Forsberg Scores Four as Saros, Preds Shut Out Blue Jackets

Filip Forsberg tied a Predators franchise record with four goals as Nashville defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets by a 6-0 final on Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result gives the Preds eight wins in November to conclude the month as well as their 40th victory over the Jackets in Nashville, their most against any opponent in team history.
Mikael Granlund recorded a primary assist on all four of Forsberg's goals, and Juuse Saros stopped 27 shots for Nashville's first shutout of the campaign, two more who played starring roles in one of the most satisfying outings in recent memory for the Preds.

Forsberg waited just 4:56 into the contest to record his first of the night when he sniped a shot over the shoulder of Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, and then the Preds got a pair in rapid succession. First, Yakov Trenin took a feed from Colton Sissons off a 2-on-1 and wired the puck home, and just nine seconds later, Forsberg snapped his second of the night from the slot to chase Merzlikins in favor of Joonas Korpisalo to give the Predators a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.

Things quieted a bit for most of the second stanza, but after Predators video team Lawrence Feloney and Andrew Meloche challenged - and won - to call back a Columbus goal for offside, Forsberg went back to work.
The hat trick came at the side of the net off a beautiful pass from Granlund, and after a number of the home fans gave away their caps, Forsberg tapped home his fourth of the night - this time on the power play - for a 5-0 advantage through two periods.
Nick Cousins added a goal of his own in the final frame to make it a 6-0 score, and not to be forgotten, Saros finished off the night for his 15th career shutout.
Forsberg also recorded his 400th NHL point on the night and required the fewest games in franchise history (510 GP) to reach 400 points with the Predators, besting the previous benchmark held by Martin Erat (614 GP).

Tuesday Storyline:

Just call him Filip Fours-berg.
Prior to Tuesday night, only two Predators players had ever scored four times in one contest. And then No. 9 put on a show.
With a pair in the first period - and two more in the second stanza - Forsberg became just the third player in Preds franchise history to score four goals in a single game, one of the more impressive feats in his 510 regular-season outings to date.
But that's just what a player of his skill level is capable of - and as Predators Head Coach John Hynes said, Forsberg was simply "feeling it" on this occasion. And so were his linemates.

"Our line started off really well in the first and obviously got one early and had a lot more chances," Forsberg said of his trio with Granlund and Matt Duchene. "Both Granny and Dutchy played incredible and made life very easy for me, and I was able to finish off some of their plays. Obviously, it was good."
"I thought that line in general; you can see right off the bat that they had a lot of energy, and I think their execution and the tenaciousness that they played with to be able to put themselves in scoring areas was very good," Hynes said. "And obviously Filip, he was in scoring areas, he was feeling it tonight, and it's nice to see. I just think for the three of those guys as a line right now, when you're playing the right way and you have the offensive ability to be very productive; it's nice to see them play the way that they did tonight and also get rewarded for it."

In particular, Granlund's four-assist night is almost as impressive on paper, and according to Forsberg, that accomplishment is the real talking point.
"I think the unreal part of it was Granny's passes," Forsberg said. "I don't know how he made them happen. But I mean, all four goals are just tee-ups, and I finished them off obviously, but the last two I didn't have to do too much. I think most of you guys in this room would have probably scored both of those as well."
While Forsberg led the way on the scoresheet, the Predators - as a team - recovered from a 6-2 loss on Saturday night in Colorado, a game Hynes said showed his club was trying, but they simply needed a break.
Two days off after the fact to rest and recharge did the trick, and the Preds didn't waste the opportunity to start the homestand with a dominating performance on the scoreboard.
"I don't think individual games, [they] really don't shape our mentality in that way," Saros said of being able to recover from losses. "I feel like [we have a] strong mentality as a team. We kind of know how to play our game, and so it never comes up to effort or attitude - we've always got those. Obviously, it's a long season, and there's games that won't go your way, but I think we have a pretty good idea of what we have to do to be successful. So, we kind of just shake that off and got ready for this game."

Part of that routine for Forsberg was doing what he always does before puck drop - have some lunch, play the FIFA video game, grab a nap, check his fantasy football lineup and head to the rink to prepare for the night ahead.
The only thing different this time around is he left the building with four more goals to his total, a performance that won't soon be forgotten.
"I just try to come here, get ready for every game, and obviously when I was hurt, [I was] just kind of trying to do everything I can to get back on the ice," Forsberg said. "I just try to put myself in - like I said earlier in the season - put myself in the best position possible to help this team win. At the end of the day, [that's going to] be the best way I can make everything else happen as well."

Highlight of the Night:

They Said It:

Filip Forsberg on the last time he scored four goals in a single game:
"I don't even know. It's probably like pee-wee. I never had a hat trick in junior, surprisingly. And then I came over here and I've been lucky to score a few, but four was a long time."

Notes:

Filip Forsberg (188g-212a) became the fifth player in Predators history to reach the 400-point mark with the franchise. He joins David Legwand (210g-356a-566pts), Martin Erat (163g-318a-481pts), Roman Josi (124g-342a-466pts) and Shea Weber (166g-277a-443pts) as the only other skaters to reach the milestone.
Mikael Granlund collected a primary assist on each of Filip Forsberg's four goals on Tuesday. It marked the 12th time in NHL history that one player had the primary assist on each of a teammate's four or more goals in a game. It's happened three times in the last 40 years: Brad Marchand (w/ Patrice Bergeron on Nov. 4), Brent Sutter (w/ Mike Bossy on Nov. 1, 1984) and Bossy (w/ Bryan Trottier on Feb. 13, 1982).
Prior to Tuesday's game, the Predators recalled forward Michael McCarron from Milwaukee (AHL). McCarron did not dress Tuesday and was scratched along with defensemen Ben Harpur (conditioning loan) and Philippe Myers.
Nashville's three-game homestand continues on Thursday night when Craig Smith and the Boston Bruins come to town before the Montreal Canadiens visit on Saturday.
Click here for tickets to both games
.