This game transpired about as realistically as one would have imagined.
The Blue Jackets were resting a good chunk of their regular lineup, a list of absences that included Artemi Panarin, Cam Atkinson, Zach Werenski, Seth Jones and Sergei Bobrovsky.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| PREDATORS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
On the other side, the Nashville Predators had little to play for, but they stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the opening period and held on the rest of the way.
A combination of early penalty trouble for the Blue Jackets (two power play goals allowed in the first period) and a simple lack of talent compared to their opponent led to the deficit.
Josh Anderson got the Blue Jackets on the board in the second period, scoring his 19th goal of the season to make it a 3-1 game. It was Anderson's second game back after missing more than a month with a knee injury suffered Feb. 26 vs. Washington.
Brandon Dubinsky scored shorthanded in the third period to bring Columbus within a goal, but that was the end of the visitors' charge. Filip Forsberg completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal at 19:29 of the third period.
Injury Update
A host of healthy regulars sat out this game for the Blue Jackets, including Artemi Panarin, Cam Atkinson, Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. The Blue Jackets are awaiting updates on the statuses of Nick Foligno and Markus Nutivaara, who traveled with the team to Nashville but did not dress for the game.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets open the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the road next week against the Washington Capitals. Game time for Game 1 has yet to be announced by the NHL.
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