Predators' Johansen living up to expectations through 7 games
Despite the Nashville Predators' recent struggles, none of the blame can be placed on recent acquisition Ryan Johansen, who picked up two more points in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
It was just Nashville's second win in seven games since trading Seth Jones to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The 23-year-old forward has only been held off the scoresheet twice since moving to Tennessee, and his first seven games with the Predators have been considerably more productive than his final seven with Columbus.
| 7-game totals | G | A | P | +/- | SOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before trade (CLB) | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| After trade (NSH) | 3 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 23 |
While Johansen has quickly excelled as the team's No. 1 center, another promising development for the Predators was a strong performance from goalie Pekka Rinne, who ended a five-game winless streak by stopping 20 of 21 shots.
With the win, Nashville now sits one point behind the Avalanche for the final wild-card spot, as Johansen and co. continue a critical four-game Western Canada road trip against the struggling Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.