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Highlight Recap, Game #75: Jackets at Predators

Ryan Johansen. We’ve missed you. Tonight, the Blue Jackets took the ice and, for the first time since he was traded, the team faced off against their former #1 center. In Nashville tonight, the club looked to get back on track following a hard fought loss against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. Seth Jones was making his first return since leaving in exchange for Johansen. Would either step up in a big way and lead their club to victory tonight?

In team news, Joonas Korpisalo would get the nod in goal tonight, giving Sergei Bobrovsky the night off. Dalton Prout signed a contract extension on Friday night that, to put it mildly, generated some ire among certain members of the fanbase (myself included). So let’s see how he played tonight in response. Defenseman Dean Kukan, recalled this morning from Lake Erie, would make his debut in a CBJ sweater. Fedor Tyutin would miss the game.

I’m kind of jealous Mike is at this game. I’ve never had more fun in a city or in an NHL barn then I did there. It’s an amazing town, and any and all who can should make the trek.

To the highlights!

FIRST PERIOD HIGHLIGHTS

Your CBJ starters: Matt Calvert, Brandon Dubinsky, Cam Atkinson, Ryan Murray, Seth Jones, Joonas Korpisalo

Ryan Johansen loses the draw to Dubinsky.

And, 28 seconds in, Johansen gets to a rebound and puts it off the pad of Korpisalo.

Nashville controlled the puck for the entirety of the first two minutes, generating six shots on net.

Nashville goal. 30th of the season for James Neal at 3:04. That was a wicked snap shot to score that goal. Assist to Ryan Johansen, because of course.

Safe to say the first 4 minutes could’ve gone better. 8 shots vs 1 is not ideal.

Nashville power play. David Savard went off for holding Ryan Johansen at 5:01.

Nashville is skating absolute rings around Columbus.

The Jackets killed the penalty, allowing two shots.

It’s a shooting gallery out there against Korpisalo. He’s made 5 or 6 huge saves in ten minutes.

Dalton Prout turned the puck over in front of Korpisalo. That new contract magically improved his centering pass skills, just like we all knew it would.

At the first TV timeout, Columbus had one shot on net. Nashville had registered 19. That is not a misprint.

Blue Jackets goal. Boone Jenner, literally out of NOWHERE, scores on a rebound from Brandon Saad. Pekka Rinne fumbled the puck and Jenner tucked it home at 11:52. Assists to Brandon Saad

1 goal on 3 shots for Columbus. 1 goal on 21 for Nashville.

Shea Weber and Roman Josi denied at 13:12.

At the 13:12 timeout, Nashville had 24 shots, 10 scoring chances. Columbus had 3 and 1, respectively.

Columbus had a little pressure after the timeout: Oliver Bjorkstrand and Rene Bourque both generated half decent chances.

Brandon Dubinsky was denied on a 2 on 1 at 16:45.

Predators goal. That was nice. It was a double deflection, finally ricocheting off of Dalton Prout and into the net. Mattias Ekholm with the goal, assists to Ryan Ellis and Mike Ribeiro at 17:51.

Predators led 2-1 after the first. The Blue Jackets surrendered, I’m not making this up, a franchise record for shots against the Jackets in any one period in Jackets history with 27 shots on net against. In 20 minutes.

SECOND PERIOD HIGHLIGHTS

Blue Jackets penalty. Dalton Prout went off for high sticking James Neal at 0:58.

Mike Fisher saw a deflection saved by Korpisalo at 2:30.

The Jackets killed the penalty.

Nick Foligno hit the crossbar at 4:00.

Korpisalo denied Johansen after a long lead pass at 5:45.

Predators goal. On their 32nd shot of the night, and after a turnover at the blue line by Seth Jones and a poor line change, Craig Smith put the Predators up 2 at 6:11. Assists to Shea Weber and Roman Josi.

I’d list Columbus highlights but, well, they haven’t had any. 11 shots on net in 30 minutes of hockey.

Predators power play. At 12:13, the Jackets were hit for too many men on the ice.

The team killed it.

The Jackets were denied on a Brandon Saad backhand at 13:06.

In the ensuing scrum, Johansen put Boone Jenner in a headlock as Jenner gave Rinne a love tap.

Penalties assessed: Jenner for roughing, Johansen for roughing at 13:06. Boone picked up an additional 2 for slashing, ending in a Predators power play.

Predators goal. After Cam Atkinson’s stick broke and some extended time, Shea Weber blasted a 1 timer past Korpisalo on the glove side at 14:14. Assist to Mike Ribeiro.

Goon squad. Of course Prout and Hartnell are involved at 15:57. Lots of shoving and face-washing. This team always does it, like clockwork.

36 shots for Nashville. 13 for Columbus. 3 minutes to go in the second.

The defensive pairing of Ryan Murray and Dalton Prout left Calle Jarnkrok literally with 10 feet on every single side of space in front of Korpisalo. Murray was, after a double clutch, able to get back into position to stop the scoring chance.

At the end of 2, Nashville led 4-1. Columbus needed a miracle to get back into this one. Nashville only had 12 shots in the second period, but Columbus had just 3.

Nashville has more scoring chances than Columbus does shots on net.

THIRD PERIOD HIGHLIGHTS

Predators goal. Calle Jarnkrok buried a redirection at 0:23. Shambolic defending from Colmbus. Our forwards did nothing, our blue line did nothing. No help for the netminder. Assists to Roman Josi and James Neal.

Columbus should ask for a running clock. I’m not joking.

A Nashville defenseman (I think it was Josi), just skated the puck along the blue line, and the other defenseman changed sides, and it resulted in a shot attempt. I don’t know if I’ve seen Columbus do that.

Jackets power play. Petter Granberg went off for holding at 5:43.

Scott Hartnell’s shot, sliding for the net, was gloved off the line by Shea Weber. Excellent play by Weber. Respect.

The Predators killed the penalty, allowing two shots.

At the midway point of the third period, Columbus had 16 shots on net, or 11 fewer than Nashville had in the first period. Nashville had 41.

Nothing much happening through the 13:00 mark.

Columbus was able to clear a bouncing puck from in front of Korpisalo at 13:30.

End to end skating with the occasional shot on goal through the 16:00 mark. Both teams were clearly just trying to get out of there.

Brandon Saad had a breakaway after a turnover, but Rinne denied him.

FINAL

Nashville Predators 5 Columbus Blue Jackets 1

Final shots on goal tally: Nashville 48 Columbus 19

THREE STARS

*** Anyone who watched that on TV

** Roman Josi, James Neal, Shea Weber

* Mike, for tolerating that in person

QUICK THOUGHTS

That first period was a shameful display of hockey.

The Ryan Johansen interview between periods was nice. I miss that guy so much. He genuinely seemed like he loved being here. I’d welcome him back with open arms.

Korpisalo is a wizard for keeping Columbus in this game early. He faced double digit high danger scoring chances and only allowed 2 goals.

The Blue Jackets team speed is, well, not great.

Pick a thing and criticize it. Not one single thing in this game went right, at least from the skaters.

Kukan looked decent in his debut tonight, making at least one goal saving stop.

Korpisalo deserves a night out and his bar tab for the summer paid, given how badly his skaters let him down tonight. Seriously. Not one forward made any mark on this game tonight. Yeah, Boone scored. Cool. But no one made any plays to help Korpisalo out consistently, no one backchecked in the defensive zone, guys made lazy passes and turned the puck over all over the place.

Tonight was a beating. In every sense of the word.

UP NEXT

Columbus travels to Washington to take on the Capitals on Monday. Faceoff is at 7:00 EST.