry Trotz had a few choice words for his charges when he took them to their room. Whatever was said, it worked, as the Predators started to dominate the contest.

Shea Weber tied the game with a blast from the point with Nick Spaling and Jerred Smithson screening in front of Jackets goaltender Steve Mason. Mason never saw the shot until it hit the back of the net at 2:59 of the second.

The Predators continued to put pressure on the BJ's in the offensive zone, and their effort was rewarded at 6:09 of the second as Nick Spaling was able to find a puck at the side of the crease and knock home a rebound of a Weber shot from the point. Mason was able to make the initial save, but could not control the rebound. Taking a page from Patric Hornqvist's book, Spaling fought into the hard area at the net and was able to slap home the rebound past an out of position Mason.

Hornqvist was not going to let Spaling have all the fun at the net, as he lifted a puck over the shoulder of Mason while being knocked to the ice. Hornqvist's goal came on the power play at 16:50 of the second with Fedor Tytutin in the box for holding. This goal showed the strength of Hornqvist, as he was being hit and knocked to the ice. He still had the strength and ability to lift the puck and find the back of the net.

With a 3-1 lead going into the third period, everyone knew that the pesky little brother Jackets would come out pressing, and it was going to be important for the Predators to answer. They thwarted several BJ scoring chances with some strong goaltending from Rinne and solid defense in front of him. The Predators rarely gave up a secondary scoring chance and did a good job of slowing the BJ rush through the neutral zone.

The Predators iced the win as Colin Wilson ripped a shot from just inside the face off circle. The shot beat Mason, and it  hit the crossbar and appeared to go in. The officials did not rule it a goal, but Sergei Kostitsyn was crashing the net and tapped the puck into an open crease while it was lying on the ice in the blue paint at 5:53 of the period.

The Predators spent the remainder of the game throttling the BJ's offensive effort and notched their second win in three contests against little brother Columbus.

For the contest, Rinne stopped 19 of 20 shots.

This victory kept Columbus winless in Nashville since April of 2006.

This win was not without a price, however. The Predators lost Cal O'Reilly mid-way of the third period with a broken fibula. Once again, the injury bug has bitten the Predators hard.

After a first period that found the Predators on their heels for the most, they came out and played solid, Predator hockey for the next two periods. They shot the puck and challenged Mason, and when he has to move side to side and track pucks through traffic, he is average. Tonight, the Predators offense made him look average.

More importantly, the Predators aggressive forecheck and solid defense in the neutral zone and in the defensive zone limited the Jackets offense. The Jackets top line of Rick Nash ( 1 SOG), Derick Brassard (1 SOG), and Antoine Vermette (3 SOG), were limited to 5 shots on goal and were held in check all night by the Predators. This is the key to any Predators win, moreso against the Jackets.

The Predators will now embark on a west coast swing, and it is going to be essential that they bring this kind of effort every night. This is a team that is built for the grind of the regular season, built for the wars that are the Western Conference contests.

Skate like this, shoot the puck and crash the net, and play solid defense, and you will continue to play the role of big brother.

My three stars:

1. Shea Weber

2. Nick Spaling

3. Pekka Rinne