This one goes to 11.
Kiefer Sherwood netted his first career goal against his hometown team and Kevin Lankinen answered the call as the Nashville Predators defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, 2-1, at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.
The result extended Nashville’s point streak to 11 games (10-0-1), establishing the third-longest such run in franchise history.
“We're starting to find our rhythm,” Sherwood said. “And I think, obviously, you have a new coach, and it takes a little time to adjust, but now we're rolling. And the good thing is right now, at this time of year, we're finding ways to win and every night someone else is contributing. So there's a lot to build on. But, we’ve got to turn the page and be ready for tomorrow.”
“I think it was a tale of a few different games,” Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “I really liked our first 15 minutes. We got a little loose for 25, and I really liked our third. I think the maturity of the group, we did a lot of the right things to close the game out and had some opportunities to put it away. And [Lankinen] was outstanding.”
The Predators are now 37-25-3 on the campaign and 19-10-2 on the road with 17 games remaining.
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Let’s Go, Lankinen
Despite the nearly two-week gap between Kevin Lankinen’s last two starts, the Finnish netminder answered the bell once again, turning away 34 shots and sealing the win for Nashville.
Lankinen did not face a shot for the first 15 minutes of the game, then faced a flurry in the final minutes of the first period. No. 32 kept his team knotted with Columbus through a chaotic middle frame and finally stood tall through a desperate 6-on-5 push in the final seconds of Saturday’s contest.