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Johansen nets first career hat trick in 6-2 win over the Wild  

Johansen nets first career hat trick in 6-2 win over the Wild  

The Nashville Predators returned to Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday night to host Kevin Fiala and the Minnesota Wild. Nashville holds a 25-9-(2)-4 record at Bridgestone Arena against the division rival, and they have not lost at home to the opponent since Dec. 27, 2016.  

Matt Borowiecki and Dante Fabbro made their return to the lineup as their team looks to close out the last 14 games of the regular season to earn a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  

It was evident it would be a physical matchup, as Michael McCarron and Borowiecki teamed up for three fights just in the first period, with each tossing the gloves before the game clock hit five minutes. 

It wasn’t long before NHL’s Star of the Month for March put the puck behind goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. With good passing along the perimeter and Nick Cousins set as a screen, Captain Roman Josi released a shot during the man advantage for the club’s leader in points to earn his 19th goal of the season and first point of the night. 

Mats Zuccarello tied things up at one after defensive miscommunication and Fabbro failed to send a pass to rush the offensive zone. Zuccarello rushed to recover the turnover and sent it past Juuse Saros. 
With Fiala serving a penalty, Ryan Johansen quickly answered with a powerplay goal of his own. Filip Forsberg and Mikael Granlund earned the assists on the goal. 

Josi sent the puck to Johansen who was waiting at the doorstep of Fleury. The two earned their second point of the night and Matt Duchene earned his first with a secondary assist. Breaking records once again, they matched a franchise record with three power-play goals in a period. They accomplished the feat five times previously and last on Nov. 18, 2006 (per NHL PR).
Kirill Kaprizov sent a shot toward the net with the 5-on-3 advantage. His shot was blocked by defenseman Mattias Ekholm, but Kaprizov collected the rebound to net his 44th goal of the season and cut the lead in half. With Zuccarello’s assist, he tied the Wild’s single season record for more assists with 50. He has nine points in the last games, including five coming from the powerplay (via Wild). 

Forsberg worked his stick-handling magic before passing the puck along to a rushing Duchene as he found the Preds fifth goal of the night.  
Johansen net his first NHL hat trick with an empty netter and 6.1 seconds left in the game to seal the deal.
https://twitter.com/AbigailDMartin/status/1511555402412052480
Saros ended the night with his 34th win in net after making 47 saves.  

Josi continues to lead his club in points as well with 83 (19g-64a), followed by Duchene with 72 (36g-36a) and Forsberg with 69 (38g-31a). Johansen has 54 points (20g-34a), Granlund has 51 (9g-42a). 
The Predators will travel to Ottawa on Thursday before returning to Nashville on Saturday to host Patric Hornqvist and the Florida Panthers.  
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Abigail Martin resides in Kingston Springs, Tennessee. She is a graduate of Harpeth High School and is a student at Middle Tennessee State University. Her love for hockey began once her mom introduced her to the young Nashville Predators team. She attended every game she could and found a passion for hockey. After becoming a season ticket holder, hockey became a part of her life she could not resist. Her obsession for the game and other interests attracted her to sports broadcasting, the career she wishes to pursue after college.

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