Ribeiro reborn in lead role with Preds

Whether Mike Ribeiro is having a rebound season or it's simply great timing by Nashville, the veteran center is making the Predators' gamble to sign him pay off in a big way.

Ribeiro anchors the top line for a team currently sitting atop the NHL's standings with 89 points. He also ranks second on the Predators with 51 points, his most since 2011-12 in his last season in Dallas.

He has already topped the 47 points he had with the Phoenix Coyotes last season before being bought out of a22 million contract.

"There's no doubt in my mind this year I was going to have a good season," said Ribeiro, 35.

"A lot of people doubted and questioned, but I knew as soon as I signed here that I was going to have a good season and prepared myself for it physically and mentally. I'm really focused on the game, and playing with great players helps anybody in this league."

Ribeiro's situation couldn't be much different from this time a year ago. He played 80 games in his lone year in Phoenix but scored only 16 goals and 31 assists in 80 games. It was a big drop-off for a forward who had 202 goals and 454 assists in 865 career regular-season games.

After being bought out, he and his wife came to Nashville together, even paying for their own airfare, before signing with the Predators. Nashville officials did their homework, including talking to Ribeiro's wife, before signing him to a one-year, 1.05 million deal.

Coach Peter Laviolette said Ribeiro has done a nice job for the Predators, who really had no expectations at the start of the season.

"We needed him to come in and be part of a team," Laviolette said on Wednesday. "I think everybody knew what type of player he was. He's always been an offensively gifted player. The ability to create and make plays and make other players better, so that was always there. We just wanted him to come in and contribute that way."

In Nashville, he's been reunited with James Neal, a teammate for two seasons in Dallas.

He also has played on a line most of the season with rookie Filip Forsberg, a top candidate for the Calder Trophy, who is tied with Neal for the team lead in goals (21).

After an assist in Tuesday night's 5-2 win over Colorado, Ribeiro now has 39. With 21 games remaining, he could threaten the team's single-season mark of 54 set by Paul Kariya in 2005-06.

Associated Prerss

(China Daily 02/28/2015 page8)