COLUMBUS — Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz said his team’s recent success, which now includes five wins in six games following a 4-0 victory Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, is the result of a team effort.
That team effort was on display against Columbus when the Predators got goals from four players and turned in a defensive performance that limited the Blue Jackets to 19 shots on goal, including four in the first period when Matt Cullen scored the only goal Nashville needed.
But that group-wide effort might be best exemplified by Trotz’s goaltending trio.
The Predators could have been in trouble when starter Pekka Rinne went on injured reserve a month ago with a hip infection, but instead Carter Hutton and Marek Mazanec have stepped up. The Predators went into the game Wednesday at Nationwide Arena with the unusual statistic of having three goalies with four wins in the team’s first 24 games.
That changed when Mazanec picked up the second shutout and fifth win of his rookie season. The first shutout came in a 27-save performance in a 2-0 victory against the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 19.
Fuente:NHL
