Nashville Predators rally in third to overtake Columbus Blue Jackets in overtime 4-3 -NHL Update
Just when Columbus though that they had taken the match out of Nashville’s hands, the Predators bounced back in the final minutes of the third period and took the game in overtime to win, 4-3, Thursday night, December 8, 2011, at the Nationwide Arena in
Columbus, Ohio, United States.
"Today we found a way to get it done," Nashville coach, Barry Trotz, said after his team found a quick way to win the match. "That's more like the Predators I know."
Jeff Carter kicked off the scoring a little over midway through the opening period for his fourth of the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season to give Columbus the go-ahead lead.
Antoine Vermette also got his fourth to extend the Blue Jackets gap midway through the second, which was closely followed by Nashville’s, Mike Fisher, at the 13:10 mark to finally put the visitor’s on the scoreboard in a penalty-less period.
"We just kind of hung around," Predators captain, Shea Weber, said. "We just got life."
Derek Dorsett tried to kill of the Nashville momentum with a quick goal entering the third period, which looked as if he had succeeded entering the final two minutes but as Patric Hornqvist scored at the 18:24 mark and Sergei Kostitsyn followed it up by
getting a power play goal nearly a minute later to level the contest, it looked as if the tables had finally turned.
"The last two minutes, we were really pushing hard," Hornqvist said.
Colin Wilson made sure that his teammates struggle in the third period of regulation did not go to waste and fired off the game-winner after Martin Erat found the player open in the first two minutes of OT.
"We had chances to clear pucks 200 feet, and we didn't do it," Columbus coach, Scott Arniel, said. "Once they tied it up, we were pretty rattled after that."
Nashville will be playing the next four at home, starting off with the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday while Columbus Blue Jackets will be looking for a recovery when they host the Boston Bruins on the same day.
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