The Jackets close out their 2023-24 road slate in the friendly confines of Bridgestone Arena, and they have nothing but pride to play for. Meanwhile, the Preds are clinched, but are looking to fend off Vegas from taking the top Wild Card spot out West.
First Period
The Jackets were hot from the get-go, and were rewarded with a goal! James Malatesta picked up the puck off a faceoff, dangled around two guys, and sniped it past Jusse Saros.
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – James Malatesta from Justin Danforth – 2:04 1st Period
In a hostile environment like Bridgestone, that first goal is monumental. If the Jackets can keep the momentum, th-
PREDATORS GOAL – Tommy Novak from Luke Evangelista and Roman Josi – 2:49 1st Period
PREDATORS POWERPLAY GOAL – Roman Josi from Gustav Nyquist and Ryan O’Rielly – 4:19 1st Period
… you know, the fact that that’s a go-to gag for me to do this season is really sad.
Despite suddenly being down 2-1, the Jackets actually played a pretty decent period. Cole Sillinger especially stood out, and had a couple chances from the high slot in the same shift around the midpoint. The Jackets would end the period up 14-10 in shots, but that also means the Preds got decent chances too. With 6:35 left to play, Tommy Novak was left alone for just long enough to beat Jet Greaves on the five-hole.
PREDATORS GOAL – Tommy Novak (2) from Anthony Beauvillier and Ryan McDonaugh – 13:25 1st Period
Despite now being down 3-1, the Jackets still played quite well. Mattieu Olivier and Luke Schenn fought after the former threw a hit on Jaret Anderson-Dolan.. The top line and pair had a great shift with about a minute left that just barely got broken up. And Johnny Gaudreau almost score with 0.1 seconds left, but the puck was found to have pinged out off the post after review.
Second Period
Like the last period, the Jackets were outscored 3-1. Alex Texier scored at least in his 200th game, so that’s neat.
PREDATORS GOAL – Cody Glass from Alex Carrier and Mark Jankowski – 4:52 2nd Period
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – Alexandre Texier from Damon Severson – 10:23 2nd Period
Unlike the last period, our play could best be described as “big doo-doo garbage.” Like, look at the 6-2 goal by Roman Josi. Knife through butter, except the butter is already melted and the knife is an atomic bomb.
PREDATORS POWERPLAY GOAL – Filip Forsberg from Roman Josi and Gustav Nyquist – 13:12 2nd Period
PREDATORS GOAL – Roman Josi (2) from Luke Evangelista and Tommy Novak – 15:09 2nd Period
Shots are somehow 24-23, still favoring the Jackets, but blocked shots are 15-1 for Nashville. We’re leaving Greaves out to dry out there, though to be fair he also isn’t playing well. By my judgement, 3 goals (Novak’s 1-1, Forsberg’s 5-2, and Josi’s 6-2) he didn’t have a chance on, and while there was still poor defense on the other three, he probably should’ve saved one or two of them.
Third Period
Fortunately for my eyeballs, the third period was a lot closer to the first. The Jackets were able to control play, or at least keep it even, and Jet Greaves looked more like the Jet Greaves we’ve seen so far. Trey Fix-Wolansky would earn two goals, one 6 minutes in and one with 29 seconds left, to make the score respectable. Nice to see TFW attempt to make a late case for making the 2024-25 roster.
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – Trey Fix-Wolansky from Justin Danforth and Eric Gudbranson – 6:02 3rd Period
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – Trey Fix-Wolansky (2) from Justin Danforth and James Malatesta – 19:31 3rd Period
Season finale Tuesday from Nationwide against the Carolina Hurricanes