'He's Taken it to Another Level': Josi Recognized as NHL's First Star of the Week

As practice wrapped at Centennial Sportsplex on Monday, Nashville Predators Captain Roman Josi took a solo lap, his teammates hollering and clapping their sticks to the ice in approval.

“It's more of a punishment,” Josi joked at his stall following practice. “I feel like it’s more to make a guy uncomfortable. Nobody really likes it, nobody likes the spotlight. That’s normally just how it is.”

As much as he may shy from the spotlight, as uncomfortable as the parade around the ice may have been, the attention was certainly warranted.

After leading the National Hockey League in points per game (3g-4a, 3gp) and plus-minus (+7) for the week ending March 3, Nashville’s captain was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week. 

“It’s really cool,” Josi said. “It’s a testament to how we’re playing. I think being in the League for a lot of years, when your team does well, each guy normally has a good week as well, and there’s a lot of factors that go into it. It makes everyone’s lives easier, and our team has done a great job, so it makes my life a lot easier, too.”

Josi was a crucial piece for the Predators as they surged to eight straight wins and tied the second-longest winning streak in franchise history, first recording a three-point outing (2g-1a) in the team’s 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators last Tuesday, then recording another (1g-2a) in Nashville’s 6-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. 

Josi capped the week off picking up an assist in the Predators 5-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

Josi’s two-goal showing against the Senators marked his 18th career multi-goal game, and saw the captain match Viktor Arvidsson for the fourth most in franchise history behind Filip Forsberg (39), David Legwand (24) and Craig Smith (20).

His multi-point performance against Minnesota was the 158th of Josi’s career; he trails only Kris Letang (164, PIT) and Victor Hedman (163, TBL) for the most among active defensemen with one franchise.

“He's taken it to another level,” Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “He's found another gear. And he's been great all year, but to see him rise up at this time of year is pretty special.” 

He’s been phenomenal beyond the last three games, too. 

During the Predators historic five-game road sweep, the captain contributed at a point-per-game pace, recording a goal and four assists to help his team back to a Wild Card position for the first time since January.

“He knows,” Brunette said. “He’s been around and he’s been in big games, he’s been to the [Stanley Cup Final]. He knows when to turn it up a notch and he’s obviously our captain for a reason. He understands the magnitude of the situation right now and he’s been great.” 

“I try to play well all year,” Josi said. “But I think there's just times throughout the year when obviously sometimes things can go in for you. But I think just in general, we're playing so well as a team and especially this homestand. The five-game road trip was great and I thought we played really well, but I almost feel like this homestand we’ve almost taken it to another level. I feel like we’re playing really fast and all the teams we’ve played we’ve kind of worn them down and it just got better and better as the game went on. 

“I think it helps each guy when we play like that, and it's been a fun week.”

To celebrate No. 59’s League recognition, Smashville can take advantage of a limited-time offer, with a select number of Lower/Club Level tickets now available for $59 for the Predators March 19 game versus the San Jose Sharks. 

Click here to lock in the special offer.