Nashville Predators ready to strike Columbus Blue Jackets – NHL Preview
Nashville Predators got their five-game winning streak snapped in their last game, but that does not give the unconvincing Columbus Blue Jackets any edge over them as the two sides prepare to play against each other on Thursday, January 19, 2012, at the
Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, United States.
The Predators were beaten by New York Rangers on Tuesday, but they seem to have got over the defeat and are now focusing on their upcoming games.
One of the reasons for the defeat was absence of their regular goalie, Pekka Rinne, who missed the game after making nine straight starts. He was replaced by Anders Lindback, who gave away three goals.
The Rangers scored in every period while the Predators could not register any goal. However, Nashville coach, Barry Trotz, does not think that his side should feel dejected after the loss and also admired Lindback.
"I said to our guys, we didn't really take a step backward, even though we lost the game. I thought we stacked up quite well against the Rangers", Trotz said after the game.
Rinne is expected to start the game against the Blue Jackets.
The Predators are ranked sixth in the National Hockey League (NHL) Western Conference with 56 points after playing 46 games.
On the contrary, the Blue Jackets are ranked at the bottom of the same conference after playing 45 games and securing only 31 points.
Last month, they went on to lose six straight games. Their record in this month is also not very appealing as they have lost four games and won three.
However, the encouraging sign for them is their victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. After going down by two goals in the first period, they came back sharply to mark an impressive win.
Ryan Johansen and Derick Brassard scored in the second period, while Derek MacKenzie and Derek Dorsett scored in the final to beat the Oilers.
“There's been times in the past when we've talked about sticking together, we've talked about playing as a team, rolling four lines, getting something from everybody", MacKenzie said. "After the first period, that's exactly what we did. We did what we had
to do to get the win".
With Rinne expected to play, the struggling Blue Jackets do not have strong chances to overcome the Predators.
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