E-Rat Goal

Predators 6, Blue Jackets 5           

            Nashville coach Barry Trotz did not budge after Pekka Rinne allowed four first period goals. Somehow, he knew Columbus would blow it.            

Even a 4-1 first period lead could not save the Blue Jackets from yet another late-game collapse. David Legwand and Martin Erat scored third period goals to overcome what seemed to be an insurmountable lead.

In the beginning, everything was clicking.  Five minutes into the game, Brian McGrattan put a dirty hit on Jared Boll and was issued a five-minute interference penalty along with a game misconduct.

In a matter of minutes, Carter had taken full advantage of the penalty and had crafted his third career hat trick. Ryan Johansen also scored with the man advantage for the team’s third power play mark.

            In the second period, chances started to favor the Predators as they cut the lead to 5-4.

            From there, you know the story. The Blue Jackets stopped playing, Nashville started trying, then with eight seconds remaining the Predators scored the game-winner.

            Similar to the team’s last meeting, Nashville’s ability to control the puck at the point and unleash uncontested slap shots was too much for the Blue Jackets to handle. Specifically, the Predators’ defensive pairing of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber picked apart Columbus.  The defenseman combined for five points.