National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Nashville 4, Columbus 1
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, January 23, 2012
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Referees: Ian Walsh, Wes McCauley
Linesmen: Michel Cormier, Tim Nowak
Attendance: 14310

Mike Fisher scored twice and Pekka Rinne turned aside 25 shots to win his eighth straight start as the Nashville Predators skated to a 4-1 victory the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.

Patric Hornqvist and Matt Halischuk also tallied, and Martin Erat and defenseman Ryan Suter notched a pair of assists apiece for Nashville, which has won five straight at Bridgestone Arena and 11 of its last 13 games overall. Also, the Predators have defeated the Blue Jackets in all five meetings this season.

With the game tied 1-1 in the waning moments of the second period, captain Shea Weber's blast from the point was denied by Steve Mason. Fisher alertly cleaned up the rebound for his 11th goal of the season - and sixth at the expense of the Blue Jackets.

Halischuk doubled the advantage after wristing a shot from the slot at 7:37 of the third period. Hornqvist capped the scoring by tallying for the second straight game as Columbus fell for the 14th time in 18 games.

Fisher opened the scoring 8:07 into the first period after taking advantage of Antoine Vermette's turnover and quickly wristing a shot past Mason.

Fisher, however, was responsible for the turnover that led to captain Rick Nash leveling the contest 6:14 into the second period. Nash collected the puck and skated hard to the net before beating Rinne as he was diving to the ice.
Top Game Performances
 
Columbus   Nashville
Rick Nash 1 Points Mike Fisher 2
Rick Nash 1 Goals Mike Fisher 2
Antoine Vermette 1 Assists Martin Erat 2
N/A Power Play Goals Mike Fisher 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Steve Mason .862 Save Percentage Pekka Rinne .962
Steve Mason 25 Saves Pekka Rinne 25
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Columbus 26 1 0-2 3-5 10 27
Nashville 29 4 2-5 2-2 4 29
Upcoming Games
  • Nashville will play their next game on the road against Chicago. The Predators have a W/L % of .586 after a win and .600 after a loss.
  • Columbus will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .071 after a win and .353 after a loss.