Josi Sets Franchise Assist Record as Preds Beat Jets to End Skid

Five different Predators skaters found the back of the net, Roman Josi set another franchise record and Nashville got back into the win column as they defeated the Winnipeg Jets by a 5-2 final on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result snaps Nashville's four-game skid and gives them victory No. 25 on the campaign.
Eeli Tolvanen, Mikael Granlund, Ryan Johansen, Luke Kunin and Tanner Jeannot all tallied on the evening, and Josi's first helper of the night was the 357th of his career to give him sole possession of the Predators franchise record for assists by a single player. Goaltender Juuse Saros also got back to his winning ways with 36 saves, including 14 in the third period alone.

Tolvanen waited just 4:43 into the contest to deposit a shot top shelf past Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for a 1-0 lead. At 11:49, Josi set the franchise assist record when he found Mikael Granlund in the slot, and the centerman converted to put the Preds up by two. Less than six minutes after that, Josi picked up another helper with a drop pass to Johansen who tallied his 12th of the campaign to give Nashville a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.

Winnipeg got on the board in the second stanza when they got a bounce on a 5-on-3 power play, but Kunin soon restored the three-goal lead when he tipped in a point shot from defenseman Matt Tennyson as the blueliner made his Preds debut.
Mark Scheifele cut the lead to two once more when he scored early in the third, but Saros and the Preds fended off Winnipeg's push before Jeannot iced it with an empty-netter to finish off the middle outing of Nashville's three-game homestand.
In addition to his franchise assist record, Josi also recorded his 114th career multi-point game. Only seven active defensemen have more (min. 1 GP in 2021-22): Brent Burns (168), Erik Karlsson (155), Kris Letang (141), Victor Hedman (127), John Carlson (125), Duncan Keith (120) and Keith Yandle (118).

Thursday Storyline:

Four consecutive losses were more than enough for the Predators, and they did something about it against the Jets.
A 3-0 advantage after the game's opening 20 minutes certainly helped the cause, and although the night wasn't perfect for the home club, the Preds did more than enough to get back to what had made them successful on 24 other occasions prior to this evening's contest.
"I really liked the mindset of the group," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. "There wasn't a lot of panic or finger pointing [during the losing streak]. We lost different games in different ways, but it was all about solutions and just staying focused and making sure that we understood what we needed to do better… But I think overall in general, the big lesson out of that was we weren't too low. We were losing some games, but I just liked the mindset of our group - just keep moving forward, let's find solutions and let's find a way to get out of it. And we did that tonight."
"We have enough confidence in the room to know what we have to do to be successful, and I think there's some parts in our game that we didn't like in the last four games and we addressed them [this morning]," Josi said. "We looked at some stuff, and I thought we did a good job of responding. I think we know what our game is and how we have to play to win, and I thought we did a better job tonight at that."

The two points were most important, but a pair of assists from Nashville's captain delivered a secondary storyline on Thursday - one that saw Josi take what is sure to be just another spot in the franchise record books.
A total of 357 assists was what it took for Josi to pass former Preds forward David Legwand for the mark, and helper No. 358 came just moments later on a night Nashville's Norris winner won't soon forget.
"It's really cool," Josi said of the record. "Definitely. I've been really fortunate to play here for so long - playing in this great city in front of our great fans and amazing organization. I've had some amazing teammates. I'm really fortunate to [have played] with so many great players in the past and now… It's definitely pretty special."
"I'm really excited for him," Hynes said of Josi. "Matt Duchene gave him one of the awards after the game and said, 'It's not every day that someone has the opportunity to make history.' For Roman, it's special for him, and he's a special player and it's a great accomplishment for him. It's not going to stop there, but just the type of person he is, the leader he is for our team, for the organization, for the city of Nashville - to represent what he represents as a player and a person is really special. We're around a great player and a great person, so we're really happy for him tonight. Certainly well deserved, and I think it speaks volumes about his ability as a player."
Josi and his teammates weren't about to let their winless stretch extend any longer either, and when they got back to basics, the Predators found their way once more.
"As long as the game is there and the effort is there, we're going to win some games," Granlund said. "Obviously, it's not always going to come in our way, but if we have the effort and consistency and the system we believe in, we're going to be fine... As long as we do that, good things will happen."

Highlight of the Night:

They Said It:

John Hynes on coaching and watching Roman Josi on a nightly basis:
"With Roman, he has natural instincts where he can make plays that others can't. He sees plays that others don't, and I think just the level of consistency that he's able to execute with a high level, it's just day in and day out. Just his skill set and his mind for the game is what really separates him. And then I think when you combine that with how hard he works and how hard he competes, it's a pleasure to coach and it's really fun to watch. I think we're all fortunate to be around not only a great player, but a great person."

Notes:

Prior to Thursday's game, defenseman Mattias Ekholm was activated from the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list. Defenseman Dante Fabbro (week-to-week, upper-body) was placed on Injured Reserve.
Tanner Jeannot scored to record his 25th point of 2021-22 (13-12-25 in 42 GP). Only two rookies in Predators history have required fewer games in a season to reach the mark: Filip Forsberg (25 GP) and Craig Smith (35 GP).
Ekholm returned to the lineup on Thursday, and Tennyson made his Predators debut wearing No. 7. He joined Yannick Weber, Stefan Elliot, Matt Cullen, Jonathon Blum, Greg de Vries, Scottie Upshall, Cliff Ronning & Jeff Nelson as the others to sport the digit in franchise history.
Nashville's three-game homestand concludes on Saturday night when they host the Detroit Red Wings for a 7:30 p.m. CT puck drop at Bridgestone Arena.