Josi was the first star in the exhibition Monday with two goals and an assist, and he and Niederreiter, who grew up in Chur, Switzerland, were welcomed home by the fans. Each had family and friends in the stands who rarely got to see them play live and some who had never gotten to see them play live as professionals, including their grandmothers.
Between a workout and their flight to Prague on Tuesday, Josi and Niederreiter found time to visit children in a local hospital, which happened to be the same hospital in which Josi was born.
"Just watching the ovation that those boys got in Bern was outstanding and just special," Predators center Matt Duchene said. "Seeing the emotion that 'Jos' had. He's got a big heart, and he's an emotional guy in a really great way. Things mean a lot to him, and to see that was awesome."
The Predators had Wednesday off to explore Prague, practiced in front of a few thousand fans Thursday, and then earned back-to-back wins Friday and Saturday.
Sherwood was the first star Friday with a goal and an assist. McDonagh had an assist Friday and a blocked shot that saved a goal Saturday. Niederreiter had three goals in two games, including the game-winner Saturday. Lankinen got his first win for the Predators on Saturday, making 31 saves, including 15 in the third period.
"I think all those guys, they put in the work this summer," said Johansen, who has played for the Predators since 2015-16. "They came ready to go, and then they've jelled with this group quickly. As teammates and older guys, we've put a lot of trust and effort in making sure they're ready to go and comfortable and confident, and it looked like to me they went out there and played their best games, and the result of that is two wins."
Lankinen credited the leadership group.
"Quite honestly, they have a great core group of guys, and they made us feel so welcome here right from the get-go," he said. "We've been doing dinners, we've been having team stuff a bunch of times, and it makes the team glue together."