Johnsson Starting Strong in Second Devils Season | BLOG

"I thought Andreas played his best game as a Devil."
Devils head coach Lindy Ruff had high praise for forward Andreas Johnsson following the team's season opener on Friday. In the 4-3 overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks at
Prudential Center
, the winger tapped in rookie center Dawson Mercer's shot on the goal line to give the Devils a 3-1 lead in the third period.
"He probably had three or four (chances), probably could even had more (goals) if he would have shot a couple times on the opportunities," Ruff said. "That line was in on a lot of good stuff and he was the lead for getting the opportunities."
How did Johnsson rate his performance in the first game of the 2021-22 season?

"(I was a) little bit nervous at the beginning, nice to have fans again," Johnsson said. "But overall, I feel like I played a game that was in the right direction for me."
When asked about what he focused on in the off-season to prepare himself to go "in the right direction," the winger credited an increased awareness of what works for his body.
"I just put some more hours in," Johnsson said. "Every year I feel like I learn more about my body and how I work - both food wise and (with) workouts. And I feel like I'm starting to figure that out now."
The left wing played 50 contests for the Devils last season. Through those games he only had 11 points, which was a lower total than his past two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, 21 and 43 respectively. Last year, it took him six games to get his first point and eight games to get his first goal.
Johnsson said this year he had to "show more offense." With a goal in his first game of the season he is starting his second year in New Jersey with a spark of confidence.
"It feels good of course to score a goal right away," he said. "I felt like I had a couple chances so it was nice to get eventually."