Ekholm goal fuels Predators past Columbus
After the Columbus Blue Jackets fought back from a two-goal deficit to tie the score early in the third period, the Nashville Predators kept up their intensity and Mattias Ekholm got them a win.
Ekholm scored his third goal of the season when he snapped off a shot from the slot after being set up by Filip Forsberg 9:09 into the third, and the Predators held on for a 4-3 victory Sunday night.
Backup goalie Juuse Saros stopped 35 shots in his sixth win of the season, and visiting Nashville improved its position in a crowded race for the two Western Conference wild cards.
“I liked the way that we stayed with it and got better as the game went on,” coach Peter Laviolette said.
Ryan Ellis, Kevin Fiala and Calle Jarnkrok also scored for the Predators, who never trailed. James Neal and P.K. Subban each had a pair of assists.
Zach Werenski had a goal and two assists for Columbus, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves. Brandon Saad and Oliver Bjorkstrand also scored for the Blue Jackets, who lost for the first time in three games. Seth Jones and Alexander Wennberg had two assists apiece.
“I thought we had some good minutes,” Columbus coach John Tortorella said. “I thought we crawled back into it.”
Ellis opened the scoring 2:24 into the game with a one-timer from just below the blue line. He got an assist from fellow defenseman Roman Josi, who set him up with a nice pass from right point.
Columbus got plenty of promising looks in the first period and outshot Nashville 19-7, including four shots on a power play, but couldn’t hit the back of the net.
“[Saros] was really good when we needed him to be,” Laviolette said. “When we weren’t at our sharpest in the first period, I thought he was extremely sharp and gave us an opportunity to stay in that game.”
A pair of Columbus mistakes led to the Predators’ second goal 9:38 into the second period.
“It’s just big to be able to get in a building like this with a team that’s really playing lights out this year and be able to come back,” Ekholm said.
“For us it’s a big confidence boost to know we can play like this on the road.”
Other games
Rangers 2, Capitals 1: Mats Zuccarello scored a third-period goal and Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves in host New York’s victory against Washington.
Blackhawks 5, Sabres 1: Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist in his annual homecoming, leading visiting Chicago past Buffalo.
Jets 3, Senators 2: Josh Morrissey scored early in the third period to give visiting Winnipeg a two-goal lead, and the Jets held off Ottawa.
Maple Leafs 4, Hurricanes 0: Connor Brown scored twice and Auston Matthews had a highlight-reel goal on a backhander as Toronto beat Carolina in Raleigh.
Lightning 3, Avalanche 2: Jonathan Drouin stole the puck and scored 2:27 into overtime as visiting Tampa Bay recovered after blowing a two-goal lead to beat Colorado.
Bruins 2, Sharks 1: Brad Marchand scored at 2:36 in overtime with an assist from Patrice Bergeron and Torey King as visiting Boston beat San Jose.
Islanders 6, Devils 4: Ryan Strome had two goals and an assist to lead New York past visiting New Jersey.