From the NHL: "Throughout the 2020-21 season the NHL is celebrating the remarkable efforts of the off-ice stars who make it possible for us to play our games amid a pandemic by honoring frontline healthcare heroes from the regions represented by the League's weekly and monthly 'Stars.'
"Dr. Jahangir is an orthopedic trauma surgeon and a professor of orthopedic surgery at Nashville's VUMC, where he currently serves as the director of the Division of Orthopedic Trauma as well as the executive medical director of the Vanderbilt Center for Trauma, Burn, and Emergency Surgery.
"In March 2020, Dr. Jahangir - who already was serving as chair of Metro Nashville's Board of Health - was appointed to head Nashville's Metro Coronavirus Task Force. Throughout the pandemic, he has joined city officials at daily press briefings and worked with the mayor's advisor for Nashville's response to COVID-19."
Over the past year,
the partnership between the Predators and Vanderbilt has only grown stronger
, and it only seems fitting two members of the Nashville community are being recognized to start a week that's full of optimism throughout both organizations.
On the hockey side, the Preds finished that franchise-record eight-game excursion with a 4-3-1 mark overall, and over the past week, Jarnkrok factored in on six of Nashville's nine goals to help his club to wins over some of the top teams in the Central Division in Florida and Tampa Bay. The Swede matched a career high for assists and established a single-game best for points (1g-3a) with four in a 4-1 victory over the Lightning on March 15.
Three nights later, Jarnkrok scored twice, including his 13th career game-winning goal, in a 2-1 triumph over the Panthers. Then, to finish off the trip, Jarnkrok potted the shootout-deciding goal - the first such tally of his career - in a 4-3 win over the Stars on Sunday night in Dallas. The 29-year-old is third in scoring for the Preds with 15 points (9g-6a) in 26 contests this season, and his 22.0 shooting percentage in 2020-21 - nine goals on 41 shots - shares fourth place in the entire NHL.
Additionally, over the course of three games during the trip, Jarnkrok factored on seven-straight team goals to tie David Legwand and Yanic Perreault for the longest such run in franchise history. He also became the second player to accomplish the feat in 2020-21, along with Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks.
After collecting nine points on the trip, the Preds are now just four points back of Chicago and Columbus for the final playoff spot in the Central Division. Nashville hosts Detroit on Tuesday and Thursday at Bridgestone Arena before heading to Chicago for a back-to-back set against the Hawks this weekend.
