Bobrovsky makes 39 saves, Blue Jackets beat Predators 4-0
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Sergei Bobrovsky made 39 saves in his 12th career shutout, Boone Jenner and Ryan Johansen each had a goal and an assist and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Nashville Predators 4-0 on Friday night.
Gregory Campbell and Scott Hartnell also scored and Columbus won for the fourth time in five games. Bobrovsky got his sixth win in seven starts.
Pekka Rinne had been excellent recently but surrendered goals on Columbus' first two shots 1:41 apart, and the Blue Jackets scored three times on their first nine shots. The Predators outshot Columbus 39-18.
Pesky forechecking by fourth-line wingers Kerby Rychel and Josh Anderson, both recently recalled from the minors, led to Shea Weber coughing up the puck deep in his own zone. Rychel, behind the net, sent a nifty backhand pass to Campbell, and he scored from the low slot.
After a nice keep in the zone by Ryan Murray, Johansen made it a two-goal lead with his third of the season. Johansen patiently glided toward Renne and deked him down before flicking in a backhand. The puck barely crossed the goal line before linemate Brandon Saad barreled into the net and sent it off its moorings.
Columbus lost both Cody Goloubef (broken jaw) and Fedor Tyutin (upper-body injury) late in the period, forcing them to go the rest of the game with only four defensemen.
In the second period, the Blue Jackets' top line struck again to give a thin blue-line corps a bit of breathing room on the scoreboard. This time it was Jenner at 5:17 with his team-leading 10th. On a counter 2-on-1 with Johansen, Jenner dove to get his own rebound and scored with Renne looking in the wrong direction trying to locate the puck.
Nashville enjoyed a long stretch of zone time late in the period, but Bobrovksy was perfect. His best effort came on a stretching, left-pad save on sniper James Neal at the doorstep.
Early in the third period on a penalty kill, Bobrovksy stopped a close-range deflection by Gabriel Bourque then covered the rebound with Bourque whacking away.
Not much phased Bobrovksy, including Neal taking a goalie interference penalty at 9:52 in what looked like him slightly sticking out his skate and causing Bobrovksy to fall to the ice.
Hartnell scored his ninth into an empty net with 49 seconds remaining. Rinne was pulled for an extra attacker.
