Predators face Ducks in Game 5 without star centre

The Nashville Predators already face a daunting challenge when they attempt to take control of the Western Conference finals in a pivotal Game 5 on the road.

Without Ryan Johansen, that task is immeasurably tougher. The star Nashville centre will miss the rest of the Stanley Cup playoffs after emergency surgery on a left thigh injury, abruptly leaving the Predators without their leading scorer when they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night. The Predators announced the injury Friday after the rest of the club travelled to Anaheim. Johansen was hurt at an unspecified point in the Ducks’ 3-2 overtime victory Thursday in Game 4, which evened a tense, physical series . Johansen leads the Predators with 13 points in 14 playoff games while centring their top line with Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson. The smooth centre has played a major role in Nashville’s transformation into a serious Stanley Cup contender ever since his arrival in a highprofile trade with Columbus in January 2016.

Just two wins away from their first trip to the Stanley Cup Final, the Predators now must figure out how to beat a playofftested opponent with no help from their top playmaker - and perhaps without captain Mike Fisher, another possibly injured centre.

Although the Predators didn’t say how Johansen got hurt, he skated slowly to the Predators’ bench late in Game 4 after absorbing a hard check on the boards from Anaheim defenceman Josh Manson. He didn’t need to go to the Nashville dressing room at the time, but Johansen had surgery late Thursday at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Before the Predators travelled, they acknowledged an understanding of exactly what they’re facing over the next six days, along with a confidence from past playoff success in Anaheim.

Nashville already won Game 1 of this series at Honda Center after winning three times in Anaheim during the first round last spring.

“That’s why it’s the hardest trophy to win in sports,” said forward James Neal, who scored Nashville’s overtime winner in Game 1. “And we should be confident in our group. We have a chance to go in their rink, win a game, and come back with a chance to win in our home building. So put a smile on our face, enjoy it, get ready, and feel good about a tough game in their rink and what can come from that.”