Nash scores hat trick, leads Jackets past Edmonton 4-2
By Dave Seaman, Columbus Wired

Rick Nash admits that goals comes in bunches.

The former Richard Trophy winner recorded his second career hat trick in leading the Columbus Blue Jackets past the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 in front of 16,774 at Nationwide Arena Monday night.

The three goals ended a span of 10 games with no goals for Nash, a two-time All Star. Nash hadn’t scored since Dec. 5 against Colorado. He now has 21 goals on the season and his fourth straight 20-goal season.

“I’ve been struggling a bit lately,” Nash said. They haven’t been bouncing my way lately and tonight, it was bouncing my way.”

Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock called two of Nash’s goals “muscle goals.” He scored on the power play, shorthanded and an empty net goal. “I’m not picky right now,” Nash added. “When you are not scoring, you can’t be picky.”

Jiri Novotny had a goal and an assist and Nikolai Zherdev added two assists. Pascal Leclaire picked up his 13th win of the season, stopping 26 of 28 shots.

Novotny has picked up his play over the last few games; something the team desperately needs with centers Michael Peca and Manny Malhotra nursing injuries.

“He looked like a number one center and this is now tree or four game in a row Jiri has been that good a player for us,” Hitchcock said.

Ethan Moreau had a goal and an assist for Edmonton. Steve Staios also scored for the Oilers, loser of six straight.

“I thought we played terrific hockey for the better part of the game,” Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said. “That same old play beat us in the end—the back side empty netter, really.”

Zherdev led a break down the board and took a shot on Oilers’ goaltender Dwayne Roloson. On the save, Novotny slammed in the rebound at 8:15 to put Columbus up 1-0.

The Oilers pulled even at 7:23 of the second when Moreau hit in a 12-foot rebound off a Fernando Pisani shot. The goal was the result of poor defense and a rare allowed rebound by Leclaire.

Columbus got the goal back three minutes later when Nash slapped in a rebound off a Ron Hainsey shot on a shorthanded breakaway.

Staios retied the game when he beat Leclaire stick side with a slap shot from just inside the blue line.

The game-winner came on a rebound. Nash passed the puck to Duvie Westcott, who hit a slap shot that Roloson stopped. After he made the pass pass, Nash skated to the goal and tapped in the rebound into an empty net with 3:21 remaining in the game.

He added an empty net goal with seven seconds left on an feed from Zherdev and the fans showered the ice with hats, one Hitchcock said had a finger on it and it “wasn’t the right one.”

Roloson ended the game with 29 saves for Edmonton.

The Jackets end the month of December, where they played 11 home games, 7-5-2 (42 points) and within a point of the playoffs. The team has won three straight at home and three out of its last four games. They now play 20 of the next 28 games on the road.

“We’re keeping ourselves in the playoff mix,” Leclaire said. “We slipped down a little but in the beginning (of the month), and everyone was kind of panicking like there’s something wrong but I think we got back in the room and we trust each other. We’re playing with a lot of confidence and it’s exciting for us to stay in the race.”

The Jackets begin a four-game road trip Wednesday in Anaheim.