Nashville center Ryan Johansen
Ryan Johansen fooled them twice.
Minnesota tied it late, but Nashville prevailed in the shootout again as the Predators defeated the Wild by a 5-4 final on Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result gives the Preds a sweep of their home-and-home set with Minnesota, the second time Nashville has topped Minnesota in a shootout in as many tries.
After a 3-2 result on Sunday, the Preds returned to Nashville to host the Wild once more in a game which saw former Predators winger Kevin Fiala tally twice, including the tying goal with just over two minutes to play.
But, in the end, the shootout worked again for the Predators, and it was No. 92 who waited out Devan Dubnyk to claim not only the extra point, but first in the Central Division once more.
“It’s nice to get two wins,” Johansen said. “They played really hard, and they are missing a few guys too, so I have to give them credit. They played two hard games, but it was nice to get four points out of the two games.”
“It was a good win for us, a good shootout win against a tough team,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said. “They’re fighting for their playoff lives, and we’re fighting to move up in the standings. It was two good games. We’re very happy with the four points.”
The Preds didn’t waste much time taking the early lead – just 1:48 into the contest, to be exact – when Craig Smith converted on a rebound to beat Devan Dubnyk and give the home team a 1-0 advantage. Before the opening period was out, Fiala beat Pekka Rinne to even the score at one all.
More than 13 minutes into the second, the Preds served up a Brian Boyle classic. The massive centerman parked himself in front of equally tall, 6-foot-6 Dubnyk and redirected a P.K. Subban shot past the goaltender – on the power play – to give Nashville their lead back.
“It’s always a work in progress,” Boyle said of the power play. “You find some chemistry and certain things that might give you a few more looks, some confidence, a little trust and watch some video on it, and then you want to execute so you can have the opportunity to go out on the power play. That’s probably the most fun thing you can do during the game, and it’s a boost for the club.”
But late in the second, another former Pred converted as Pontus Aberg evened the score once more.
As the third frame began, Eric Fehr put Minnesota on top for the first time, but Roman Josi tied things at three less than a minute later when he equaled a career high with his 15th goal of the season. Then, Viktor Arvidsson found a hole through Dubnyk and put the Preds back up by one before Fiala could tie it again.
“We didn’t want him to score, but he’s been here for a while,” Josi said of Fiala. “He can take the two goals. We’ll take the two points.”
Overtime solved nothing, and neither did the first three rounds of the shootout with the goaltenders staying perfect until Johansen waited to deke out Dubnyk for the win.
A home-and-home sweep over any club would be considered a success, but at this time of the year, and against an opponent in the division fighting for their playoff lives, well, it makes things just a bit sweeter.
“It’s big, especially against a desperate team like that,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “You have to give them a lot of credit, they played really hard in two games and kept fighting the whole way. Our guys just kept pushing back.”
Patience, My Friend:
Across the NHL, most shootout participants try to not give the goaltenders much time to think before they fire the puck.
Ryan Johansen might be trying to lull them to sleep.
Whatever he’s doing, it’s working.
Twice in two games Johansen has pulled off similar moves – starting with speed before almost coming to a complete stop – and then making the goaltender look silly before depositing the puck into a yawning cage.
So, what exactly is going through Johansen’s mind at that moment?
“I can’t tell you what I am thinking,” he laughed.
“Yeah, I taught him that,” Brian Boyle deadpanned when asked of Johansen’s shootout wizardry.
Call it what you want, but Johansen, who is now a perfect 3-for-3 in the shootout this season, is converting, and that’s all that really matters.
“Methodical,” Laviolette said of the move. “Some guys come in and they may give it one push and make their move. I think he just tries to wait it out.”
“I don’t know how he does it,” Josi said. “I would be way too nervous to hold on to the puck for that long, but he does it every game and he’s pretty good at it.”
Notes:
Preds defenseman Yannick Weber missed Tuesday’s game due to an upper-body injury, with Matt Donovan taking his spot in the lineup.
Brian Boyle returned to the Nashville lineup after missing Sunday’s game with a lower-body injury.
The Predators will now have a bit of time to rest a recuperate before hosting Carolina on Saturday to close out their two-game homestand.
Pete Weber’s Postgame Report
