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Blue Jackets top Preds in OT for first road win

Nov 20, 2011 - 6:44 AM Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - James Wisniewski scored the game-winning goal at 2:43 of overtime, sending the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

Antoine Vermette started the play by winning a key offensive zone draw to the left of Predators goalie Pekka Rinne. Wisniewski accepted the puck, walked to the left a little bit and fired a low hard slap shot that beat Rinne to the far side.

Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger, and Vinny Prospal all lit the lamp, while Rick Nash added a pair of assists for the Jackets, who earned their first road win of the season after going 0-7-1 in their first eight road contests.

Curtis Sanford made 27 saves for Columbus.

"We played a good game," Blue Jackets head coach Scott Arniel said. "We sat back a bit in the third period, but did a lot of good things. We frustrated the Predators all around the rink and got rewarded with some goals."

Colin Wilson, Mike Fisher and Nick Spaling scored and Shea Weber added two assists for Nashville, which got 25 saves from Rinne.

"They were checking really well and you have to give them credit," said Nashville head coach Barry Trotz. "Their record isn't indicative of how good a team they are."

Nashville opened the scoring at 18:29 of the first period on the power play when David Legwand fired one from the point that was stopped by Sanford, but Wilson was there to chip it past Sanford to give his team the 1-0 lead.

Columbus responded at 3:29 of the second stanza when Carter took a nice drop pass from Nash and broke into the Nashville zone with speed. He unleashed a vicious wrist shot from the high slot that flew past Rinne to the stick side to tie the game at one.

Nashville grabbed the lead again at 10:27 of the second period when Weber slapped one from the left point that was stopped by Sanford, but Fisher was unchecked in front of the net and he poked it in behind the Columbus netminder for a 2-1 lead.

But Columbus retaliated again, this time at 12:29 of the second period with the man advantage. The Jackets used good puck movement in the offensive zone to create the goal as Fedor Tyutin fed one from the right point down to Nash along the goal line to the right of the net. Nash fired one from the sharp angle that was stopped but Prospal was there on the doorstep to backhand it past Rinne to knot it at two.

Columbus took its first lead of the game just 1:45 into the final period with another power-play tally. Wisniewski fired one from the point that hit Ryan Johansen in front and Umberger popped the puck into a wide open net for a 3-2 lead.

But Nashville responded at 14:24 when Weber fired a shot from the point that was kicked out by Sanford, but Spaling was in front to bat it through the legs of goaltender.

Game Notes

Both Carter and Wisniewski netted their first goals as Columbus Blue Jackets...Nashville's streak of 17 consecutive home wins against the Blue Jackets was snapped...The Jackets went 2-for-5 with the man advantage, while the Predators finished 2-for-3 on the power play...Columbus will play Calgary at home on Monday, while Nashville will face the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.