Ryan Johansen of Vancouver, British Columbia notched his first career National Hockey League hat trick on Tuesday. The Nashville Predators center scored thrice in a 6-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.
Johansen put the Predators up 2-1 in the first period with a goal from Filip Forsberg and Mikael Granlund at 13:52 on the power play. He then put the Predators up 3-1 in the first period with a goal from Matt Duchene of Haliburton, Ontario and Roman Josi with 57 seconds left in the opening frame. Johansen’s second goal was the game-winning goal, and was also on the power-play.
Then Johansen notched the hat trick with seven seconds left in the game to close out the scoring. His goal into an empty net came from Philip Tomasino of Mississauga, Ontario, and Filip Forsberg.
In 66 games this season, Johansen has 20 goals and 34 assists for 54 points. He is a +5 with 51 penalty minutes, 21 power-play points, four game-winning goals, 570 faceoff wins, 34 blocked shots, 56 hits, 30 takeaways, and 39 giveaways.
With the win, the Predators improved to a record of 40 wins, 25 regulation losses, and four losses in extra time for 84 points. They are currently in fourth place in the Central Division, one point up on the Dallas Stars, and two points up on the Vegas Golden Knights.
