Columbus defeats and deflates Nashville 4-2
Three goals and three fights set the tone in the first period.

By Dave Weissman

Manny Malhotra scored two first period goals, the Jackets got into three fights within five seconds of official time, Jaraslov Spacek was awarded a Nashville ‘own goal’ and this was just in the first period. Columbus would hold off Nashville 4-2 to finally get a victory in the last seven tries against the Predators.

The 17,340 fans in attendance knew they would witness an exciting contest between these two teams. The last time they met at Nationwide on January 29th, it was a very physical battle remembered most for Jordin Tootoo taking a bite of Tyler Wright’s finger and Nashville defender Jamie Allison attempting to go into the stands after a fan.

Just 3:17 into the 1st period, the fireworks erupted. Wright and Tootoo were on the ice together and as soon as they made eye contact, gloves dropped and fisticuffs ensued. Wright would later sport numerous stitches on his bottom lip.

“We wanted to get it done with right away,” Wright said. “This was a big win for us. This is a team that we really wanted to beat.”

With the ice cleared of the combatants, both head coaches opted to leave the lines on the ice. Once the puck dropped, Jody Shelley and Jim McKenzie squared off for round two. The ice was cleared and again the players sent to the box replaced, but the lines still the same. This time, David Ling and Jeremy Stevenson decided to go. The last one left blood on the ice and the crew was called in for cleanup.

“As soon as the first one happened, I knew there was two more to follow,” said Columbus interim head coach Gerard Gallant.

Now time for hockey. Malhotra’s first goal was a complete Nashville goof. Goaltender Tomas Volkun went out of the goal area to retrieve and play the puck. His backhander, intended for the back wall, hit off the post and was waiting for Malhotra. He gathered the puck with his skate and had the empty net for an easy tap in to put the Jackets lead 1-0.

“It was just my fault. It was a bad play,'' said Vokoun. ``When a goalie makes a mistake, it's in the net and that's what happened.''

Columbus would go on the power play at 7:26 as Andreas Johansson was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct diving penalty. The Jackets who went 1-5 on the power play would cash in on Malhotra’s second goal of the contest, a nifty backhander on a rebound from Rostislov Klesla’s shot. Within 1:42, Jackets up 2-0.

``It was just a juicy rebound laying there for me,'' Malhotra said.

The third goal was another Nashville oops and another Malhotra effort. While trying to clear the puck from their zone, defenseman Kimmo Timonen had his stick lifted by Malhotra in front of the Predators goal. The puck slid past Vokoun for the 3-0 lead.

"Timmo just put it in," Vokoun said. "I had my stick turned and it went between my pads.
The fans, thinking that Malhotra got the goal for the hat trick, threw their caps on the ice in appreciation of his effort. Defensemen Jaroslav Spacek was actually credited with the goal, as he was the last Jacket to touch the puck.

“I forced his stick, so he just kind of bobbled the puck,” Malhotra said. “I knew right away it wasn't mine.''

“Misfortune sort of hit us, and we lost our momentum or we gave them momentum,” Nashville head coach Barry Trotz said. “Obviously, they got their first goal and it just kind of ignited the rest of the period. We lost the game in the first period.''

Nashville, playing for a playoff spot, did not just cave in and give up. In the third period, Tootoo loaded up on a shot that rebounded off Denis. Greg Johnson was there to put back the rebound and get Nashville on the board 1-3.

But then it was time for the fourth line to shine again. David Ling, called up from Syracuse after a five goal in eight game effort, scored his first NHL goal of the season.

“It’s good to get that zero off my back,” Ling said. "I just banked it off of him and it went in. It felt good."

Just as the Columbus power play was expiring, Klesla flipped the puck into the Nashville zone. Lasse Pirjeta gathered the puck and sent a writster towards the goal. Vokoun made the initial stop, but Ling was there for the rebound, putting the puck off Vokoun’s back and into the net to put Columbus ahead 4-1.

“That 4th goal was a big boost for us,” Gallant said. “That line had three or four great scoring chances,”

David Legwand would pot his 13th goal of the season for Nashville at 16:31 to get the Predators close, but that’s as close as it came as the contest ended with a Columbus victory 4-2.

Marc Denis made 32 saves to earn his 14th win, while Vokoun made 19 saves in the loss.

"It's our building and they embarrassed us last time they were in here,” Gallant said. “There were some scores to settle."