"Personally, I didn't even know that I had three points, but of course it feels good," Tolvanen said following Sunday's win. "Our line was really good today. We scored three goals, so I think that's a good sign, and playing those guys, you get more pucks and you get goals and some points, so I think that's going to continue. My confidence is really high right now. I mean, I've been playing pretty good hockey lately - in the D zone doing a good job, and then today in the offense zone - and I think it was a really good game."
"He's a phenomenal young talent," Johansen said of Tolvanen. "The biggest thing that has impressed me, which I see as a teammate, and I've said this before too, is just his work ethic and his compete on the puck and all the little things that you don't notice on scoresheets. He's really committed to doing that as best as he can, and as a teammate and a linemate as of recent, it's been fun to watch him and I've really enjoyed seeing him grow."
Predators forward Calle Jarnkrok, who was named the NHL's First Star of the Week and potted the shootout winner on Sunday, has also taken note of what Tolvanen is doing on a nightly basis, and even compared him to another member of the Preds with a wicked release.
"His shot is world class, and he might have a harder shot than Fil, actually," Jarnkrok said with a grin. "He's just getting better and better, and he looks great out there."
Tolvanen continues to earn his opportunities with solid play all over the ice, a fact Preds Head Coach John Hynes has noted over the past few weeks. That growth, Hynes said, allowed Tolvanen to crack the lineup this season in the first place, and since then, the young Finn has shown he not only belongs at this level now, but he can excel too.
"I'm really proud of him tonight, and I think for a young guy, a rookie coming in… you could see even in the meeting this morning his attentive level and we talked about… having a big-game, focus level," Hynes said of Tolvanen following Sunday's win. "He was really engaged all day long, and I think that's really good to see for a young guy on the team. He took some things to heart, he didn't play a great game [Saturday in Florida, but] came back, had a rebound game and it's good to see that he gets rewarded for the work ethic and commitment that he's been playing with."
Like Tolvanen, success on the road has allowed the team's confidence to increase as well. The Predators know there is still plenty of work ahead if they're to find themselves among the top four clubs in the Central Division, but after the past few contests, they're very much in the conversation.
Tolvanen has plenty to do with that, even if he may not be fully aware of his contributions.
"Those four wins were really big for us, and a lot of new faces did a really good job," Tolvanen said of the trip. "It was just the mindset going into the trip that if you can figure out battling against these big teams, we're going to show that we're a really good team. Even though we have some injuries, we did a really good job with the young guys stepping up."
