Ross Colton’s Winning Goal Deserves a Second Look

NASHVILLE — Ross Colton got the goal. Jack Drury got an assist. Adam Edström got the considerably less glamorous assignment of making a goaltender’s afternoon difficult.

All three deserve a place in the conversation after Nashville’s 3–1 win over St. Louis on Saturday.

Colton’s second-period goal put the Predators ahead for good, extending their winning streak to four games. The official NHL scoresheet credited Drury and Roman Josi with the assists on his fifth goal of the season.

The scoring entry tells fans who finished and who supplied the passes. A closer look explains why this particular group deserves attention.

Three Jobs, One Result

Colton collected Drury’s feed in the high slot and beat Joel Hofer with Edström screening the goaltender.

It is a useful little introduction to the line: a pass, a shot, and someone willing to occupy the least comfortable real estate available. Edström did not receive an assist, but his contribution gave Hofer something else to deal with while Colton supplied the puck.

For fans trying to follow more than just the final touch, it is worth a look. A screen can help create a goal without becoming part of the scoring announcement. The player doing it still has to arrive, establish position, and make himself an inconvenience.

"I think he was a big factor on that play," Colton said. "It started in the D-zone. I think Roman [Josi] did a great job breaking the puck out and obviously Jack [Drury] did a great job finding me, but I don't think that seam happens if Eddy's [Adam Edström] not driving the net there."

The puck gets most of the attention. Occasionally, the person obstructing the view deserves some.

Brunette Sees More Than a Goal

Andrew Brunette’s assessment extended beyond that sequence.

The Predators coach credited the Colton–Drury–Edström line with helping establish Nashville’s identity through its energy, pace, and competitiveness on pucks. He also pointed to its ability to recover momentum during the game.

That is a meaningful distinction when evaluating a forward line. Scoring is an obvious way to help. Giving the next group a better situation to enter matters, too.

A productive shift can force an opponent to defend, interrupt its rhythm, or give teammates a chance to change without immediately chasing the game. Those contributions require more attention than checking who scored, but they are part of what makes a lineup work.

The coach’s assessment gives fans a specific group to watch for that influence.

Colton’s finishing has provided another reason. Saturday marked his third consecutive game with a goal. Being difficult to play against becomes especially useful when the same player is becoming difficult to keep off the scoresheet.

Give the Whole Line Its Due

One winning goal cannot establish that a line controls every matchup. Neither can a scoring streak answer every question about how a player is performing.

Saturday does provide a concrete example of three forwards contributing to the same result in different ways.

That is a better starting point than reducing the group to “energy.” Energy is a useful description, but fans are entitled to ask what it produces.

Drury delivered the puck, Edström complicated the save, and Colton finished.

The next time the fourth line takes the ice, follow the sequence before the shot. Watch who makes the puck available, who becomes a passing option, and who goes to the net, knowing the reward might be somebody else’s goal.

Then check the scoresheet.

It will tell part of the story. Saturday’s winner is a good reminder to give the rest of the shift a little credit.

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