Predators open with 3-1 victory at home
NASHVILLE — Filip Forsberg scored the tiebreaking goal at 5:48 of the third period to lead the Nashville Predators over the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-1, in the season opener for both teams late Thursday night. Calle Jarnkrok and Luke Kunin also scored for the Predators, and
Juuse Saros made 29 saves.
Boone Jenner scored for Columbus, and Joonas Korpisalo finished with 32 saves. Even though COVID-19 concerns meant just a few of the 17,000-plus Bridgestone Arena seats were occupied by family, friends and first responders — including the “Nashville 6,” the six Metro Nashville Police officers who evacuated citizens from downtown residences prior to the early Christmas morning bombing on Nashville’s historic 2nd Avenue — a catfish made its way onto the ice prior to the opening faceoff. A fan-tossed catfish, Nashville’s answer to the octopi thrown by Detroit Red Wings fans, has been a frequent sighting at Predators home games over the years. Thursday night’s fish adhered to strict protocol and wore a blue surgical mask that fit snugly against its mouth and whiskers.
FOOTBALL
› NEW YORK — The New York Jets were searching for a leader — someone who could bring a frustrated, playoff-starved franchise back to the ranks of the respectable in the NFL. They think they found their guy in Robert Saleh. The Jets reached an agreement in principle with the popular and energetic San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator late Thursday night to hire him as their head coach. Saleh, 41, replaces
Adam Gase, who was fired Jan. 3 after going 9-23 in two seasons. Saleh, believed to be the first Muslim head coach in NFL history, emerged as a favorite for the job — among at least nine candidates — when he was brought in for a second interview Tuesday night and those discussions extended into Wednesday.
› NASHVILLE — Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea has added three more people to his initial coaching staff. He announced Friday the hiring of Brandon Hourigan as director of strength and conditioning, as well as two women:
Casey Stangel as director of operations and Molly Hart as assistant director of operations. Hourigan was director of sports performance at Wake Forest the past seven seasons, and Stangel spent the past three years with Vanderbilt’s baseball program. Hart graduated in 2020 with a business administration degree from Saint Mary’s College in Indiana; she had been a student equipment manager for the Notre Dame football team.