"Eat good."
That was step one in Juuso Pärssinen's plan to prepare for his next NHL game after helping the Nashville Predators win their third in a row Thursday night against the New York Islanders. The young forward is already planning what he needs to do to bring his best game to the ice again Saturday night.
Pärssinen was recalled by the Predators on November 12 from the Milwaukee Admirals, and in his three NHL games the 21 year old has collected three goals and one assist. His debut definitely made an impression as Pärssinen scored on his first shot with a play that highlighted his speed, power, and skating abilities. Last night's tallies came compliments of his willingness to pursue the play and use his physicality to battle in front of the net.
Pärssinen's game is impressive on its own, but jumping into the line up with line mates like Mikael Granlund and Filip Forsberg has given the Finn a golden opportunity. Pärssinen is averaging almost 16 minutes of ice time, including over 2:30 minutes of power play time with the top unit. Head coach John Hynes explained why he felt Pärssinen was ready for top six minutes with elite playmakers like Forsberg and Granlund.
While it has been an impressive three game stretch for Pärssinen, it hasn't been without its growing pains. After an excellent first outing, Juuso struggled to get to his game against the Minnesota Wild. Hynes sat down with him after that second game to talk through what the team wanted to see from the forward.
"He and I had a discussion about it," Hynes revealed. "The nice thing about him is that I think he understands what his game is and what he needs to do. It was simple. I don't think you want to overcomplicate it with a player like him."
Last night's performance against the Islanders showed that Pärssinen understands what Hynes wants from him and how playing his style of hockey benefits the team.
"It was nice to see him have a great game, have an OK game, and then come back with the necessary adjustments and mindset to get to his game," Hynes commented after last night's win.
Pärssinen's composure was evident last night. After giving up a turnover in the defensive zone on a particularly rough shift, he bounced back to net a key power play goal in the third period. It is play like this and not just his on ice skill that impresses Hynes and his teammates.
"He plays a very mature game," captain Roman Josi shared after the game. "He's been a great addition for us."
Predators fans have already seen a handful of players like Kiefer Sherwood, Jordan Gross, and Cody Glass impress John Hynes early only to find themselves eventually fade out of the lineup. But just three games in, it doesn't seem that Pärssinen's season is on that too familiar trajectory. His style of play compliments the system Hynes wants to play with, his skill set lends itself to a productive top six role, and his maturity under pressure may be the keys to a season of longevity for Jusso Pärssinen.
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