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Nash's hat trick helps Blue Jackets drill Oilers

Jan 1, 2008 - 2:50 AM By Dave Holstein PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) - Rick Nash recorded his second career hat trick as the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 4-2, on Monday.

Nash, who scored a shorthanded goal in the second period, had the eventual game-winning tally with 3:31 remaining in the third session.

The top overall pick of the 2002 draft added an empty-net goal with seven seconds remaining to post his first hat trick since he scored three against the Detroit Red Wings on April 7, 2006.

"It was good," Nash said. "I've been struggling a bit lately, but goals seem to come in bunches. They haven't been bouncing my way lately and tonight, it was bouncing my way."

"He was just outstanding tonight," Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock said of Nash. "He has been struggling lately, so it was good to see him rewarded for his hard work tonight."

With the game tied at 2-2 late in the third period, Nash cleaned up a rebound off a shot from defenseman Duvie Westcott and beat an out-of-position Dwayne Roloson for the game winner.

"I was looking for anything," Nash said. "I'm not picky right now. When you are not scoring, you can't be picky."

"Those are the kind of goals that Nasher makes look easy," Westcott said. "A lot of guys wouldn't be in the right spot at the right time. He has such a long reach and such soft hands that I call him a vacuum. He sucks up all of the rebounds and puts them in the back of the net. It's natural talent."

Nash has a team-high 21 goals for Columbus, which finished the month of December with a record of 6-3-2.

"It was a big win," Nash said. "We needed to finish off with a big two points here."

"We're keeping ourselves in the playoff mix," Columbus goaltender Pascal Leclaire said. "We're playing with a lot of confidence and it's exciting for us to stay in that race."

Captain Ethan Moreau had a goal and an assist for Edmonton, which lost its sixth in a row.

"You can't continually say you're not getting the breaks," Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said. "We just lack the confidence to finish the game off - and every night it seems to be something else that is our undoing."

"Obviously not the result we wanted," Moreau said. "We played good for two periods, I thought, and we created a lot on the forecheck. We just didn't have enough in the third. They played better in the third and took advantage of their opportunities."

Jiri Novotny opened the scoring 8:15 into the opening session.

Nikolai Zherdev wristed the initial shot from the right faceoff circle and the rebound came to Novotny, who poked it past Roloson for his seventh goal of the season.

"It was a typical goal for me," Novotny said. "I just drove to the net and the rebound came to me. It was a great goal."

"I thought Novotny was really good tonight," Hitchcock said. "He looked like a No. 1 center and this is now three or four games that Jiri has been that good a player for us."

Moreau leveled the game 7:23 into the second period after cleaning up a rebound from Fernando Pisani and beating Leclaire.

It was the first goal of the season for Moreau, who missed the first 38 games of this season with a broken foot and the last 75 contests of the 2006-07 season with a shoulder injury. His last goal came on October 17, 2006.

"It's good to be back," Moreau said. "I feel good, I don't have any limitations. I feel fine. I play a pretty simple game. I don't think the layoff will affect me in the way I play."

Columbus regained the lead after Nash scored a shorthanded goal.

Defenseman Ron Hainsey blasted a shot near the right faceoff circle which Roloson stopped, but Nash buried the rebound for the Blue Jackets' fifth shorthanded tally of the season.

Defenseman Steve Staios evened the game at 2-2 under three minutes later, beating Leclaire from the blue line.

It was the last goal allowed by Leclaire, who finished with 26 saves. Roloson stopped 29 shots for Edmonton.