But goalie Pekka Rinne simply stole two points by making 38 saves, including 19 in a frenetic second period, as Nashville eked out a 3-2 win at sold-out Bridgestone Arena.
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“We are introducing a creative new format this year in Nashville not only as a way to enhance the competitiveness of the event, but also as a vehicle to highlight and emphasize the incredible skill, speed and athleticism it takes to play our game”, National Hockey League Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement.
Or, at least Nashville Predators forward Mike Fisher did on Tuesday when he tussled with Anaheim Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa.
Rinne beat the Blue Jackets twice last season while allowing two goals with a. 962 save percentage, and the Predators have won the last two meetings in Columbus by a 9-1 total. Of those four games, the lone defeat was a shootout loss to the Maple Leafs but they mixed in a 7-0 trouncing of the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night, so this is a team playing with plenty of offensive confidence right now.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (10-3-3): Neal (goal, three assists) and Forsberg (three assists) are riding three-game point streaks, while Nashville is 4-0-0 when Smith scores. Frederik Andersen gave up three goals on 10 shots and was replaced in the second period by Anton Khudobin, who stopped all 11 shots he faced. The Columbus Blue Jackets are averaging 2.5 goals per game and are scoring on 21.4 percent of their power plays.
Andersen then saw a long-distance shot by Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm get tipped by Miikka Salomaki on the way to getting through him for another five-hole goal. The body language on this third goal wasn’t very good at all. “When we played them in the exhibition season, they were really a tough team”. Three of the saves came in a span of 1:10 midway through the frame.
“It’s a huge two points”, Rinne said. “We have it in overtime, and I think with the prize pool, guys are going to want to play hard and win”. But the game wasn’t the only thing they lost. “They had a couple of breakaways in the second period and we were able to keep them out”. Yet for attempting 48 shots after following behind by two, Anaheim struggled to solve Rinne despite several great opportunities.
“At the end of the day, we have to get pucks in”, Cogliano said.
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Nashville went 3-1-1 on the homestand pushing their record to 11-3-3 for the season. Anaheim RW Jakob Silfverberg played in his 200th career game.
