Johansen, Josi, Saros Lead Preds to Comeback Win Over Stars

Ryan Johansen tied it, and Roman Josi won it.
Nashville's captain tallied with less than two minutes to play in regulation as the Predators came back to beat the Dallas Stars by a 2-1 final on Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result gives the Preds three wins in four tries over Dallas to conclude the season series - and more importantly, Nashville is now one point ahead of the Stars in the Central Division standings.
The Predators needed most of the night to find the back of the net, but they got two before the contest was out, and in what was arguably Nashville's most important game of the season to date, they simply found a way.

The first two periods on Tuesday night passed by without either club able to find the back of the net, but just 32 seconds into the final frame, John Klingberg's point shot deflected off of Eeli Tolvanen and past Juuse Saros to give Dallas the night's first lead.
That was all the visitors could muster, however, and later in the period - just seconds after Saros stoned Michael Raffl on a breakaway - the Preds countered as Johansen scooped up a loose puck in the slot and deked to the backhand to beat Jake Oettinger and even the score at 1-1 at 13:08.
Then, with just 82 seconds remaining in regulation, Josi's point shot went past Oettinger and into the twine to send the Bridgestone Arena crowd into a frenzy as the Preds took the only lead they'd need.
Saros and his teammates fended off one last push from the Stars, and the Predators earned points 67 and 68 of the season to jump over Dallas and into the Western Conference's first Wild Card spot.

Tuesday Storyline:

A Tuesday night in March doesn't get much bigger, and in a game that felt much greater than just another outing on the schedule, the Nashville Predators showed what they're capable of when it matters most.
In a tilt against Dallas that already had a postseason feel - and could end up carrying massive playoff implications by the end of the campaign - the Preds prevailed by simply doing what they do best - sticking with the game plan and pouncing when the opportunity arrived.
"It was a huge win for us," Josi said. "Obviously, we were playing a team that's one point ahead of us in our division. It was a tough game and kind of the way you can expect every game against Dallas - low-scoring, good defense, good goaltending and not a lot of room out there. But it was great, and we found a way. They obviously got the goal early, but we never gave up and found a way to win."

After a disappointing loss in Seattle last week, the Predators responded with an 8-0 rout in San Jose on Saturday night. While the Preds knew that result was unlikely to be repeated against a Dallas team that seems to force Nashville to overtime more often than not, there was still plenty for the home team to build on as they got back to the little things in that last victory. The process continued on Tuesday, something Predators Head Coach John Hynes was pleased to see, especially at this time of the year.
"Everyone knows where everyone sits in the standings, so it makes it an exciting game and makes it an exciting time of year," Hynes said. "For us, it's another good test. We continually talk to our group about playing our best when the stakes are at the highest, and I think we've had three battles against them so far this year and we expected no different tonight. So, I'm really excited. We had an opportunity to practice yesterday and we knew it was going to be a highly-competitive game and that there was a lot on the line, and I think those are good situations for our guys, for our culture, for our mindset - to play our best when the stakes are the highest - and if you do that you're going to give yourself the best chance to be a good team down the stretch."
Just as he's done on so many occasions already this season, Saros came up with a game-saving stop when he denied Raffl on a breakaway in the third with the Preds down 1-0, and just 16 seconds later, Johansen struck.
"It was huge," Josi said of Saros's save. "I mean, there've been countless times when he's done that this year. I think saves like that, if he scores it's 2-0 and it's probably game over, it'd be tough to come back. So, he makes a huge save and we come back and score. That stuff definitely gives us a lot of momentum and he kept us in that. He was great all game. The whole game they had some good looks, and he was unbelievable. And then especially at the end, too."
"[Alexandre] Carrier just made an unbelievable play and drew two guys to him and laid it in behind, and I was just sneaking in there and happened to get in," Johansen said of his goal. "I tried to make a play and it was great to be able to tie it up. And then for Josi to get it done, and in regulation too, for us to not give them a point as well, was huge."
Speaking of huge, the entire week carries more weight than most with games still looming against Anaheim, St. Louis and Minnesota - contests that could go a long way in shaking up the standings.
The Preds intend on working their way up said ladder, and Tuesday's result was a rather satisfying way to begin.
"There's a lot of big games this week, and it's tight right now in the standings with teams behind us, and the teams ahead of us are a couple points ahead of us in our division," Josi said. "It seems like all those teams keep winning, so once you play them head-to-head, you want to bring your best effort and obviously get the win… This is definitely a good start."

Highlight of the Night:

They Said It:

Ryan Johansen on Roman Josi's play:
"He's so good. It's ridiculous. He's Roman 'Franchise-Record-Breaker' Josi. He's just bringing it every night, and he's our captain. He's our leader, and he's doing it on the ice every game, and not only offensively, but defensively as well in all the key situations. I'm proud of him, and it's great to see him doing his thing out there."

Notes:

With an assist on Ryan Johansen's goal, rookie defenseman Alexandre Carrier tied Dan Hamhuis (2003-04) and Seth Jones (2013-14) for the most in a season by a rookie blueliner in team history with 19 helpers.
Preds forward Nick Cousins returned to the lineup after missing seven games with a lower-body injury. Forward Matt Luff, as well as defensemen Philippe Myers and Mark Borowiecki (day-to-day), were scratched on Tuesday.
Nashville's three-game homestand continues on Thursday night as the Anaheim Ducks come to town before the Preds host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena.