Ryan Johansen doesn't like Ryan Kesler, and he doesn't think you should, either.When asked by reporters after Nashville's Game 2 loss whether Kesler crossed the line with his physical, borderline dirty play against the Predators' No. 1 centre on Sunday night, Johansen showed the first signs that the pesky Kesler is in his head."He just blows my mind, I don't know what's going through his head out there," Johansen said after the 5-3 loss. "His family and friends watching him play, I don't know how you cheer for a guy like that."It just doesn't make sense how he plays the game. I'm just trying to go out there and play hockey, and it sucks when you have to pull a stick out of your groin after every shift."Kesler responded by saying, "I play the game hard, and obviously he doesn't like that."Kesler certainly does play hard, and on Sunday the agitator set the tone right off the opening draw, digging his lumber hard into Johansen's skates and chirping his ear off before the puck was even dropped in Game 2. The battle between the two big centres continued all night, with Kesler dealing out the majority of the punishment while visibly frustrating Johansen who, to his credit, didn't back down one bit. He got his licks in, and despite the Preds' loss and his voiced frustrations after the game, Johansen and his linemates don't seem to be suffering much of a production drop-off in light of Kesler's antics.
The 24-year-old, who the Predators acquired in a swap with Columbus for Seth Jones last season, has a point on four of Nashville's six goals in the series, while the top line of Johansen, Viktor Arvidsson, and Filip Forsberg have been involved in five of six. He also had 75 percent of the head-to-head shot attemptsbetween the two on Sunday. Kesler, meanwhile, won 64 percent of head-to-head draws against Johansen in Game 2, including a couple big defensive zone faceoff wins and a huge blocked shot in the final minutes as Anaheim hung on to its slim lead for dear life.The Stanley Cup playoffs have been as unpredictable as ever this year, but Kesler being despised by everyone within earshot is always a sure bet.
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The 24-year-old, who the Predators acquired in a swap with Columbus for Seth Jones last season, has a point on four of Nashville's six goals in the series, while the top line of Johansen, Viktor Arvidsson, and Filip Forsberg have been involved in five of six. He also had 75 percent of the head-to-head shot attemptsbetween the two on Sunday. Kesler, meanwhile, won 64 percent of head-to-head draws against Johansen in Game 2, including a couple big defensive zone faceoff wins and a huge blocked shot in the final minutes as Anaheim hung on to its slim lead for dear life.The Stanley Cup playoffs have been as unpredictable as ever this year, but Kesler being despised by everyone within earshot is always a sure bet.