Head Coach John Hynes, Ryan Johansen, Jusso Pärssinen, and Kevin Lankinen share their thoughts after Nashville's first preseason games.
The Nashville Predators played the Florida Panthers in two preseason games yesterday. The doubleheader gave head coach John Hynes and the coaching staff a unique look into how players would perform in game situations after a challenging start to training camp. Before the game, Hynes encouraged the players to bring their best skills to the game.
There was a lot for John Hynes to evaluate in 120 minutes of hockey against the Panthers. One area that is receiving a lot of scrutiny is the back up goaltending situation. The coaching staff will have to make some tough decisions before the regular season with regards to backup goaltending. Yesterday Hynes got a look at Connor Ingram, Devin Cooley, Yaroslav Askarov, and Kevin Lankinen in net.
-"I've got to head to a meeting after this one so I know that's going to be long. I thought they all played very well if you think about it. I thought Ingram played really well. I thought there was one he'd like to have back, but he was really great on that five on three kill we had. He made a lot of good stops for us, so that was nice to see. I thought Lankinen came in today and obviously with he and Askarov in the second game, there wasn't a goal that was scored on them. They made some good saves. I thought our team played well. I also thought that in every game there's breakdowns, and there are key saves that have to be made at key times, and both those guys did it, so I think in general for all of us, it's good that that competition remains a competition. So we'll have to continue to move forward with it." (John Hynes)
Kevin Lankinen got the start in the first half of the evening game and played very well. Bringing in Lankinen on a one year, $1.5 million deal was an offseason move that raised some questions in Nashville, but the young Finnish netminder has looked very good in training camp and in last night's game against the Panthers.
After the game Lankinen shared what it was about the Predators organization that led him to sign with the team.
-I like where the team is going. They want to win. I want to win, too. I'm really motivated to win. Obviously they have done a really good job over the years developing goalies, taking goalies to the next level. Great history with Rinne obviously and Juice and some other goalies as well. I have heard some great stuff about the guys, the coaching staff, Ben Vanderklok the goalie coach in particular. I had a lot of good talks with Juice and even Rinne and a couple other guys before I joined the team and they spoke really highly of the guys and the coaching staff, so I was happy to land a job here. (Kevin Lankinen)
Predators fans got their first look at another big offseason acquisition as former Carolina Hurricanes forward Nino Niederreiter played in the afternoon game. Niederreiter played together with Ryan Johansen and Phil Tomasino, a trio who could potentially start the regular season together as the second forward line. This combination has looked very strong in camp, but Johansen wasn't totally pleased with their performance against the Panthers.
-"We have some work to do. I thought a little too sloppy. We had to be sharper as a line and just do more on the ice and create more on the ice. I thought in the third period we did get it going a little bit so something to build off definitely, but collectively the three of us...we are going to bed, showing up to our next practice knowing that we've got to put in some more work to find a way to perform better on the ice." (Ryan Johansen)
Despite not meeting his own expectations with Niederreiter and Tomasino, Ryan Johansen couldn't help but be excited to be reunited on the ice with his close friend and former Portland Winterhawks teammate Niederreiter. Johansen took a minute to reflect on their past experiences together and his hope for success ahead.
-"It was really fun being on the ice with him again. We really were best friends back in the day, and it's funny being back together now and doing some good things in the third period is something we'll look to build off of. We've done this before. It's been a few years, but I remember this feeling so hopefully we can do that a lot this year." (Ryan Johansen)
Young Jusso Pärssinen had a stand out performance in the afternoon game, and while he enjoyed playing for the first time at Bridgestone Arena in front of the fans, he remains very focused on continuing to improve. This is what he had to say after the game about his one goal, one assist performance.
-"It felt good, of course. It's nice to score a goal and get an apple, but I just want to get into my play. I think I made a few good plays, but of course, every time you can never be too satisfied, and you can always be better." (Jusso Pärssinen)
After very challenging days at training camp and the doubleheader against Florida yesterday, the team will enjoy a well earned day off today. Meanwhile John Hynes and the coaching staff are looking forward to seeing which players continue to stand out through the remainder of the preseason.
"I think to be very honest, these guys certainly deserve a day off, and we'll get back at it on Wednesday. I think then the temperature will get turned up and we'll see if there is any separation with guys. But we've really liked the ways the guys have performed to date." (John Hynes)