Blue Jackets fall into wild card with loss to Predators

NASHVILLE-- The Columbus Blue Jackets fell out of third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 4-2 loss to the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday.

WATCH: [All Blue Jackets vs. Predators highlights]
Columbus (45-30-7) will be the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference and play the Washington Capitals, who won the Metropolitan, in the first round.
"I thought the effort was great tonight, so that's pretty much all we're going to carry over for [Washington]," Blue Jackets forward Thomas Vanek said. "I'm sure we'll have [Sunday] off, I'm guessing, and then we'll go back to work on Monday and get focused on them. It's going to be a tough series."
Nashville (53-18-11), which had clinched the Presidents' Trophy, Western Conference and Central Division, will play either the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.
"I think everybody is really excited for the playoffs, but we know how hard of a road it is in the playoffs," Predators captain Roman Josi said. "But the excitement is definitely here. It's always a long season toward the end. You're really excited for the playoffs, and we can't wait for the first game."
Predators forward Filip Forsberg scored his fifth career NHL hat trick.

"He had a great game tonight," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. "He's such a strong player. He's a power forward that has an awful lot of skill. When he attacks the ice the way he is right now, he becomes difficult to defend and his skill set is hard to defend as well. I thought that line was really good tonight."
Columbus scratched forwards Artemi Panarin, Alex Wennberg and Cam Atkinson, and defensemen Seth Jones, Zach Werenski and Ryan Murray in the last regular-season game for each team.
Austin Watson gave Nashville a 1-0 lead at 7:52 of the first period on a wrist shot from the right face-off circle. Forsberg made it 2-0 at 11:04 the power play, and 3-0 at 19:59 with his 25th goal of the season.
Forsberg completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal with 40 seconds remaining in the third period to make it 4-2.
Josh Anderson scored to make it 3-1 at 7:55 of the second period on a wrist shot from below the right face-off circle.

Juuse Saros replaced Pekka Rinne in net for the Predators at the beginning of the third period and made seven saves. Rinne made 22.
Brandon Dubinsky scored shorthanded for Columbus to make it 3-2 at 7:20 of the third period.
"We played a pretty good game," Dubinsky said. "We gave a couple of power-play goals to them there in the first and got down 3-0 to a really good team, but overall I was pretty happy with the way we played the game. I thought the guys that came in played well."

Goal of the game

Forsberg's goal at 19:59 of the first period.

Save of the game

Saros' save on Ian Cole at 10:08 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Watson's goal at 7:52 of the first period.

They said it

"They're dangerous. They're a similar team to [the Pittsburgh Penguins] where you've got to be focused 100 percent because they've got so many high offensive-skilled guys. You're in the game, in the game, you're reading it, and before you know it, you're losing. We're going to have to be ready and sharp at all times." -- Blue Jackets forward Thomas Vanek on playing the Capitals in the first round
"It's definitely a lot of motivation. I think most guys you talked through throughout the summer, obviously there was a huge disappointment, but after a couple weeks everybody just wanted to get back to Nashville and get back going. Right from the beginning we were a motivated team. We definitely do not want to be in a position again like we were last year." -- Predators captain Roman Josi on drawing motivation from losing the 2017 Stanley Cup Final

Need to know

Blue Jackets forward Eric Robinson had two shots on goal playing 11:21 in his NHL debut. ... The Predators have not lost to the Avalanche this season.

What's next

Blue Jackets: At the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of Eastern Conference First Round, TBA
Predators: Host the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 of Western Conference First Round, TBA