Seat belts fastened?

Left winger Rick Nash had two goals, Filatov scored in his first NHL game, and Brassard and Voracek combined for an eye-popping goal as the Blue Jackets opened a four-goal lead over the Nashville Predators.

But, this being the Blue Jackets, nothing came easy.

Not until Jason Chimera scored on a power play with 8:49 left in the third period could the locals take the "JHM" cap off their eyes and enjoy a 5-3 victory in front of 17,930.

"It felt bizarre," Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock said. "It was, I'm sure, entertaining for people, and it was wildly exciting. That's probably what it's going to be like for a little while. But after a few more like this and they're going to put us in the loony bin."

It was a wild affair.

Goaltender Pascal Leclaire, after losing his stick in a collision, tried to catch a puck with his blocker-side hand with 5:14 remaining. It's not particularly bright, but instinctual, like a pitcher trying to catch a line drive back through the middle.

Leclaire got lucky. First, he saved a potential goal. Second, he walked out of Nationwide with a bruised right thumb.

"Not broken," Hitchcock said.

Fredrik Norrena, who will start tonight in Nashville when the teams meet again, finished for Leclaire.

The Blue Jackets came out of the McConnell ceremony playing the kind of nervous hockey that derailed their season-opening trip. Then out of nowhere, they broke the tension with a goal.

Nash, who struggled on the road, scored off a rush with Kristian Huselius, a well-disguised wrist shot that got past Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne to the far post.

It was 1-0 at 4:25 of the first period when the kids took over.

Filatov, the Blue Jackets' first draft pick this year (No. 6 overall), made it 2-0 on a wrist shot from the low left circle at 14:18. Filatov, who had two goals in two games with minor-league Syracuse, now has a goal in his first three pro games.

"I'll try to continue like this," Filatov said with a smile.

Only eight seconds later -- making it the fastest two goals in club history -- Brassard fed Voracek for a bang-bang goal to make it 3-0.

Brassard dangled the puck before sending it to the slot off his backhand. Voracek, his left hand extended on his stick, ramped the puck up and over Rinne.

"Great pass from Brass to get it into the slot," Voracek said. "I was a little bit lucky it went in."

Nash made it 4-0 early in the second period before "Darth Vader" returned.

The Predators, resilient and pesky, pulled to 4-3 only 1:38 into the third period when Hitchcock essentially glued Filatov, Voracek and Brassard to the bench.

The coach was ready to play shut-down hockey after Nash made it 1-0. Now a 4-0 lead was almost gone.

Chimera's goal, made possible by Modin's driving the net, put the Jackets up 5-3.

"We're never going to be out of a game with this team, and for a while here, we're not going to be sure if we can shut one down, either," Hitchcock said. "It's exciting. It's energetic. It's 100 mph, but it's a wee bit bizarre sometimes."

aportzline@dispatch.com