The Nashville Predators have moved back to the .500 mark after hanging on to defeat the New York Islanders 5-4 on Thursday night (Nov. 17). The Preds jumped out to a 4-1 lead early in the third period before holding off the Islanders’ rally. With four assists, Roman Josi led a group of players with multi-point games to power the team to their third straight victory. While many players have stepped up their game, three of note have been a major part of the team’s recent success.
Nino Niederreiter
The former Carolina Hurricane has found a nice groove since joining the team as a free agent. He has four goals and one assist over the past 10 games and leads the team with eight goals. The 30-year-old has been playing on a line with Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene, known as the “The RyNo Line.” This group was responsible for both goals in Tuesday night’s victory over the Minnesota Wild. Niederreiter now has ten points in his first 17 games with the Predators, and the five-time 20-goal scorer is on pace to match or exceed that mark.
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The fifth-overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft was the player everyone expected him to be when he signed a two-year, $8 million deal last July. After stints with the Islanders and Wild, he was heavily recruited by three Predators, including Josi, with whom he won a silver medal for Team Switzerland at the 2013 and 2018 World Championships.
Niederreiter has a net-front presence on and off the power play, and he brings an element of toughness to any lineup. The Predators’ physical play was another attraction for Niederreiter, who thought it would be a good fit. “I thought back then, they play a great style of hockey, and now I have a chance to play for them,” he said in July. “So, hopefully, it works out perfect.”
The Hurricanes attempted to sign the veteran, who did have his best season with the team in 2021-22. However, he signed with the Predators, choosing them over the Hurricanes, even though he succeeded in helping them to a deep playoff run last season. In addition to the re-signing of Filip Forsberg, acquiring Niederreiter in free agency has been the team’s best off-season move thus far.
Ryan Johansen
Even though the 29-year-old did not hit the stat sheet against the Islanders, the chemistry with Niederreiter and Duchene has made the “RyNo” line very successful. Johansen and Niederreiter played together over a decade ago with…
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