Nashville goalie Juuse Saros stopped 37 shots and Ryan O’Reilly scored a power-play goal in the third period to lift the host Predators to a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in the season opener for both teams on Thursday.
While Brady Martin became just the second 18-year-old to play for the Predators, it was the thirty-somethings who got Nashville its first two points of the season. Besides O’Reilly, 34, the Predators also got a goal from Michael Bunting, 30. Erik Haula, 34; Filip Forsberg, 31; and Roman Josi, 35; tallied assists.
Dimitri Voronkov scored for Columbus, which got 29 saves from Jet Greaves.
The Blue Jackets outshot the Predators 38-31, but Columbus also committed five penalties that resulted in four power-play chances. It was the final one that led to O’Reilly’s game-winner with 17:19 left in regulation.
Zachary Aston-Reese went to the penalty box with 17:53 to go after tripping Justin Barron.
While Columbus’ Charlie Coyle won the ensuing faceoff, Josi got a takeaway, and the Predators spent the next 30 seconds pressuring Greaves. Eventually, Josi got the puck back at the point and hit Forsberg, who found his teammate standing next to the net.
Alone against Greaves, O’Reilly flicked a backhander that hit the top of the net over the netminder.
Bunting put the Predators up with 13:15 to go in the opening period on a second-effort shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. After his first shot bounced off three Blue Jackets skaters, Haula tapped it back to him, and his slap shot beat Greaves.
Columbus got the equalizer with 3:59 left in the first period.
Kirill Marchenko beat Adam Wilsby to the puck behind the Predators’ net. The forward fed the puck to Denton Mateychuk, who passed it along the blue line to Damon Severson. Severson put the puck on net from the point, and Voronkov got his stick on it to tie the game.
The Blue Jackets thought they had taken the lead with 17 seconds left in the second period after Mathieu Olivier beat Saros on a rebound, but officials overturned it due to goalie interference following a Nashville challenge.
