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Nashville Predators 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 3: Ekholm With The GWG

A 3-1 blown lead notwithstanding, the Preds come away from Columbus with a huge 4-3 road win.

By Alex Daugherty
NHL: Nashville Predators at Columbus Blue Jackets Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

The Predators managed to hold on late for a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Preds scored first on a goal from Ryan Ellis, who left the game late in the 3rd with what looked to be a lower body injury. It was 1-0 after 20 minutes, despite the Blue Jackets dominating most of the play.

Then in the 2nd, the Predators took a 2-0 lead on a sneaky goal from Kevin Fiala. He took advantage of a costly turnover and an overly aggressive play from Sergei Bobrovsky. Brandon Saad would get the Jackets on the board a few seconds later on a redirection of a Seth Jones shot.

The Jackets answering a Preds goal would become a theme. Shortly after Calle Jarnkrok put a goal by Bobrosvky later in the 2nd, Oliver Bjorkstrand got it back a couple minutes later on a quick snipe.

The 3rd period was intense. Just under 4 minutes into the final frame, Zach Werenski put the tying goal on the board off a pass from Alexander Wennberg. From there, both teams had a lot of close chances, but it wasn’t until Filip Forsberg found Mattias Ekholm that the tie was broken. Fil skated circles around the Columbus defense and snuck a pass to a crashing Ekholm, who buried it. It was a beauty.

Juuse Saros, who stopped 35 shots tonight, held on for some key saves down the stretch, preserving the win. It was a very strong road win for the Preds, who needed a boost following the loss at Minnesota on Saturday.

OTF’s Super Duper Stars of the Game

  1. Kevin Fiala: In his first game with the team for quite a while, this guy was everywhere. His goal was a bit of a fortunate situation, but he made it count. He also accounted for 2 shots on a goal and a whole lot of pressure on the Columbus defense.
  2. Ryan Ellis: The goal was a nice way to open the game, but everyone is now worried about how he finished it. He left the game with about a minute left after taking a shot off his leg. He had to be helped off the ice. Adam Vingan said he looked “OK” after the game, but no telling what that means. I guess we wait.
  3. James Neal: Two assists on the night. His play in the Jarnkrok goal was key. He also provided some great pressure on the defense.

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