In the closing moments Thursday in the win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Predators center Ryan Johansen roared down the ice with teammate Calle Jarnkrok in a two-on-one rush.
Johansen deftly switched the puck from forehand to backhand — avoiding a poke-check in the process — and slid a picture-perfect pass across the ice. Jarnkrok smacked the offering high into the net for a game-clinching score.
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For many players, the slickly delivered assist might have been a season highlight.
For Johansen, it wasn’t even his best of the night.
The real eye-opener had occurred with just seconds left in the first period, when the supremely skilled center had somehow — while facing the sideboards, his back to the ice — blindly zipped a cross-ice, backhand pass through four Lightning defenders, setting up Roman Josi for an easy score.
ESPN’s SportsCenter tabbed it the top sports play of the night.
What. A. Pass.pic.twitter.com/enpvSznJUN
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) November 2, 2018
“I think that’s who he is,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette told media afterward. “There are no easy (assists) for him. The two assists he made were just incredible vision, incredible skill level.”
It’s quickly turning into that kind of season for Johansen, who is tied for second in the NHL with 13 assists — eight of which have come in the past five games. Per Natural Stat Trick, eight of Johansen’s 13 assists this season have been primary assists, leaving him tied for the league lead in that category.
But here’s an unofficial stat that might be even more impressive:
At least half of Johansen’s primary assists have come when he hasn’t even been eyeing his intended passing target.
The no-look pass — much like what one might see from a basketball point guard — has become a staple of Johansen’s game, whether delivered to Josi or to his linemates, Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg.
“From a goalie’s perspective, those are really hard to defend,” Predators goalie Pekka Rinne said.
“You’re trying to read where the puck is going, and he’s keeping it by his side and is ready to shoot. He’s faking the goalies and defensemen by pretending to shoot, and then just throwing it across the ice. He knows exactly where Filip or Arvi is, so it really makes it hard.”
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The New York Islanders could surely attest, as they were twice in two games victimized by Johansen’s no-look assists.
Those two plays looked like instant replays of one another, with the 6-3, 218-pound Johansen cruising toward the net from the right side of the ice. On both occasions, he used his left hand to ward off a defender, and then — while keeping his eyes on the goal — slipped a one-handed pass back to Arvidsson for one-time scores.
“I think just for me with my arm length and my size, it’s something I can use to my advantage when I’m holding off defenders and creating some space,” Johansen said of his one-handed, no-look deliveries.
“The only time I do it is when my linemates work into scoring positions and all I have to do is slide it to them. That’s what they’ve done. They’ve set themselves up in good areas, where all I have to do is slide it over.”
Johansen served up another no-look special last Saturday against Edmonton, that helper leading to one of Forsberg’s three goals against the Oilers. Again, the puck was seemingly in the net before Edmonton goalie Mikko Koskinen knew what had happened.
“It’s hard (for goalies) because you can’t really know,” Forsberg said. “He’s protecting the puck and then, all of a sudden, he throws a pass in there and it’s right on the tape. It’s perfect — you basically just have to hit the net (with your shot) and it’s in.”
The ability of Johansen to know where his linemates are headed, seemingly without so much as a glance in their direction, stems from the chemistry of the trio, who’ve compiled 41 points — 20 goals and 21 assists — in the team’s first 13 contests.
“The chemistry has been terrific and there’s no mistaking that,” Laviolette said. “They’ve been able to not only produce big goals 5-on-5, but also generate a lot of chances.
“Joey, for me, is unbelievable when he uses his speed and size to create — when he’s protecting the puck, he’s driving and he’s forcing the ‘D.’ If they don’t respect him, he can take it to the net. If they do respect him, he has the ability to see the ice and find other plays.”
(Top photo of Ryan Johansen (92) and Calle Jarnkrok: Kim Klement / USA Today)