Blue Jackets Pick Up Critical Victory Over Predators

April 1, 2009 by J. Justin Boggs

With sixth place in the Western Conference on the line, the Columbus Blue Jackets prevailed 2-1 in a pre-playoff showdown in front of 14,495 in Nationwide Arena Tuesday night.  The win puts Columbus four points ahead of Nashville to remain in sixth place in the Western Conference. As of the end of the game, the Blue Jackets’ magic number to reach the playoffs is eight points with five games to play.

 
Columbus will face the Predators on Saturday in Nashville. The Predators on Tuesday were without top players Martin Erat, David Legwand, and Jason Arnott due to injuries.  Their presence was missed in the game. Especially late in the game, the Blue Jackets were winning nearly all of the 50/50 battles and keeping better possession of the puck.
 
Columbus needed every bit of help they could get. The game remained 1-1 for the middle period of the game, however Raffi Torres scored his 12th goal of the season 4:05 into the third for the eventual game winner as he wristed in a rebound from teammate Michael Peca.
 
“I was just happy with the way we played,” Blue Jackets head coach Hitchcock said. “I’ve been in these games before, where you miss opportunities and you hit goal posts and the goalie makes saves (and do not win).”
 
“I didn’t think we skated as well as we have been skating in the first period,” Predators head coach Barry Trotz said. “It’s a little bit of us, but I thought Columbus came out with a lot of energy and a lot of desperation in their game, so I am not going to take anything away from that.”
 
  The first period was dominated by the Blue Jackets. All four lines got quality shots on net. Despite outshooting Nashville 17-6 through the first period, the game was tied at one through the first period. Nashville opened scoring 8:28 into the first on a redirection from Cal O’Reilly past Columbus goalie Steve Mason.
 
Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne was frustrating Blue Jackets shooters throughout the first period. Columbus forward R.J. Umberger was able to knock one past Rinne with just 46 seconds left in the period when Umberger’s shot went through Rinne’s five hole after rebounding his own shot.
 
“We have to be patient with a team like Nashville,” Mason said. “They are defensive minded like we are. We knew it wasn’t going to be a shooting gallery so we were prepared for it and it was a full 60 minute game for us.”
 
“We threw a lot of rubber at the net,” Umberger said. “We had a lot of guys there. (Nashville’s) goalie been playing very well, and that’s what you have to do against tough goalies. You have to get the puck to the net as many times as you can, get hours there.”
 
Both teams had good scoring chances in the second period, none of which went through. Only one penalty was called in the first two periods. Fifty-three seconds into the second period, Nashville’s Ryan Suter was called with a hi-sticking penalty.
 
The Blue Jackets killed off a brief Nashville five-on-three in the third to preserve Torres’ game winner.
 
 
 Bouncing back after getting pounded
 
 
The Blue Jackets had one of their roughest games on Sunday losing at home to the St. Louis Blues 5-2. In that game, the team made a lot of turnovers, and Mason was not his usual stellar self. Considering how important every game down the stretch is, the Blue Jackets could not afford to let the effects of the St. Louis game linger as they go into crunch time in the hunt for their first postseason berth.
 
Following Sunday’s game, Hitchcock along with general manager Scott Howson spoke to the team. With a wide dynamic on the team, it is unlikely the team needed much more motivation; they knew how important a win against Nashville would be.
 
“It was good to hear what (Hitchcock and Howson) were thinking,” Umberger said. “At time this season, the players have stepped up and said things. To hear the other side, it was good to hear them. We just have to calm our nerves and control our own destiny, that is what (the meeting) was about. This time of year, trusting your team game and the player next to you is going to the right thing. The other thing was willpower. You have got to have better willpower than the other team, and tonight we stuck with it and willed that game.”
 
“The coaches spoke up,” Mason said, “but at this point of time, nobody needs to say anything. We know we did wrong, and it is time for us to start putting things in the past and as players, we don’t need to be told what we need to be doing right now; everybody knows.”
 
 
Torres is clutch
 
 
With Torres’ third period goal, the Blue Jackets move to 11-0-0 in games he scores a goal. The third period goal could not have come at a better time as the Blue Jackets needed a bit of momentum to carry them into the final minutes of the tight hockey game. Torres also now leads the team in game-winning-goals with six on the season.
 
“I think it’s a fluke,” Torres said. “I didn’t even know about it until the last (time it happened). I just got to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully we’ll keep going.”
 
“He scores big goals all the time,” Hitchcock said. “This is what Scott knew about him, he’s best when it’s centrally focused. He’s had a huge impact on a lot of games in the last month. It was nice to see.”