Count Nashville Predators head coach John Hynes among the many who were surprised it took Ryan Johansen 774 games to record his first-ever hat trick.
But as Johansen found himself with the puck behind the Minnesota Wild defense with nothing but an empty net in front of him with less than 10 seconds left in the final period Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena, the wait was finally over.
“You can see it on the bench, [Johansen] is the best teammate, he’s the greatest guy, so the whole bench was so excited for him,” Predators captain Roman Josi said. “He’s such an amazing team player. He brings it every night for us. He cares about his teammates.”
Johansen’s career game got him to the 20-goal mark for the first time since the 2014-15 season. It’s the third time in his 11-year career that he has scored 20 or more goals in a single season, and his first as a member of the Predators.
“After the first period, I was like, ‘Hey, one more for 20 and one more for the [hat trick],’” Matt Duchene added. “We wanted him to get it really bad and it was nice to see him get it at the end…It was great to see a guy that’s always looking pass first score a few.”
To think this is the same player that the expansion Seattle Kraken couldn't be convinced to take — at no cost — with the Predators offering to retain part of his salary, is mildly amusing in hindsight.
Nashville is now reaping the benefits of perhaps the most-motivated version of Ryan Johansen they've seen in his six-and-a-half seasons with the team.
The 29-year-old center is currently on-pace for the third-most goals (24) and second-most points (65) of his career, and he currently ranks third on the Predators and 12th in the NHL with a 20.2 shooting percentage — six percentage points higher than his career best (13.92 percent, 2013).
He has topped his career bests in both shooting percentage and power play goals (nine), and he is on track to set new career bests in power play points and game-winning goals. His 52.6 faceoff percentage is also just 2.8 percentage points off his career best as well.
“I’m really happy for [Johansen],” Hynes said. “He’s obviously a big part of why we’re having success this year and we’re in the playoff race. He’s having a great year — a career year, I believe.
“I just give a lot of credit to him — I just think his attitude around the rink, and the type of teammate he is, and his presence and things like that.”
Follow Michael Gallagher on Twitter @MGsports_
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