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Preds lay an egg against the Jets

Carter Hutton was 2-0-0 against the Winnipeg Jets. The Nashville Predators were 2-0-1 on the road trip. The Jets were dead last in the Central Division. All signs pointed to a certain outcome.

Too bad that outcome didn’t happen.

In front of 15,004 inside the MTS Centre, the Preds laid an egg against the Jets, losing 5-0. Nashville had 15 and 17 shots in the second and third periods, respectively, but the damage was done in the first period. And, for a team who struggles offensively, it was just too much to overcome.

Hutton turned aside just five shots before being relieved after allowing three goals in the opening eight and a half minutes. Marek Mazanec made his NHL debut and made 22 saves on 24 shots.

The Jets set the tone early. Just three minutes into the contest, Roman Josi took a shot in the Winnipeg zone that was blocked out to center. The Jets rushed the other way and Bryan Little eventually spun and fired a shot past three pairs of legs to make it 1-0.

Veteran center Olli Jokinen built the Winnipeg lead to 2-0 when Seth Jones and David Legwand left him all alone in front for a brief moment.

Midway through the first, Eric Tangradi made it 3-0 with a blast from the point. Ryan Ellis tried to get the puck out using the boards but it was intercepted. The puck would eventually come to Dustin Byfuglien at the opposite point where he would rifle one through traffic and off of Tangradi’s stick for the three goal lead just 8:23 into the game.

That would be the end of the night for Hutton.

Before the opening period came to a close, the Jets made it 4-0. Immediately after a face-off in the Predators zone, Jokinen chipped it over to Devin Setoguchi who was breaking to the net. The former San Jose Shark potted his fourth of the season by one-timing it past Mazanec and sending the Preds to the locker room down by four.

Even though the Predators didn’t score any goals, the good news out of the middle frame was that they didn’t allow any either. Mazanec turned aside all 10 shots he faced in that period and the Predators got some really good scoring chances but couldn’t convert.

In the third, however, Little bagged his second of the game when he went top corner on Mazanec. Andrew Ladd broke into the Predators zone 2-on-1 with Little but elected to take the shot. Mazanec made the initial stop but the rebound came to Little and he made no mistake, increasing the Winnipeg lead to five.

While frustrating, this is the first time they haven’t earned at least a point on this road trip. If they rebound against New Jersey on Sunday, all will be forgotten.

Puck drops at 6:00pm Central.