How an unsung player helped turn the tables on an early season narrative

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Nashville Predators by a final score of 5-2. Another shakeup to the roster, due to a Chris Kreider illness forced the juggling of line combinations for a second consecutive game. However, one regular depth player put his stamp on the game.

Ross Johnston channels his inner Gordie Howe

Raise your hand if you had Johnston scoring the first goal for the Ducks. If you did, go play the lottery right now. The dedicated fourth liner and noted pugilist of the team has only averaged a little more than 8 minutes of time on ice. But Johnston opened the scoring for the Ducks, with a greasy shot off of a rebound.

Johnston was just getting started; he got a secondary assist in the second period by pressuring the Predators defense behind the net. Johnston laid a hit, passed the puck to Mason McTavish, who hit Beckett Sennecke in stride for a one-timer.

In the third period, Johnston kicked a loose puck over to Ryan Poehling, who fed a cross-seam pass to a streaking Troy Terry for another goal. Later in the same period, Johnston got in a fight with Michael McCarron to complete the Gordie Howe hat trick (goal, assist, and a fight) sending McCarron to the Predators' locker room.

Johnston ended his night with 1 goal, 2 assists, a fight, and a cool jacket.

The Ducks finally play with a lead

Call it bad luck, tough bounces, or a byproduct of learning a new system, but the Ducks have failed to lead games for any significant margin this season. The Ducks had previously beat the San Jose Sharks in overtime and the Pittsburg Penguins with about a minute and a half left with a power play goal.

Johnston's goal in the first period against the Predators, finally gave the Ducks the evasive lead they have been looking for. Instead of maddeningly trying to battle back into games and chase the score, the Ducks were able to roll all four lines. The results paid dividends, as not only did the Ducks secure the win, but the team finally got depth contributions from skaters outside of the top six.

The Ducks will need the early scoring to continue as games against the Bruins, Lightning, and Panthers are up next on the travel docket.