COLUMBUS
Custom Toronto Maple Leafs Jerseys , Ohio (AP) — was sent to the penalty box for slashing just 20 seconds into Saturday night’s game, giving Pittsburgh an early power-play chance and sucking some of the energy out of a sold-out Nationwide Arena.But the Blue Jackets killed the penalty, and Jenner emerged from the box and scored 11 seconds later to reset the tone of a game they desperately needed to win to stay in the crowded mix for a wildcard playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.Cam Atkinson scored twice and Oliver Bjorkstand got the back-breaker in the third period as Columbus snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Penguins with a 4-1 victory Saturday night. The Blue Jackets had lost four of their last six and were shut out at Pittsburgh on Thursday night.This one had all the energy of a playoff game.Sergei Bobrovsky, who was a healthy scratch in Pittsburgh, was exceptional in recording 28 saves against the Penguins, who were 4-0-2 in their last six and started the day in third place in the Metropolitan Division.“It just goes to show, if we play like that we’re a dangerous team,” Atkinson said. “All these points are so crucial. It’s good to see we can play like that because I’m sure everyone was wondering what was going on. But it can’t be a fluke, it can’t be a one-and-done so we have to continue.”Zach Aston-Reese scored for Pittsburgh in the second period, and Matt Murray
www.officialcanucks.com , starting his seventh straight game, had 29 saves.“I thought he was terrific,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said of his durable net-minder. “I thought he made some 10-bell saves to keep us in the game. He gave us a chance.”Holding onto a 1-0 lead early in the second period, the Blue Jackets got a break on a Pittsburgh power play when Phil Kessel went sprawling at his own blue line and Atkinson found himself with a loose puck and an open net. He snapped it in over Murray for his team-leading 37th goal of the season.Pittsburgh pulled it back to a one-goal game at 6:39 of the second when Aston-Reese took Evgeni Malkin’s pass on the doorstep and beat Bobrovsky .Bjorkstrand got the insurance goal with 3:01 left, tapping in a Ryan Dzingel pass, and Atkinson got his 38th of the season when he added an empty-netter at the 1:49 mark.“We had some quality chances,” Sullivan said. “Five-on-five, there wasn’t a lot of room out there. The game had a playoff feel to it, it was physical, there wasn’t a lot of room. It was one of those games you have to fight for every inch of ice.”Columbus coach John Tortorella’s post-game comments were measured.“I’m excited for the guys
Vancouver Canucks T-Shirts Authentic ,” he said. “I’m not going to get too amped up here. That’s a big win for us. If you go into these two games and you split against Pitt, I guess you leave happy. I’m sure (Sullivan) is saying the same thing with his group. The thing I’m happiest about is, I think we’re improving each game to try to get out of this.”NOTES: Kessel played in 314th straight game for Pittsburgh, the second-longest streak in franchise history. Craig Adams holds the record with 319. … Anderson got his 100th career NHL point. …Atkinson has 12 career short-handed goal, two short of the franchise record. … Columbus last beat Pittsburgh in the regular season on Feb. 17, 2017 (2-1 in overtime). … Malkin has a nine-game points streak against the Blue Jackets. … Columbus is 27-5-2 this season when scoring the first goal.UP NEXTPittsburgh: At Boston on Sunday night.Columbus: At New York Islanders on Monday night. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Nashville Predators continued to bolster their forward depth as they acquired Ryan Hartman from the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday before the NHL’s trade deadline.The Predators acquired Hartman and a fifth-round pick from Chicago for forward Victor Ejdsell, a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick.All picks exchanged are for the 2018 draft.”This fits us,” Predators general manager David Poile said. ”In terms of where he’s probably going to go in the lineup, it fits exactly what we need. We did a good job improving our center ice the last couple of seasons – (Ryan) Johansen and (Kyle) Turris
Vancouver Canucks Hoodies Authentic , specifically.”We wanted a little bit of sandpaper in our lineup that could play at a higher level than a fourth-line type player. We got a guy that scored 19 goals last year, is 23 years of age, is hard to play against.”Hartman, a left wing, has 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 57 games played with Chicago this season. Hartman will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.”Obviously something was going on, but I’m really excited,” he told Canada’s TSN. ”A great team obviously, a rivalry between both of us. It’s a tough building to play in when you’re the opposing team, but I’m excited to be in there wearing the yellow and playing in Nashville.”Poile had to think about making a deal with Central Division rival Chicago
Vancouver Canucks Hats Authentic , the team the Predators swept in the first round of the playoffs last year.”I always have a little bit of a pause when I do that,” Poile said. ”But I think it really comes down to you’ve got to get your best deal.”Clearly what we offered for Hartman was higher than anyone else or what they liked the most, or they wouldn’t have taken the deal. So (the Blackhawks) have got to take care of themselves. They’re in a little different place than we are right now.”One year removed from finishing first in the Western Conference with 109 points, the Blackhawks are in last place in the Central Division.”It’s disappointing, for sure,” Chicago general manager Stan Bowman said. ”But you can’t feel sorry for yourself. You have to sit here and try to plan for the future. I think what we’ve been able to do here today is position ourselves to get some really high value assets.”In the case of Victor, he’s not that far away from contributing. We don’t want to be in this position, obviously, but you are where you are.”The defending Western Conference champion Predators are loading up at forward. In addition to Hartman, the Predators signed former captain Mike Fisher to a one-year deal earlier Monday.And the team may not yet be done adding players. Poile is hopeful that 2017 first-round pick Eeli Tolvanen will make his way to Nashville when his season with Jokerit of the KHL concludes. Tolvanen starred for Finland at the Olympics
Custom Vancouver Canucks Jerseys , scoring three goals and adding six assists in five games.Entering Monday, the Predators held a two-point lead over the Winnipeg Jets for first place in the Central and trailed the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights by one point.The Jets also made an acquisition from a Central rival, getting forward Paul Stastny from the St. Louis Blues.Also Monday, the Blackhawks acquired a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2019 draft from the Boston Bruins for forward Tommy Wingels.Wingels has 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 57 games. He was signed by Chicago on July 1, 2017.—
