Thanks in part to hard work "On the Forecheck" by Joel Ward, the Nashville Predators took a 2-1 overtime decision over the Blue Jackets tonight in Columbus. David Legwand scored the winner just 28 seconds into the extra session after Ward created a turnover behind the Blue Jackets' net.

On a similar play midway through the third period, Ward set up Andreas Thuresson for his first career NHL goal, which tied the game after Columbus scored in the 1st to take a 1-0 lead. Dan Ellis earned the win by stopping 31 of 32 Columbus shots. Nashville extended its record to 24-14-3, good for 5th place in the Western Conference to close out 2009.

Click the picture above for the photo gallery from the game, then follow after the jump for the video highlights...

No advanced stats for tonight, have yourself a Happy New Year!

The Preds return home for a Saturday game against Anaheim, the first of a four-game homestand.

For discounted tickets for Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks, or any Nashville Predators home game, you can follow this link and use the special offer code "PREDS".