Blue Jackets capitalize on Predators' mistakes

Columbus defeated Nashville, 4-2.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- A pair of uncharacteristic errors cost the Nashville Predators.
All-Stars Tomas Vokoun and Kimmo Timonen each made careless mistakes in the first period, and the Predators never recovered in a 4-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. Manny Malhotra matched his career high with two goals for the Blue Jackets.
"It was not a prototypical game, that's for sure," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "We lost the game in the first period."
Games first goal
Seven minutes in, Vokoun left his crease to handle the puck in the corner as Malhotra and Nashville defenseman Mark Eaton raced down the ice. Vokoun got there first, did a reverse pivot and pushed the puck off the side of the net. Malhotra, continuing to skate, picked up the puck in the slot and was all alone in front of an empty net.
"I just got on my horse and fortunately he made a bad play back there and gave me the gift," Malhotra said.
After the goal, Vokoun hung his head and slowly skated back to the net while being taunted by Columbus fans.
"It was just my fault. It was a bad play," Vokoun said. "When a goalie makes a mistake, it's in the net -- and that's what happened."
Malhotra scored off a rebound on a power play less than two minutes later, making it 2-0. Then, with the Blue Jackets attempting to kill a penalty, he appeared to pick up his first career hat trick.
Hat trick goal
Timonen nonchalantly carried the puck from behind his own net, and Malhotra swooped in and stick-checked it loose. The puck slipped away from Timonen and eluded a stunned Vokoun, sliding slowly into the net to make it 3-0.
As the hats were being cleared off the ice, it was announced that Columbus defenseman Jaroslav Spacek was the last Blue Jackets player to touch the puck. Malhotra had poked at Timonen's stick and not the puck, so Spacek was credited with the goal.
"Kimmo just put it in," Vokoun said. David Ling added his first goal of the season for the Blue Jackets, Rostislav Klesla had two assists, and Marc Denis stopped 32 shots.
Greg Johnson and David Legwand scored third-period goals for Nashville, which had won four previous meetings this season and six in a row against Columbus.