NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It’s starting to feel like watching a replay of the same movie.
Each time the Blue Jackets play a game this season, the plot now feels eerily similar from one game to the next – from the Jackets usually scoring the game’s first goal to their opponent overcoming it with a dominating effort to control the puck.
It happened again in back-to-back losses to the Nashville Predators this weekend at Bridgestone Arena, including a 3-1 loss on Sunday, and there seems to be no end to the Blue Jackets’ struggles in a broken record of a season.
Just like it happened in their 2-1 loss to the Predators on Saturday, the Blue Jackets went up 1-0 before the mid-point of the first period and were unable to build off it.
Kevin Stenlund’s goal just 3:45 after the first puck was dropped put Columbus up first for the 16th time in their first 23 games, but was again a short-lived accomplishment.
Nashville tied it just 3:20 later on a goal by Nick Cousins, dominated possession through the first two periods and surged ahead 2-1 on Eeli Tolvanen’s power-play goal at 9:44 of the second.
The only differences from the day before, when defenseman Mattias Ekholm bookended the second period with a pair of goals, was that different players scored the Predators’ first two goals and they happened in separate periods.
Also, the ending was different after Nashville's Erik Haula scored a shorthanded goal with 1:52 left to play to seal the Predators's back-to-back sweep – a fitting end to a weekend that gave the Blue Jackets fits.
Otherwise, it was like firing up Saturday’s game on a video replay and watching all over again.
Joonas Korpisalo kept the Blue Jackets close again with 26 saves. Nashville dominated the first 40 minutes again. The Blue Jackets again struggled to gain the offensive zone on their three power plays, going 0 for 3, and they failed to win a game for the fifth straight time (0-4-1).
The Jackets also dropped to 1-5-2 in the past eight games, while the Predators improved to 5-1-0 in the first six games of the season series between these teams.
Juuse Saros started both games for Nashville in the weekend series, stonewalling the Blue Jackets with 28 saves after making 29 for the victory Saturday.
