PREVIEW: Columbus looks to get back in win column Saturday in Nashville

BLUE JACKETS (30-19-13) at PREDATORS (29-23-8)

The Blue Jackets are making mistakes at the wrong times and not getting away with them, as they might have when they had points in 24 of 26 games before the current seven-game winless stretch. Part of that is that missing a number of your key players brings a multitude of youngsters who wouldn't normally be in the lineup into action, which means Tortorella and his staff are having plenty of teaching moments as they try to right the CBJ ship.
"For all our people, right now at this time of year, I think the biggest thing we're working on mentally is understanding situational play," Tortorella said. "Situational play when you get down to the short strokes like we are here now is so important. Another example, (Thursday vs. Philadelphia) we're up 3-1 with five minutes left (in the second period), we just throw a blind pass into the middle of our ice and bang, it's in our net, it's 3-2 and it changes the whole complexion of the game. Then we do take an offensive zone penalty, they tie it.
"But those are the things, especially with the amount of youth in our lineup, we are trying to teach," the coach added. "Situational play just ramps up at this time of year. It just determines so many different things. We're teaching, we're learning by some mistakes … so yeah, we just attack them as they come and try to teach them."
Yet for all of the worry around the team about the injuries and the losing streak, the fact remains the Blue Jackets haven't played terrible hockey in the recent stretch. Four of the seven losses have come in overtime and two others came when the team gave up the game-deciding goal in the final five minutes. The team is in games, it just has to maybe make one less defensive mistake, find one more goal or get one more bounce to get wins.
And even with the skid, Columbus finished Thursday night's game holding a wild card spot, albeit with the closest teams chasing the Blue Jackets holding games in hand. With just 20 games to go heading into Saturday's contest at Nashville, the time for playing well and losing is running thin. Somehow, even through the injuries, the results have to turn.
"I think when you come to the rink, it's just about getting better, and tomorrow night when we get there in Nashville, it's just going to be trying to win a hockey game," defenseman Zach Werenski said. "It doesn't matter who we have in this room, we're a confident group.
"We're the first wild card as of today. There's still a lot of hockey to be played, but we have to find a way to start winning some games here, especially this time of year."
Know the Foe
The Predators are coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to Chicago on Friday night, and the team has posted a 10-8-1 record in the tenure of head coach John Hynes, the former Devils coach who was hired to replace Peter Laviolette in midseason. The team is on the wrong side of the playoff bar at the moment but just two points behind Calgary for the final spot.
The biggest issue with the Predators this season has been defense, as a team that has long prided itself on keeping goals out of the opposition's net has ceded 3.17 goals per game this season, 23rd in the league. Age, a terrible penalty kill and salary cap constraints have caught up to the defense, as Ryan Ellis has spent much of the season on injured reserve before returning Friday and Pekka Rinne has been used less and less as his age 37 season has gone on.
Rinne has started 34 games, including Friday night in Chicago, and posted an 18-13-4 record, 3.00 goals-against average and .900 save percentage. Juuse Saros has played seven of the last nine games and is 11-10-4 with a 2.96 GAA and .903 save percentage, though both are in the negatives when it comes to goals saved above average. Saros, though, has allowed 15 goals in his seven February starts with a .929 save percentage.
Up front, the Predators score 3.15 goals per game this season, good for 12th in the league, and the team has been strong at 5-on-5. Roman Josi is second in the NHL among defenseman with 57 points thanks to 14 goals and 43 assists, while Filip Forsberg leads the forward crew with a team-best 18 goals among his 40 points.
Much like Philadelphia, the Predators have a deep group of scorers with 10 players in double digits in goals. Two former Blue Jackets centers in Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen are in that crew, as Duchene has a 12-26-38 line in his first season with the Preds and Johansen has 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points. Nick Bonino is injured but adds 17-17-34 while Craig Smith (17 goals), Mikael Granlund (14), Viktor Arvidsson (13), Calle Jarnkrok (12) and Rocco Grimaldi (10) are also in double figures.
3 Keys to the Game
Win special teams: Nashville's penalty kill is the worst in the NHL at 74.1 percent, while the power play is clicking at a paltry 16.0 percent.
A full 60: The biggest problem for the Blue Jackets of late is making bad mistakes at crucial times when it comes to defense. Shoring this up would help a lot.
A house of horrors: Nashville has been one of the toughest places for the Blue Jackets to play traditionally, and with a party atmosphere in the arena, games can turn quickly. Columbus has to keep its wits about it.
Of Note
Elvis Merzlikins owns the NHL lead with five shutouts.. … Markus Nutivaara has as 1-3-4 line in the past five contests. … Zach Werenski leads all NHL defensemen with a CBJ-record 18 goals from the blue line this season. ... Columbus has not taken a penalty in six of 62 games this year. … The Blue Jackets have lost 345 man games to injury. ... Twelve of the last 13 games for Columbus have been one-goal games, excluding empty-net goals. … Starting with the game against the Preds, seven of the next eight for Columbus will be against Western Conference teams. … The Blue Jackets swept the season series a year ago, with a 5-2 win in Nashville ending a five-game losing skid in Tennessee. Columbus is just 9-29-1-5 all-time in the road in the series.
Projected Lineup
(Subject to change)
Gustav Nyquist - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Nick Foligno
Stefan Matteau - Boone Jenner - Emil Bemstrom
Nathan Gerbe - Kevin Stenlund - Calvin Thurkauf
Eric Robinson - Riley Nash - Jakob Lilja
Zach Werenski - Markus Nutivaara
Vladislav Gavrikov - David Savard
Scott Harrington - Andrew Peeke
Elvis Merzlikins
Matiss Kivlenieks
Scratches:Sonny Milano, Gabriel Carlsson, Oliver Bjorkstrand (injury),
Roster Report:Tortorella will speak to the media pregame to go over the lineup. Gerbe did not practice Friday but did travel with the team to Nashville so he could be in the lineup, while Thurkauf staged his first practice with the team after his emergency recall Friday.
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